jamiew53•1d agoProlific Poster

Heard a customer say their fireplace 'smelled like rain' and it led to a weird find

I was finishing up a sweep in a house in Springfield yesterday, and the homeowner mentioned that their fireplace always had a damp, rainy smell after a storm. I figured it was just a draft, but I decided to poke around the crown with my inspection camera. Turns out, the mortar wash had a hairline crack you could barely see, and water was getting in and soaking the top of the clay liner. It wasn't enough to cause a big leak inside, but it was letting moisture sit and grow a bit of mold up there. That's what was causing the smell. I told them they needed a new crown seal, and they were shocked that such a small thing could be the problem. It made me realize how often we might miss the small signs that point to bigger issues. Has anyone else run into a weird smell that tipped them off to a hidden problem like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan1081d ago

Wait, mold on a clay liner? I mean, that's pretty rare since clay is so dense. Maybe it was just mildew on the soot or something stuck to it. Still, a cracked crown is no joke.

emery1991d ago

Clay can actually get moldy if it stays damp long enough.

abbyg601d ago

That mold on the clay liner detail got me. I always thought that stuff was solid, like a brick. Honestly, I've seen cracked crowns before but never heard of it making the actual liner grow something. Makes you wonder what else is hiding up there that we just can't see from the ground.