Leonard and Sons - Articles

QUESTION: Why should I pay any attention to these bothersome building codes and safety standards such as NFPA 211 and NFPA 54? I’ve been a sweep for 15 years and I know what is right and wrong!

ANSWER: If you don’t go by the codes and standards, how do you judge if something is right or wrong? Do you make it up as you go? Perhaps you see shoddy work so often you have come to accept it as the correct way. Here is a classic case that was described by Rich Martinez of Leonard and Sons Building Services in the Chicago area. They were called to a chimney and one thing lead to another as they examined and repaired the entire chimney system. The homeowner is adamantly convinced that this all-inclusive approach to her chimney problem gave her her life back. 

(Pic left: This appears to be a pretty typical chimney with a lean.)

Rich tells this story: Last October, at 5pm Friday afternoon, at the end of a hectic work week, a frantic roofer was knocking down our office door with a desperate question. The chimney at the roof they were working on nearby was moving back and forth and his men were holding it up. He wanted to know what to do. A quick visit to the site revealed a deteriorated chimney that should have been torn down to the attic area and rebuilt. It was temporarily stabilized. A data-gathering visit to the basement showed us a questionable gas installation. Back at our office, we ran the numbers through our Elite gas-sizing program and discovered it had to be relined in order for the appliances to function properly. The homeowner chose to reline only the gas flue and not the first floor fireplace. The next week we carefully removed the badly-worn chimney to the solid masonry in the attic and rebuilt it. Then we started the reline. An access hole was cut into the chimney base from the outdoors and 10 seconds after the cutting blade penetrated the inside of the mortar joint, mortar dust was observed seeping through the glass doors from the living room fireplace. Instantly, red flags went up because we knew this was not supposed to be happening. Subsequent investigation revealed an improperly-built thimble area that allowed the flue gases to escape the flue and somehow flow up into the fireplace and out into the living room.

(Pic Right: The opening in the chimney for the outside access.)
At that point, we spoke with the homeowner and shared our suspicions that carbon monoxide could be coming out of the fireplace into the living room. She went on to explain in considerable detail that, for the past four winters, she had been in absolute misery all winter long. Twenty minutes after arriving home she had no strength and could only sink into her favorite chair right next to the fireplace. She would sit there until she dragged herself off to bed for the night. In her words, she described herself “so tired that it hurt!” Frequent doctor visits only resulted in prescriptions for antibiotics and no relief. She kept the thermostat at 61º because she seemed to feel better when the house was colder. Her mental and emotional states suffered as well. She described how she felt extreme depression and thought she was losing her mind. She was dreading winter and dreamed of summer because then her symptoms disappeared. We finished the relining and continued on with our busy schedule. Three months later, in the middle of winter, we checked on the condition of the homeowner and she was ecstatic! She felt wonderful! She said, “I feel like I got my life back! The only things that had changed were she got a new roof and had her chimney repaired. The thermostat is now set at 70 º once again.”

(Pic Left: The open bottom of the flue tile where the flue gases could easily escape the flue and go to the fireplace.)
Rich explained that his involvement in the Guild and the CSIA certification programs and continuing education (especially in NFPA 54 and 211), over the past several years had completely changed his entire company’s skill level. “Because of the training and increased educational level, we now routinely evaluate the entire chimney system to the extent possible and not just one part of it. In this case, we managed to have a profoundly positive effect on a customer’s life. At the end of the day, we all felt a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.” An ongoing awareness and understanding of the building codes and applicable fire safety standards raises the skill level and professionalism of all participating sweeps. The sad part is that , it’s too often that you don’t know what you don’t know. If Rich had only looked at and repaired the top of the chimney and rushed off to the next job, this story could have had a much different ending.