CHIMNEY INSPECTIONS AT METROPOLITAN

Mr. Client February 23, 2014

ADJUSTOR ASSOCIATES

NAME : XXX

LOCATION : 100 Nice Place

Magnificent, NJ 00000

POLICY : ---

CLAIM : xxxx

LOSS DATE : 1/31/2014

METRO FILE : 1-23-2014

Dear Mr. Client:

Pursuant to your request an on-site inspection was performed at 100 Nice Place on Saturday, February 22, 2014. The purpose of your assignment was to visually inspect the chimney to determine the cause of the chimney failure, as well as the extent of the damage.

The results of the on-site inspection are as follows:

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREMISES

The subject structure is identified as a 2-story single-family residential dwelling. The dwelling is constructed of typical concrete, vinyl, brick, masonry and wood materials. The wood frame of the dwelling is covered with vinyl siding. There are two masonry chimneys: one exterior brick chimney that vents the wood-burning fireplace; this chimney is located on the left side of the dwelling; a second exterior masonry chimney that vents the gas furnace and the hot water heater; it is located on the right side of the dwelling.

Note: All directional references contained within this report are based upon viewing the home from the street.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The homeowner, Mr. Insured, was present during the inspection. He stated that he purchased the home in 2003. He did not know the year when the home was built. Research of the property tax records for Morganville, Monmouth County, NJ revealed that the home was constructed in 1969. Mr. Insured stated that subsequent to the purchase of the home, he installed a new roof due to the poor condition of the old roof.

Mr. Insured stated that while having repairs completed to the roof and gutters from the recent snow and ice storms, contractors inspected the chimneys and told him that the bricks at the right chimney have shifted, that the chimney is leaning and will have to be repaired. Mr. Insured stated that since he has been at this property, he has not inspected and/or maintained his two chimneys on a yearly basis.

He stated that he obtained a verbal quote for $1,800 from his contractor to repair the chimney section above the roof. He later stated that the last time a contractor cleaned his two chimneys was in 2007.

INSPECTIONS/OBSERVATIONS

Upon arrival at the property we met Mr. Insured who made the statements reported earlier. Since we were on site, he also requested to perform an inspection for damages of the left chimney.

Inspection of the chimneys revealed the following:

Right Masonry Chimney

The chimney is constructed of cement blocks, bricks and a single clay lined flue. The chimney serves to vent the gases from two appliances: the hot water heater and the natural gas furnace. The base of the chimney is constructed of concrete blocks and it is located inside the attached two-car garage. The portion of the chimney located above the garage roof is constructed of bricks.

Viewing the chimney from outside the garage, inspections found the following observations:

· Inspections found that the chimney’s brick mortar had been deteriorated at numerous joints; many of the joints appeared to be loose.

· Inspections found that several bricks at the chimney were either defaced or cracked.

· Inspections found that the chimney was slightly leaning to the right.

· Inspections found that the chimney had no cover other than a cement-like coating on top of the bricks. The concrete coating appeared to be touching the clay flue liner in an obvious attempt to seal the gap between the liner and the brick chimney.

· Finally, inspections found that the chimney cover (or crown as is called by some professionals) did not extend at a minimum of two inches beyond the exterior face of the bricks and did not incorporate a drip slot or similar characteristic to prevent or minimize moisture penetration from the top of the cap to the chimney.

Viewing the right chimney from inside the garage, inspections found the following observations:

· Inspections found that some of the mortar joints appeared to be loose.

· Inspections found a sizable gap in the mortar joint at the second low of bricks above the cement blocks.

Left Brick Chimney

The chimney is an exterior home structure attached to the left side of the home. It is constructed of bricks and a single clay lined flue. The chimney serves to vent the gases from a fireplace. At the time of the inspection Mr. Insured stated that he has not been using the chimney for many years, but he will start using it in the near future.

Viewing the chimney from outside the home, inspections found the following observations:

· Inspections found that the chimney’s brick mortar had been deteriorated near the top of the chimney; many of the mortar joints appeared to be loose, allowing the growth of vegetation, especially in the top four layers of brick;

· Inspections found that several bricks near the chimney top were cracked.

· Inspections found signs of efflorescence on the bricks.

· Inspections found that the chimney had no concrete cover; instead the chimney cover was constructed of three layers of bricks, so tapered to create a cover. It is important to note that the chimney “cover” appeared to be flat, making it difficult to drain the rain water.

The fireplace(s) should not be used until an inspection of the chimney and the flue(s) is performed by a certified chimney contractor.

DISCUSSION

The chimney cap ideally is designed to protect and shed rain water away from the chimney. As noted earlier, there was no chimney cover protecting the right chimney against water intrusion – water that seeps into a chimney and freezes will expand, causing damage to the chimney’s mortar. This is a defect likely to lead an unsafe flue as well, especially in the freezing climate of Morganville, NJ. A chimney is exposed to extreme weather changes, and brick expands and contracts differently than the clay flue or the cement coating on top of the bricks. With this seasonal expansion and contraction, and with shifting, a mortar joint can eventually crack or break. Water freezes and thaws in the cracks all winter long, year after year, forcing small cracks to eventually become big cracks. These cracks will allow the rain to enter the chimney structure and cause damage to the flue, bricks, the mortar joints and to the concrete blocks. This is in fact what we observed at the right chimney: widespread long-term water damage of the bricks and mortar joints due to lack of proper cover.

Since the chimney has a clay liner, the concrete material used as cover should not touch the liner. The reason is that when the clay liners get hot they expand, which will crack the cover. We also did not notice the presence of a flashing between the top of the bricks and the concrete crown. The flashing is the last line of defense should water make it through the chimney cover (crown).

As a result of these many design and construction deficiencies, water caused the long-term damage to the chimney; this damage is not a recent occurrence but it has been going on for many years.

Similar analysis can be made for the left brick chimney as well: the damages to the top layers of the chimney are less pronounced than in the right masonry chimney because it has a bit better construction through the inclusion of the tapered layers of bricks to form the illusion of a “cover”. The cover however is flat and does not force the water to drain away from the chimney, leading to water damage. This water damage has been going on since the construction of the chimney and it is not a recent phenomenon or not a result of the snow or ice storm. This damage can be minimized by placing a concrete cover on top of the bricks, along with the proper flashing. Finally, the top five brick layers of that chimney appear to have a black soot coating, perhaps a clue of a cracked flue. We recommend that the chimney be examined by a licensed and certified chimney contractor prior to its use.

CONCLUSION

Evidence shows that the subject chimneys were not damaged during the recent snow and ice storms. The right chimney evidenced long term deterioration of the mortar joints, cracked and defaced bricks, caused by chronic water infiltration and freeze/thaw effects on the chimney structure. The left brick chimney also evidenced signs of long-term deterioration caused by chronic water infiltration and freeze/thaw effects on the chimney structure.

On the date of inspection the homeowner was advised of the above described conditions and was informed to have a certified chimney contractor perform a Level II evaluation of the chimney and flu liner, as well as to perform a detailed inspection of the chimney cover(s) and loose bricks to determine the extent of damage and to identify need for replacement. The above must be performed prior to any use of the fireplace or any other appliance.

It should be noted that Metro’s inspection did not include inspections to confirm proper installation, code and manufacture's compliance of the structures appliances and their connected components.

Conclusions drawn in this report are based on the on-site inspections and observations and other information available, known or stated, at the time of preparation of this report. If additional information or documentation becomes known METROPOLITAN reserves the right to amend and\or supplement this report.

PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION