Chimney guides

Buying a House in Connecticut? The Chimney Needs Its Own Inspection

The home inspection you are paying for almost certainly does not include the inside of the chimney. On an older Connecticut house that is the part most likely to hold an expensive surprise.

An inspection camera on a flexible rod being fed into a chimney flue

Short answer

A property transfer calls for a Level 2 chimney inspection, which includes a camera survey of the entire flue plus the accessible attic, crawl space and basement. A general home inspector looks at the chimney from outside and may glance into the firebox. They do not put a camera down the flue, so cracked tile, washed-out joints and decades of oil condensate damage go unrecorded. It is a separate appointment and worth arranging before you are committed.

What Level 2 means and why a sale triggers it

NFPA 211 sets three inspection levels nationally. Level 1 is a visual check of readily accessible parts. Level 2 adds the camera survey and the concealed-space examination, and it is specified for exactly three situations: a change of property ownership, a change of fuel or appliance, and after an event that could have damaged the chimney.

A purchase is the first of those. In Connecticut the second one also comes up constantly, because an oil-to-gas conversion is a change of appliance.

What the camera finds that nothing else does

Cracked or missing flue tiles. Mortar joints washed out from between them. Gaps where a liner has separated. Any sign that combustion products have been reaching the masonry. On a chimney that has vented oil for forty years, this is where the damage is, and it is invisible from both the roof and the firebox.

What the report should contain

Something written, with camera stills and exterior photographs, separating safety defects from wear worth monitoring. A verbal summary at the door is not something you can take to a negotiation.

What it typically turns up in Connecticut housing

Three findings account for most of what comes back on older housing here, and each has a different implication for the price you are agreeing.

An unlined or failing flue

Common on anything built before flue tile was standard, and on anything that has burned oil for decades. Relining is a real cost and it is a reasonable thing to raise before closing.

A cracked crown

Cheap to fix and expensive to ignore. If it has been cracked for years, the masonry below it has been taking water for years too, and the inspection should say whether that has done structural damage.

A flue the wrong size for the appliance

Very common where the heating has been changed and the chimney has not. It means a liner, and it is better to know now.

Timing it so it is useful

Book it during the inspection period, not after. A Level 2 takes under two hours on a typical house and the report gives you something concrete — photographs and a written finding — rather than a suspicion.

If you are selling rather than buying, having it done before listing is usually the better position. You find out what the chimney needs on your own timetable instead of in the middle of a negotiation.

Need this done?

Chimney Inspection across Connecticut

Free to use, no obligation — we never charge you.

See chimney inspection →

Frequently asked questions

Will a home inspector do this if I ask?

Generally not to this standard. Camera inspection of a flue is specialist work with specialist equipment, and most general inspectors say so.

Is it worth it if the fireplace was never used?

Yes, and disused flues hold some of the worst findings. An uncapped unused flue collects rain and nesting for years, and if a water heater or boiler still vents into that chimney, its condition matters regardless of the fireplace.

How long does it take?

Usually an hour or two for a single-flue house. A colonial center chimney with several flues takes longer because each flue is surveyed separately.