After the historic rains that moved through Central Indiana this season, water showing up in and around a fireplace became a familiar story. For one Fishers homeowner, that’s exactly what prompted the call. He had noticed water in his firebox and already knew the chimney’s exterior masonry needed attention. The fireplace hadn’t been in use, but with the cooler months approaching he wanted to get it ready for the season.
From the outside, nothing about the chimney suggested a serious problem. The water was concerning, and the masonry showed visible wear, but there was no indication that the fireplace shouldn’t be used. That’s a situation we see often, and it’s precisely why a chimney inspection covers more than what’s visible from a living room or a front yard.
Why a Chimney Inspection Goes Beyond the Surface
When Maranda arrived, the firebox showed deterioration and clear signs of water penetration, consistent with what the homeowner had noticed and reason enough to call. But the camera inspection of the flue changed the scope of the visit entirely.
A flue inspection uses a camera to travel through the passage that carries smoke and combustion gases out of the home, reaching areas that can’t be evaluated any other way. What Maranda found was significant: multiple cracked flue tiles running through the chimney system. Nothing visible from below or above had indicated they were there.
Cracked flue tiles don’t develop overnight, and the deterioration Maranda found had nothing to do with the recent storms. The water in the firebox was a separate issue that happened to lead to a more serious discovery. Given the condition of the flue, Maranda advised the homeowner to hold off on using the fireplace until the necessary repairs were completed.
How a Camera Chimney Inspection Changes the Picture
A chimney system extends well beyond the parts a homeowner can see. Looking into the firebox gives a partial picture. Examining the exterior from the yard gives another. Neither one reaches the full length of the flue, and that’s where conditions like cracked tiles develop and go undetected.
Camera inspections exist to close that gap. They allow a technician to evaluate the interior of the flue from top to bottom, documenting what’s there and identifying anything that warrants attention before the fireplace is used. For a homeowner who hasn’t had the system evaluated recently, that closer look often turns up conditions that wouldn’t have been identified any other way.
In this Fishers home, the difference between what the homeowner expected and what the inspection found was significant. He called about water and masonry. He left knowing there was a hidden problem inside the flue that needed to be addressed before anything else. That’s not the outcome he anticipated, but it’s the information that actually mattered going into the heating season.
The Risk of Skipping a Chimney Inspection
Most homeowners don’t think about their flue until something forces them to. That’s understandable. It’s not a part of the home that announces itself, and a fireplace that has been used for years without obvious problems doesn’t give much reason for concern. But flue deterioration doesn’t wait for a convenient moment to become visible, and by the time it does show up in a way a homeowner can see, it’s typically been developing for a long time.
This inspection is a good example of why heading into a new heating season without a recent chimney inspection carries more risk than most homeowners realize. The fireplace in this Fishers home looked ready to use. Nothing on the surface suggested otherwise. A camera inspection was the only thing that changed that picture, and it changed it significantly.
Schedule Your Inspection With Beck’s Today
If you’ve noticed water around your fireplace or haven’t had your chimney inspected in a few years, now is the time to call. Heating season arrives quickly and inspection schedules fill up just as fast. Beck’s has been serving Central Indiana homeowners since 1977. Whether you have a specific concern or just want to know where your system stands heading into fall, contact us to get on the schedule before the season gets underway.