Midway · Wasatch County
Chimney Inspections for Midway Homes and Rentals
A fair number of Midway fireplaces are lit by somebody who does not own the house. That changes what an inspection is for.
The guest problem
When the person using a fireplace is a guest rather than the owner, every assumption an owner makes quietly disappears. Nobody checks whether the damper is open before lighting. Nobody notices that the fire is smoking a little more than last time. Nobody knows the flue has not been swept in three years, because nobody knows it exists as a thing that gets swept. If your Midway property is rented out or lent to family through the winter, the documented inspection is not paperwork. It is the only mechanism by which anyone finds a problem before it becomes one.
The three levels
Level 1 is a visual survey of everything readily accessible: firebox, damper, the parts of the flue we can see, the exterior of the stack. Level 2 adds a camera run of the entire liner plus a look at where the chimney passes through attic and crawl spaces, and it is the required scope on a property sale, an appliance change, or after any event that could have damaged the flue. Level 3 involves removing part of a structure to get at something concealed and is reserved for cases where the evidence genuinely calls for it.
What we check that is particular to here
Older Midway masonry gets the camera every time, because a lot of it predates modern lining practice and the condition of the interior tells a completely different story from the condition of the exterior. On newer stone-faced chases we go looking for the things that get missed during construction: pipe clearances to framing, a chase top that was formed too flat and now ponds water, a storm collar that was never sealed. On any property used seasonally we look hard for nesting material and for a damper that has seized in place since the last time anyone touched it.
Documentation you can hand to somebody else
You get photographs, camera stills, and a plain written summary saying what is safe, what needs attention, and what is only worth monitoring. That is a document an agent, a buyer, an insurer or a property manager can act on. If the chimney is in good order the report says that, in writing, and we do not invent work to justify the visit.
Timing
Before burn season, and before a rental season, rather than during it. Once the weather turns, the inspection schedule fills with people who already have a problem.
Questions
Inspection in Midway — common questions
We rent our Midway house out in the winter. What inspection level should we be doing?
A Level 2 to start, so you have a documented baseline of the whole liner, then a Level 1 with a sweep each season after that. If guests are lighting fires unsupervised, the camera baseline is worth having and worth keeping on file.
Does an inspection report satisfy our insurer?
It gives them something factual to work with: dated photographs, camera stills and a written condition summary. Requirements vary between insurers and we cannot promise what yours will accept, so it is worth asking them what they want before we come out.
The house is a historic one in the old part of Midway. Will you be able to inspect it fully?
Usually yes, with a camera. Older stacks sometimes have offsets or corbels that a camera cannot pass, and where that happens we tell you what we could not see rather than reporting on a flue we did not actually view.
How long does it take?
A Level 1 usually takes less than an hour. A Level 2 with a full camera run takes longer, particularly on a tall or offset chimney, and longer again if we are inspecting more than one flue in the same house.
Also in Midway
Our other services here
Chimney Sweep Chimney Repair Fireplace Repair Installation Gas Fireplace Caps & Dampers Dryer Vents All Midway services
Nearby