Chimney Inspection in Santa Barbara, CA

What happens during a chimney inspection

The visit starts inside. Floor covering goes down, then the firebox gets checked by hand and light. We look at firebrick, joints, the damper plate, and the smoke shelf above it. Damper rust and seizure is routine here; coastal humidity works on cast iron all summer. Then a camera or mirror goes up the flue to read the liner. Clay tile is checked for shear cracks and missing mortar between tiles. After that we go to the roof.

Roof-side is where most Santa Barbara findings come from. Crowns crack and let winter rain into the brick below. Spark arrestors rust out or go missing entirely, which matters on foothill and canyon lots. Caps, chase covers and step flashing all corrode from salt air. Prefab chase covers that lost their crown slope will pool water and rot the chase.

Stucco-over-brick stacks hide things. Seismic separation from the house wall often shows as a hairline stucco crack and nothing more until the camera goes up. Gas log retrofits are a second common surprise, an old unlined or oversized flue serving appliances it was never sized for.

You get the findings in plain language, with photos, including the items we would leave alone.