OUR STORY
Chimney Integrity Testing USA is group of American individuals in pursuit of a better safety inspection tool for chimney sweeps in America.
We have personally seen the structure fires and know that almost all of them are avoidable.
We hope to see improvement of our American chimney inspection process to reduce the number of structure fires. Explore our photos today and get in touch with our team if you have any questions.
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Chimney Fire simulation.
Note the hair-line crack expansion.
Chimney Fires are real.
In Germany they do them on purpose to clean out creosote. However, their homes are made of stone and it does not pose a threat of a structure fire.
Under High Heat Conditions Clay Flue Tiles Expand
Solid materials, such as dried clay, cannot expand very much before they crack. Inside of a chimney, this causes a system failure. Watch this video to witness a flue tile cracking. Also note that flue tiles ALWAYS crack vertically from a chimney fire, never horizontally. This is due to the pressure release on the top and bottom of the flue tiles- but no pressure release on the perimeter.
Why or When do I need a Chimney Integrity Test?
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Building control requires it when there is a change of use or prior to the installation of a solid fuelled appliance.*
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You suspect fumes may be leaking out somewhere*
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Following a party wall dispute where a neighbor may have leakage into their property*
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You have a new build with an untested chimney*
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The appliance hasn’t been used in over 3 years and or its condition must be known prior to use*
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As part of a Level 2 inspection in USA
Chimneys work by Vacuum
A chimney works under a vacuum, so if you equate it to drinking through a straw that has a hole in you can understand that its function can be hindered.*
* Thanks to Hodgsons Chimneys in UK for this info