This is an interactive "internet-based" course which will grant you 22.5 hours of New York State approved continuing education credit for your real estate salesperson or broker license renewal.  It will take you approximately 22.5-25 hours to complete the program.  Follow the directions as you read through and make sure to log in the LAST FOUR digits of your social security number to confirm your "attendance and active participation" in the program.

Please read each section then respond to the questions that follow based on your careful reading of the material. Students receive an "S" for satisfactory completion of the program on their official transcript. We remind you, according to the NYS regulations for real estate agent & broker continuing education, exams CANNOT be a requirement for successful completion of a CE program, however, in order to fullfill the time requirements and show active participation in the program, students must attempt to answer ALL questions. Call if you have any questions at the numbers above.  We recommend that you print each segment and retain the valuable information for future reference.  Certified Home Inspector questions that follow the end of each segment will require you to refer back to see how you answered. Good luck and enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE: YOU MUST CONTACT OUR STAFF AT THE NUMBER ABOVE TO REGISTER AND DISCUSS SECURITY PROCEDURES FOR THIS ON-LINE COURSE!   (only at the initial start of the program).
 
 

Answers to questions from the preceding page:

1. d / 2. e

The Fireplace and Residential Inspection
 

Lintels and Mantels
 
  The lintel is a heavy piece of metal that supports the bricks over the opening.  It's not surprising to find a mortar crack running in a zigzag pattern from the lintel to the mantel.  Hairline cracks are common.  If there's a wide crack, (1/8 inch or more at the lintel and growing thinner as it rises)-  it could mean that the lintel is weak from rust and age and starting to sag. Hold up a straight edge to determine the severity of the sag.

    Another thing to look for is whether any of the facing bricks are coming loose form the wall. Check to see if the mantel is level.  If it isn't, it could mean that the whole fireplace unit has poor footing and is settling into the earth.  If this is the case, the fireplace is independent of the floor notice the line of bricks at floor level and whether they maintain a straight and level line.
 
 
 
 
 
 
     Sometimes the hearth is laid directly on the floor.  Notice if the floor is sagging, causing a crack where the hearth meets the vertical bricks. Then check below to determine the condition of  the supports.

    In many areas it's against the building or fire codes to rest the hearth on the floor joists.  If you find such a condition, see if there is extra support directly beneath the hearth.  The support may be posts, or it could be double up joists. 
 
 
 

Dampers

    In the summer, insects often enter the house through an open damper.  With your screwdriver, jab at the firebricks to see if they are loose. Check the grout between the bricks.  In time it deteriorates and if enough grout falls out, bricks will follow.  A competant home inspector will make note of this in his or her report. 
 

Bricks and Grout

    Be suspicious of a clean unused unit. A unit that is used has traits that insure that it is not smoky.  Look for carbon or black stains on the face above the lintel. Is there a metal shelf or hood like affair added because of the fact that the fireplace is a smoker.  Determine if the fireplace has the proper proportion between the size of the opening and the cubic area of the stack or flue.  Contact any reputable dealer for specifics.

PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BASED ON YOUR READING ABOVE - BE AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE WITH YOUR ANSWERS....

A) What exactly is a lintel and what does it do?
B) What kinds of cracks are typical and NOT typical with regards to fireplaces?
C) When looking at the floor around a fireplace, what should you look for?
D) With regard to "dampers", what should be looked at and why?
E) When inspecting the "bricks & grout" around a fireplace, what should you look for?
 
 
 

Here are some multiple choice questions from our popular "Certified Home Inspector Program" that relate to fireplaces when doing a residential inspection, check your answers on the screen that follows.

1. Which of the following is true relative to clearances around wood stoves and chimneys?

A: Wood stoves can be installed within 4 inches of non-combustible surfaces.
B: Wood stoves with catalytic burners attached to them can be installed with reduced flue pipe clearances.
C: There must be a clear space of 4 inches between any combustible floor and the underside of any wood stove.
D: Clearances to wall surfaces from wood stoves must be 36 inches unless shielding is used in which case it can be 18 inches.
E: Double wall class B flue pipes from wood stoves must maintain 2 inches of clearance as they pass through walls or floors.
 

2. With regard to wood burning appliances and the formation of creosote in chimneys, which of the following is true?

A: The larger the flue the less likely that creosote will form.
B: Triple lined flues are probably the safest to use with wood stoves.
C: It takes time for creosote to form but it takes very cold flue temperatures to change third degree creosote to first degree creosote.
D: Third degree creosote is much more difficult to remove from a chimney than first degree creosote.
E: The average fireplace needs to consume about 3 cords of wood before the chimney needs to be cleaned.
 

3. The minimum distance between the outer masonry of a fireplace or chimney and surrounding wood framing materials is which of the following?

A: Insignificant if the masonry is three bricks thick.
B: One inch.
C: Two inches
D: Three inches.
E: Reduced if the wood is fire retardant treated (FRT) plywood.
 

4. A crack between the fireplace face and the fireplace interior could indicate which of the following?

A: A settling chimney.
B: Absence of a footing under the forward hearth foundation.
C: A significant termite/wood borer problem under and around that fireplace area.
D: A & B
E: All of the above.
 

5. Which of the following IS NOT true about wood burning stoves?

A: Inserting them into existing fireplaces increases the risk of chimney fires due to accelerated creosote buildup.
B: They must vent into a metal asbestos flue when free standing.
C: They can cause wall studs within sheetrocked walls to become more flammable if the walls are not properly shielded.
D: May be placed within 6 inches of a sheetrocked wood stud wall only if the wall is protected with no less than 28 gauge steel.
E: Are easy to install correctly and conveniently by home owners.
 

6. You are inspecting a house and notice that there is a fireplace chimney that is built up along the eave edge wall of the house.  Which of the following is your primary concern?

A: The fireplace will probably be smoky since the wind over the roof will experience eddy currents.
B: The fireplace will contribute to ice damming along that eave edge.
C: The drainage off the eave edge will contribute to settlement of the massive fireplace chimney.
D: The roofing is vulnerable to leakage where its drainage is blocked by the chimney.
E: The clearances of the wood framing to the masonry chimney are difficult to achieve on this type of installation.
 

[RESPONSE]
 

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