The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), states that, at the time of a real estate sale or the transfer of a property, a certified chimney sweep should perform a Level II chimney inspection. This suggestion makes sense. The home inspector is a generalist and provides only a very basic visual inspection of a wood or solid-fuel burning appliance and any associated flues and chimneys.

Clients want to know what is involved in a Level II chimney inspection. The inspection begins with the chimney sweep examining (inside and outside) the chimney, flue and the associated fireplace or stove. The professional will determine if the system is structurally sound, free of obstructions, creosote and by-products of combustion. The chimney sweep enters accessible areas, including attics, basements and crawl spaces and assesses all combustible clearances -- the spacing between flammables and chimneys, mantles, hearth size, etc.

During a Level II inspection, the chimney sweep will not remove permanently attached parts of the chimney or the building. However, the inspection should include a video scan of the chimney, connections, joints and liners. When the inspection is complete, the chimney sweep will recommend a course of action, such as, chimney cleaning and service, repairs or upgrades.

If you would like a glimpse into a chimney, to get a look at what the chimney sweep sees, here is a short video that was produced by a firm (Wohler) that manufactures chimney inspection cameras.

 A homeowner, who lives at a residence with a chimney and/or a fireplace or a solid-fuel burning device, should have the system professionally serviced and inspected annually. This precautionary measure reduces the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning.

In the Pacific Northwest, we have lots of precipitation and moisture. Since those of us who live here realize that, you would think that houses would be built in a manner that makes them resistant to moisture problems. It is amazing to me how many houses in our climate have roofs with poor to no drainage and poor or missing gutters or downspouts that empty next to the house.

Another problem, maybe not as intuitive to understand, is the case of the under ventilated attic.  General guidelines for building state that attics should be ventilated. Around here that venting, usually, consists of ridge vents, box vents, gable vents or soffit vents.  Venting should, ideally, be low (under eaves) or high on the roof, such as ridge or box vents. And putting more and different types of vents, for the sake of more vents, is not the right plan. Doing so can, in fact, lead to impeding ventilation and airflow. The system has to be designed right.

Since people never go in the attic, attic problems are often hidden: Out of sight and out of mind. But what happens when the vents are not functioning properly? Here is a photo.

This attic is under ventilated, hence the abundance of fungus. There may be too few vents; however, that is hard to determine since those vents that were present at the soffit were completely blocked by insulation.

This is a good example, and a lesson -- homeowners should not take for granted that every system is working just fine in the attic or in a crawl space. If the homeowner does not want to check, or traverse, such areas on an annual basis, then he or she should hire someone else who is knowledgable, to take a look. It is much easier to resolve problems prior to their becoming significant cleanup issues.

Bellingham Technical College is an approved provider of home inspection training in the State of Washington.

The state law requires anyone who wishes to enter the field of home inspection to complete a 120 hour course in the fundamentals of home inspection. To sit for the state test, that individual must, also, obtain 40 hours of in-the-field training. If any prospective inspector does not meet those basic requirements, he or she is not allowed to take the state exam. 

The next four-week program, offered by Bellingham Technical College, is scheduled to begin on April 30, 2012.

Above is a photo of students participating in the hands-on field training portion of the course. For additional information on course offerings, call 360-752-8796. Or, contact Steven Smith, lead instructor, at 360-676-6908.

The commonly installed neoprene rubber stack flashings may be acceptable for a few years when used to flash the plumbing vents where they exit the roof. But these flashings are prone to problems, including deterioration as a result of the harsh environment up on the roof -- UV rays being primary, but also wind. This is a problem I run into frequently at inspections in Whatcom County and Bellingham.

If they are used with a roofing surface that has a fairly short design life, then they might last about as long as the roof or develop problems simultaneously with the roof. But, when they are installed at a longer lived roof, such as architectural composition, these flashings are likely to develop serious problems prior to the roof developing similar issues.

In the photo above, the rubber has deteriorated. This will, often, lead to holes around the pipe and, on occasion, I have found the holes at stacks to be sources of significant leakage into the house below.  Any homeowner should, periodically, have the roof checked-out by a professional. And that professional, should check all flashings and cite potential problems that can lead to water damage.

We have all heard the expression -- "A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words."  Every once in awhile, on an inspection, there is a photo-op that turns out to be quite amusing. Often, for whatever reason, the photos, at least in my case, involve some pet that decides to help me out while I am on-site with my camera.

I think, even if this guy is innocent (or not) the photo is pretty funny with the  report text. 

The weatherstripping on the garage-house door is shredded, suspected pet damage. Recommend replacing the weatherstripping so the door seals when shut.