Chimney Sweep and Earthquake Inspection in Northridge
A chimney sweep in Northridge is a good moment to ask a question the neighborhood's name makes hard to ignore: how would this chimney handle a strong earthquake. The sweep clears the flue, and a look at the liner, the crown and the joint between stack and house tells you whether there is hidden damage to deal with.
What Northridge does to a chimney
The magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake struck at 4:30 a.m. on January 17, 1994, and USGS records that it killed 33 people, injured more than 7,000 and left 20,000 residents homeless. A strong earthquake can crack flue tiles, loosen bricks above the roofline and pull a chimney away from the wall, and those faults are not always visible from the ground. The Earthquake Country Alliance says inadequately braced chimneys are a common problem and that a fireplace with a damaged chimney should not be used.
Northridge homes and their fireplaces
Where a Northridge house was built before 1994, its chimney has already been through at least one strong shaking, and a later repair may or may not have been done well. Some owners rebuilt with a lighter stack or a metal flue; others patched what they could see. If you do not know the chimney's history, an inspection that looks inside the flue is how to find out.
The work that comes up most in Northridge
Ordered by how often local conditions make each one the right question.
- Chimney Inspection
After any strong shaking, and before buying a pre-1994 house, an inspection that looks along the flue, often by camera, is how cracked flue tiles are found.
- Chimney Liner Repair
Cracked or offset clay tiles are a typical hidden result of shaking, and a new liner is often the repair that makes the flue usable again.
- Chimney Rebuilding
Where the stack above the roof has cracked through or pulled away from the house, rebuilding it is safer than patching.
- Chimney Masonry Repair
Loose bricks and cracked joints above the roofline are where earthquake damage usually shows, and they can fall if left.
- Chimney Sweep
A fireplace that passes inspection is swept on condition, which also shows the flue walls clearly for anyone checking them.
Tell us whether the chimney has been checked since the last strong shaking and what you can see from the ground. Describe the problem and request an estimate.
Call NowWhat to check on a Northridge chimney after an earthquake
Look from a safe distance first. The Earthquake Country Alliance advises staying away from brick chimneys after shaking, and a stack that leans or has lost bricks is a hazard to anyone below it.
Hidden damage is the bigger risk to the house. Cracked flue tiles let heat and gases reach the framing, so a flue that looks fine from the firebox can still be unsafe. An inspection that looks along the full flue, often with a camera, is the check to ask for after an earthquake, and the fireplace stays unused until it is done.
- A gap between the chimney and the wall of the house.
- Bricks or mortar on the roof or the ground.
- Pieces of tile or grit in the firebox that were not there before.
- A gas smell after shaking: leave the house and call the gas utility from outside.
Earthquake damage and a Northridge homeowners policy
The California Department of Insurance says standard homeowners policies do not cover earthquake damage, and that most earthquake insurance in the state comes from the California Earthquake Authority. Fire that follows an earthquake is a different matter; state law requires homeowners policies to cover it. Dates and photos of the chimney's condition help whichever way a claim goes.
Around Northridge
Northridge is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles overview covers the city as a whole.
Nearby neighborhoods
Background reading
Local references
- USGS — M6.7 January 17, 1994 Northridge, California Earthquake
- Earthquake Country Alliance — Step 6: Improve Safety
- CDI — Earthquake Insurance
Requirements and designations change, and they vary by address. These are the authorities to confirm with rather than a statement of what applies to your property.
Northridge chimney questions
Not the question you had? The full FAQ covers more ground.
Chimney and fireplace questions in Northridge
Call, or send a short description and request an estimate. Estimates cost nothing.