Inasmuch as we have no intention of using the fireplace, it still seems like a good idea to know the condition of both the external chimney structure and the fireplace itself, including the firebox, liner and smoke chamber.
We shopped around, and based on what other folks said, Idaho Fireplace & Chimney came highly recommended.
Up until this time, I had not touched the fireplace in the living room, nor the brassy-looking thingamajig in front of it.
In my adult life, I’ve only had experience with a couple of fireplaces. I’ve had wood-burning stoves, and pellet stoves, and gas stoves, and I am familiar with how they work and their relative efficiencies.
But fireplaces are another animal entirely.
We begin this clip inside for a very quick setup prior to cleaning. Then, quick as Chuck Norris counting to infinity and back, we’re outside looking up at Ritchie on the Roof.
Then, back in the house, I record the monitor display from a camera mounted on an extending pole while Ritchie feeds it up through the inside of the chimney.
Cool rooftop view of the neighborhood at the end.
Note the discussions in this clip (hopefully you can hear them).
At one point, Ritchie says he’s pretty sure there was a chimney fire sometime in the past (when else would it have been?), as evidenced by the lack of soot buildup in many of the crevices, and a couple other indicators which I don’t recall off the top of my head.
And he mentions that the fireplace is unsafe to use in its present condition. (That assessment is also included in the Report, below.)
Ritchie’s Photos
Here are photos that Ritchie took of the exterior of the chimney.
His assessments appear in the Reports, below.
Hover on an image to stop the slideshow. Use the arrows or the navigation dots to scroll through the slideshow. Click on an image to enlarge.
More of Ritchie’s Exterior Photos:
Still Photos from the BoreCam
And here are still photos captured from the video taken with the camera-on-a-pole as it went up the chimney.
The Reports
Here are the reports of the condition of the fireplace and chimney, on tear sheets that include proposed solutions.
And here is a cut-n-paste of the verbiage on the headers of the tear sheets.
Click the image to enlarge.
Ritchie also sent us a tearsheet for his recommended woodburning insert.
I’m not suggesting we take any action at the moment, however it is always good to know about available options.
