Chimney Inspections in Los Angeles County
A documented condition survey of the flue, liner, smoke chamber, crown, cap and exterior masonry. Camera footage where the flue cannot be seen from either end.
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Why Chimney Inspections Matters
An inspection is the only part of this trade that tells you something you could not otherwise know. A flue can look perfectly sound from the hearth and be cracked through two storeys up. That matters more here than in most of the country because of what the ground does. The 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake put hairline shears through masonry across the Whittier and Pico Rivera area that have quietly widened ever since, and the Portuguese Bend slide is still moving under parts of Rancho Palos Verdes today. Add the ordinary rate of settlement in the postwar tracts built on old dairy and farm land in Cerritos, Artesia and Norwalk, and cracked flue tiles are common in houses that have never had a bad fire. We also do a lot of point-of-sale work. A Level 2 inspection is what a lender, an insurer or a careful buyer's agent will ask for, and a written report with photographs settles the question rather than starting an argument.
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Benefits of Chimney Inspections
You find out what is actually there
A camera run the length of the flue shows cracks, gaps and displaced tiles that no visual check from the hearth can reach.
A report you can hand to someone
Written findings with photographs, in a form a buyer, an agent or an insurance adjuster will accept.
Level 2 for a sale or a change of appliance
The standard when a property changes hands, after an earthquake or chimney fire, or when a new stove or insert goes in.
No pressure to buy a repair
If the chimney is sound we write that it is sound. That is a perfectly good outcome and we are paid the same either way.
Earthquake and settlement damage identified
Shear cracks, displaced tiles and separation at the roofline, told apart from cosmetic surface cracking.
A repair plan in priority order
What has to be done now, what can wait a season, and what is simply worth knowing about.
Signs You Need This Service
If you notice any of these, it's time to call OakStone Chimney Solutions.
- You are buying or selling a house with a fireplace
- Pieces of terracotta tile or mortar appear in the firebox
- There has been a significant earthquake since the last inspection
- A stain, damp patch or efflorescence has appeared on the chimney breast wall
- You are fitting a wood stove, an insert or converting to gas
- The chimney visibly leans, or the mortar crown is cracked through
- There has been a chimney fire, or you suspect one
- The chimney has never been inspected and you do not know its history
Don't Wait Until It's an Emergency
A flue problem does not improve by being left alone. Chimney Inspections booked across Los Angeles County, any hour of the day.
Chimney Inspections in Action
Photographs from our own chimney inspections jobs around Los Angeles County.
How We Do It
Exterior and roofline first
Crown, cap, flashing, mortar joints and the stack itself, photographed from the roof.
Firebox and damper
Firebrick, joints, damper operation, smoke shelf and the throat of the chimney.
Camera survey of the flue
The full length of the liner on video, which is the only way to see the middle of a chimney.
Clearances and connections
Combustible clearances, appliance connection and venting checked against the current standard.
Written findings
Every defect recorded with a photograph and a plain description of what it means.
Talk it through
We go over the report with you and separate what is urgent from what is not.
Chimney Inspections Questions
A Level 1 covers the readily accessible parts of the chimney and appliance and suits an annual check on a system in continued service. A Level 2 adds the roof, the attic and crawl space, and a camera survey of the full flue. Level 2 is the one required when a property changes hands, after an earthquake or chimney fire, or when the appliance changes.
California does not require one by statute, but buyers, agents and insurers routinely ask, and an unexamined chimney is an easy thing for a buyer to use in negotiation. A Level 2 report with photographs usually costs far less than the credit you would otherwise be asked for.
Yes, and you should. Chimneys are the most earthquake-vulnerable part of most houses in this county. We look specifically for shear cracks, displaced flue tiles and separation between the stack and the structure, which frequently exist with no visible damage inside the house.
A Level 1 is usually forty-five minutes, a Level 2 with a full camera survey an hour and a half or more. Someone needs to let us in, but you do not have to follow us around. The report and footage come to you afterwards either way.
Chimney Inspections Near You
We provide chimney inspections across 15 cities across Los Angeles County.
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Contact Details
Lakewood, CA 90712
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