Chimney Fires & Chimney Trauma Claims
Chimney fires, lightning strikes, earthquakes, fallen trees, very high winds, and other traumas to the chimney can cause damages to the liner and, masonry, or chimney structure itself.
Wood, coal, and to a lesser degree, oil, fires combust fuel incompletely. The resulting smoke exits the chimney with these unburned particulates in suspension. As the smoke rises, it cools. When it reaches a certain temperature, condensation occurs and the particulates are deposited on the interior of the flue in the form of soot or creosote. Soot, from oil appliances, and creosote, from wood and coal appliances, are the chief culprits in chimney fires.
Under the right conditions, these deposits will ignite, sometimes explosively, and burn at very hot temperatures. Terra cotta tile liners will withstand large amounts of heat, but not a rapid rise in temperature. If the rise is severe enough, the liner can crack and in some cases, even develop holes.
While the chimney fire may be contained in the first instance, the damaged liner needs to be repaired or possibly replaced to be certain that fire protection and proper function are maintained.
Fire Damage “Cracks”
Chimney Fires can cause the flue tile to crack in the fireplace & chimney flue. This picture is of a cracked chimney. Excessive heat from a chimney fire and thermal shock caused this structural damage to the chimney
Homeowners Insurance will cover this structural loss under the homeowners Fire & Causality Insurance policy. Pictures taken using a Level 2 WOHLER Visual Inspection Camera chimney fire damage to chimney flue cracks leaving the chimney unsafe for wood burning.
Raccoon Damage
Raccoons going up and down a chimney flue can damage the flue cement between the flue tiles. This makes the chimney unsafe to burn.
Raccoon’s and other pests push out and down to get up the chimney flue. This cause’s structural damage to in inner lining. The cement joining the lining together gets knocked out leaving unsafe gaps. This could cause a fire in the wall of your home.
Homeowners Insurance will pay for the structural damage to your property under your Property loss Insurance policy.