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Chimney Inspection in Foster City, CA
Level 1 and Level 2 inspections to CSIA standard, with camera footage and a written report you can hand to an agent or an insurer.
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Chimney Inspection for Foster City homes
Foster City is the one place in our area where almost nothing we do is traditional masonry. The whole city was built from the mid 1960s onward on engineered fill over former bay marshland, and the housing went up with prefabricated metal fireboxes and factory-built Class A chimneys enclosed in decorative wood-framed chases. These are manufactured appliances with a service life and specific replacement parts, not brick structures that can be repointed, and a technician who only knows masonry will misdiagnose them. The common Foster City findings are corroded chimney sections, deteriorated chase covers letting water into the framing, failed firebox panels and missing or damaged spark arrestors. Being surrounded by water on the lagoon system, humidity keeps the corrosion moving along faster than it would inland.
Built entirely from the mid 1960s on engineered fill, with prefabricated metal fireboxes and factory-built Class A chimneys in wood-framed chases rather than masonry. Typical failures are corroded chimney sections, leaking chase covers, cracked firebox refractory panels and missing spark arrestors. Lagoon humidity accelerates corrosion.
Included in every job
- You see what we see
- Written and defensible
- Escrow deadlines met
- Repairs quoted, not guessed
Warning signs
When Foster City homes need this service
- You are buying or selling a house with a fireplace
- The chimney has been through an earthquake or a heavy storm
- There has been a chimney fire, even a small one
- You are switching fuels or fitting a new stove or insert
- The fireplace has been unused for several years
- You can see cracks, missing mortar or a leaning stack from outside
- Water is getting in, or there are damp patches on the wall around the chimney
Chimney Inspection in Foster City
Call (209) 447-0752 for same-week availability.
Process
How the visit works
Confirm the right level
Level 1 for an annual check on a system in continued service. Level 2 for a sale, a fuel change, or after an event that could have damaged the flue.
Inspect the readily accessible
Firebox, damper, smoke chamber, hearth, the visible exterior structure and the clearances to combustible material.
Camera the full flue
A camera run of the whole liner, which is what turns a Level 1 into a Level 2 and what finds cracked tiles and open joints.
Check the exterior and roof
Crown, cap, flashing, mortar joints and the condition of the stack above the roofline.
Deliver the report
Findings, photographs, the standard applied and a clear statement of what is safe to use and what is not.
Questions
FAQs
My Foster City fireplace is metal, not brick. Do you service those?
Yes, and they are the majority of what we see in Foster City. Factory-built systems are manufactured appliances, so they are inspected, serviced and repaired with the manufacturer's parts rather than repointed. It is a different job from masonry and it needs someone who knows the difference.
Water is getting into the chase around my chimney. What is that?
Almost certainly the chase cover, which is the metal lid on top of the framed enclosure. They are frequently built from galvanised steel that corrodes and ponds water, and once it lets go the water goes straight into the wood framing of the chase. It is one of the most common repairs we do in Foster City.
What is the difference between Level 1 and Level 2?
Level 1 covers the readily accessible parts of a system that is in continued service with no changes. Level 2 adds a camera scan of the full flue and is the standard required when a property is sold, when the fuel or appliance changes, or after an event such as an earthquake or a chimney fire.
I am selling my house and the buyer wants a chimney report.
That is a Level 2 inspection. We schedule around the escrow date, run the camera through the whole flue and send a written report with photographs, usually the same or next day.
Contact Alpine Chimney
Alpine Chimney Company
1080 Broadway
Millbrae, CA 94030
(209) 447-0752
info@alpinechimneycompany.com
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