Magna · Salt Lake County
Camera Chimney Inspections in Magna
A masonry chimney can look completely normal from the yard and be cracked through on the inside. In Magna there is a specific reason to take that seriously.
The magnitude 5.7 earthquake of March 2020 was centered near Magna, and unreinforced masonry chimneys are among the elements that respond worst to that kind of shaking. A chimney is a tall, heavy, slender stack of brick with almost no tensile strength, cantilevered above the roof and tied to the building at only a few points. When the ground moves laterally, the stack wants to keep going. Some chimneys came down and everybody knew about it. The ones we still find years later are the ones that did not fall: the tile liner cracked, a joint opened in the smoke chamber, or the stack shifted slightly against the flashing, and from outside the house nothing looked different at all.
Why that matters more than it sounds
A cracked flue liner is a path for hot gas and, over time, for exhaust to reach framing or living space. It is not a cosmetic issue and it does not heal. If your chimney has not been examined with a camera since 2020 and you are still burning in it, that is the single most useful hour you can spend on this house.
Level 1 against Level 2
A Level 1 is a visual check of the accessible parts and suits an unchanged system in known good order. A Level 2 sends a camera down the full length of the flue and covers the accessible concealed spaces where the chimney passes through the building. Anything after ground movement, any property sale, and any change of fuel is Level 2 territory. In this city we recommend Level 2 more often than we would somewhere else, and the earthquake is why.
What the report contains
Written findings, with images, in plain language, listing what is sound and what is not, in the order it matters. If the answer is that the flue came through fine, that is what it says and there is nothing to buy. Inspections that only ever find expensive problems are not inspections.
Questions
Inspection in Magna — common questions
Our chimney did not fall down in the 2020 earthquake, so it must be fine.
Not necessarily. Standing upright and being intact inside are different things, and cracked liners and opened joints are invisible from outside. A camera run answers it definitively in under an hour, which is why we suggest it for any masonry chimney in this area that has not been looked at since.
Do you inspect chimneys for home sales in Magna?
Yes, frequently. Most general home inspection reports exclude the chimney beyond a visual glance, so buyers and agents come to us to close that gap. The report comes with photographs so it stands up on its own during a negotiation.
What is the difference between a Level 1 inspection and a Level 2?
A quick visual look tells us whether there is an obvious problem and whether the fireplace is usable. A Level 2 is a documented examination with a camera down the whole flue and a written report. Both have their place, and we will tell you which your situation actually calls for.
Can you inspect a chimney that only serves a furnace?
Yes. Appliance flues in older Magna houses deteriorate quietly, and a failing liner on a heating appliance is a carbon monoxide question rather than a fire one. It gets the same camera and the same written findings.
Also in Magna
Our other services here
Chimney Sweep Chimney Repair Fireplace Repair Installation Gas Fireplace Caps & Dampers Dryer Vents All Magna services
Nearby
Inspection in neighboring cities
South Salt Lake Taylorsville West Jordan West Valley City Bluffdale