Hi everyone! I had a company out to do an inspection/cleaning of the fireplace in a house I'm about to rent from my friends, and the tech said it wasn't safe to use. I wanted to see what you guys think, as obviously I don't want to do anything stupid.
The fireplace hasn't been used in 6 years but the prior owners were using it all the time with no issues. I'm renting the house for only two years and then my friend and his wife are going to sell their main house and move into this house and gut it/rebuild it. So I'd love to be able to use the fireplace for the two winters I'll be living here.
So it turns out it's a masonry fireplace, and the tech's report said:
"Fireplace info. Masonry firebox, with partially terra cotta liner and partially stainless steel, interior chase, small attic access, opening is
38” X 30” flue height is approx. 18ft.
Swept and inspected fireplace and performed a level 1 inspection with chimney scan.
Removed a very large amount of creosote and debris that was build up in the liner.
Unparged smoke chamber
there’s partially terra cotta liner and at least 6ft. of stainless steel liner. Recommend to perform a stainless steels liner and rebuild chimney chase above roof line to meet standards."
At first he said a masonry fireplace should only have a terra cotta liner, not steel, and thus isn't safe to operate. But his report recommends a stainless steel liner, so he seemed to contradict himself. He showed me on the camera where there are some small gaps between the steel and the fireplace. At the end he tried to sell me on the idea of sealing the fireplace and putting in a gas unit. He wasn't making a "hard sell" so I'm not sure if he was bs'ing me just to sell their additional services or not.
When I told him the previous owners used it all the time he said, "well they clearly had no issues and there probably will never been any issues but I have to tell you it's not safe to operate." Maybe he is being cautious for liability purposes?
Do you guys think the tech was being overcautious? What if I just had small fires going; no need to have a huge 12 log fire going!
Anyway, I'd appreciate any opinions or advice! Thanks!
The fireplace hasn't been used in 6 years but the prior owners were using it all the time with no issues. I'm renting the house for only two years and then my friend and his wife are going to sell their main house and move into this house and gut it/rebuild it. So I'd love to be able to use the fireplace for the two winters I'll be living here.
So it turns out it's a masonry fireplace, and the tech's report said:
"Fireplace info. Masonry firebox, with partially terra cotta liner and partially stainless steel, interior chase, small attic access, opening is
38” X 30” flue height is approx. 18ft.
Swept and inspected fireplace and performed a level 1 inspection with chimney scan.
Removed a very large amount of creosote and debris that was build up in the liner.
Unparged smoke chamber
there’s partially terra cotta liner and at least 6ft. of stainless steel liner. Recommend to perform a stainless steels liner and rebuild chimney chase above roof line to meet standards."
At first he said a masonry fireplace should only have a terra cotta liner, not steel, and thus isn't safe to operate. But his report recommends a stainless steel liner, so he seemed to contradict himself. He showed me on the camera where there are some small gaps between the steel and the fireplace. At the end he tried to sell me on the idea of sealing the fireplace and putting in a gas unit. He wasn't making a "hard sell" so I'm not sure if he was bs'ing me just to sell their additional services or not.
When I told him the previous owners used it all the time he said, "well they clearly had no issues and there probably will never been any issues but I have to tell you it's not safe to operate." Maybe he is being cautious for liability purposes?
Do you guys think the tech was being overcautious? What if I just had small fires going; no need to have a huge 12 log fire going!
Anyway, I'd appreciate any opinions or advice! Thanks!
![[Hearth.com] Chimney tech said my fireplace is not safe for use - second opinion?](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/329/329955-27aff32b9094a7759434560ca64e1adb.jpg?hash=YnNuyjb49r "[Hearth.com] Chimney tech said my fireplace is not safe for use - second opinion?")
![[Hearth.com] Chimney tech said my fireplace is not safe for use - second opinion?](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/329/329956-6e865b1ac8645994e0fdfc4526cf33a7.jpg?hash=rHIIp0a0_I "[Hearth.com] Chimney tech said my fireplace is not safe for use - second opinion?")
![[Hearth.com] Chimney tech said my fireplace is not safe for use - second opinion?](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/329/329957-bd7a8d48e55ca6a76dbb55ad0c9eb18a.jpg?hash=yvLl_ywStN "[Hearth.com] Chimney tech said my fireplace is not safe for use - second opinion?")
![[Hearth.com] Chimney tech said my fireplace is not safe for use - second opinion?](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/329/329958-e763a35b00adbecaac754ab337b7c792.jpg?hash=EfOQc3fNQ7 "[Hearth.com] Chimney tech said my fireplace is not safe for use - second opinion?")
![[Hearth.com] Chimney tech said my fireplace is not safe for use - second opinion?](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/329/329959-3920f4a9fc5f809a9ab6add9b6ca801b.jpg?hash=sDiSJqCtyK "[Hearth.com] Chimney tech said my fireplace is not safe for use - second opinion?")
