Homeowner’s Insurance & Chimney Claims

Jul 16, 2024

Chimney sweep cleaning a chimney standing on the house roof, lowering equipment down the flue

Last Spring, a customer hired us to clean and inspect her chimney after her neighbor reported seeing flames coming out of the chimney one evening. We performed our routine cleaning and thorough inspection and discovered that she had experienced a chimney fire.

The Cause: Creosote Buildup

It had been several years since her chimney was last cleaned and inspected. She was unaware that creosote had built up, creating a hazardous, flammable situation. Fortunately, her neighbor knocked on her door, allowing her to extinguish the fire immediately. Otherwise, the damage could have been far more extensive than just a cracked flue tile.

Repairs and Insurance Verification

We repaired the flue by removing the damaged flue tiles and replacing them with a stainless steel liner. Her insurance company contacted us to verify the cause of the cracked flue tile. Fortunately, her insurance company did not dispute her claim and authorized the repairs under her homeowner’s insurance coverage. However, it’s not always that easy.

The Importance of Regular Maintenance

Homeowners can’t be expected to clean their chimney after every use, and with wood-burning fireplaces, inserts, or stoves, creosote can build up quickly. Issues arise when insurance companies question the level of chimney maintenance and the fireplace’s usage.

If negligence is suspected, there could be a problem with the claim. For example, using your chimney for eight years straight without inspection and cleaning, and then having a fire, won’t be considered “unexpected” damage by most insurance carriers, even though the fire might be “sudden.”

Preventive Measures: Regular Inspections and Cleaning

The best way to avoid issues with your homeowner’s insurance provider is to have your chimney and fireplace inspected and cleaned once every year. An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.

Why Choose Chimney Clean Company?

If you are looking for a reputable chimney sweep, Chimney Clean Company is licensed, bonded, insured, and has been cleaning and inspecting chimneys in the South Bay Area for over 34 years. Give us a call.

Smoking back

There are many fireplaces that seem to smoke back into the house no matter what is done. In our experience, the most common cause is that the fireplace simply needs to be cleaned. This is especially likely if the fireplace has gotten worse over time, that is, the smoking back is worse now than it used to be.

Several other possible causes of smoking back are problems with the damper, chimney cap, grate, firewood, or structural problems with the chimney itself. At Chimney Clean Company, we do a full inspection with every cleaning, or we can also do just the inspection if the chimney doesn’t need to be cleaned. This inspection is designed to reveal any causes of smoking back.

Broken chimneys

In the Bay Area, many chimneys were broken in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Usually, these chimneys are broken at or near the roof line, although sometimes they can be broken further down, even at the ground level.

We are fully licensed masonry contractors. We rebuild broken chimneys. If they are broken at the roof line, this usually entails taking the chimney part of the way down brick by brick, installing steel reinforcing bars, getting an inspection from a city inspector, then rebuilding the chimney back up around the steel rebar.

Missing mortar or damaged bricks

Over time, many chimneys develop places that are missing mortar between bricks, or damaged bricks, either inside the firebox or on the outside of the chimney. These areas can usually be repaired, either by replacing the missing mortar or replacing the bricks themselves. Items such as these can be dangerous because they can allow flames, sparks or hot gases to enter the structure of the house.

Water entry

Sometimes the metal that seals the chimney at the roof, called “flashing”, will come loose or develop leaks. In this case, water sometimes comes into the ceiling of the room and causes water spots and stains on the sheet rock. This flashing should be repaired before the water causes more damage.