Goshen · Utah County
Getting a Goshen Chimney Inspected Before You Trust It
Most of the inspection calls we take in Goshen come from one of two places: somebody is buying a property with outbuildings and a woodstove, or somebody inherited a farmhouse chimney and does not know its history.
An inspection is not a formality here. Rural Utah County has a long tradition of doing your own work, and a stove that a previous owner set up himself in 1994 can look perfectly tidy and still be sitting too close to a wood-framed wall.
The three things we check first on an older property
Clearances come first, because that is the one that burns houses down. Single-wall pipe needs real distance from combustibles and so does the stove body, and shortcuts get made when the pipe run is being fitted around a joist that was already there.
Second is the liner. A brick chimney built for a coal stove or an oil furnace and later handed a wood stove is a common find. The flue may be oversized for the appliance, which makes it draft cold and slow, or it may be unlined masonry, which was normal once and is not acceptable now.
Third is the top. Out on open ground the crown takes weather from every direction with nothing breaking the wind, and a cracked crown quietly wets the whole stack from the top down.
Level 1 versus Level 2, in plain terms
A Level 1 is a visual check of everything we can reach without taking anything apart. It suits a chimney with a known history that is being used the same way it always has been. A Level 2 adds a camera down the full length of the liner and a look at accessible attic and crawl space runs, and it is what you want on a property change, after a chimney fire, or when the appliance is being changed out. If you are buying, ask for the Level 2. The extra cost is small next to what a relining job costs when it turns up after closing.
What you get from us
A written report with photographs, plain language about what is a safety problem and what is only cosmetic, and no pressure. If the chimney is fine we will write that down and you can hand it to your buyer or your insurer. If it is not, you will see the images that made us say so.
Questions
Inspection in Goshen — common questions
We are under contract on a place out toward Goshen Valley. How fast can you get out?
Tell us the inspection deadline when you call. Real estate timelines get priority because they are hard dates, and the far south end of the valley is a trip we plan around, so the more notice you give us the easier it is to hit your window.
The stove was installed by the previous owner. Does that make it unsafe?
Not automatically. Plenty of owner installs are done properly. But there is no permit record and no installer to ask, so the only way to know is to measure the clearances, look at the pipe joints and put a camera in the flue.
Do you inspect the flue in an outbuilding or shop?
Yes, and we would encourage it on any property where the shop gets heated. Shop stoves are usually the least maintained appliance on the place, and they are often the furthest from anyone who would notice a problem starting.
Also in Goshen
Our other services here
Chimney Sweep Chimney Repair Fireplace Repair Installation Gas Fireplace Caps & Dampers Dryer Vents All Goshen services
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