Chimney services in Menlo Park: the work you can book
Our chimney services in Menlo Park cover routine sweeping, a chimney inspection when something looks or smells wrong, repairs to the chimney and fireplace, and dryer vent cleaning with airflow testing. If rain or animals are getting into the flue, read how chimney cap installation works.
Local service pages for Menlo Park homes
- Chimney repair in Menlo Park covers masonry, crown, flashing, liner and damper work. Start there when bricks or mortar are crumbling, water is getting in around the chimney, or the damper no longer closes properly. Some of these jobs count as minor repairs under the city's rules and some don't. The section below explains which.
- Fireplace installation for Menlo Park homes covers new fireplaces, inserts, doors and gas logs. Use it when you're replacing an old unit or adding a new one. Here, whether the new unit burns wood or natural gas decides if the city's EPA Phase II requirement applies.
What Menlo Park's ordinance 12.52 means for chimney and fireplace work
A City of Menlo Park Community Development handout, Chimneys, Fireplaces and Wood Burning Requirements, places reconstruction, additions, alterations and repairs of a wood-burning appliance under city Ordinance 12.52. Minor repairs are the exception. The handout names damper or firebox repairs, seismic bracing, and flue-liner replacements that do not deconstruct the fireplace, chimney or flue. It also states that any chimney extension counts as an alteration.
| Type of work | How the handout treats it |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction | Under Ordinance 12.52 |
| Additions | Under Ordinance 12.52 |
| Alterations, including any chimney extension | Under Ordinance 12.52 |
| Repairs in general | Under Ordinance 12.52, unless minor |
| Damper or firebox repairs | Named as minor repairs (exception) |
| Seismic bracing | Named as a minor repair (exception) |
| Flue-liner replacements that do not deconstruct the fireplace, chimney or flue | Named as a minor repair (exception) |
In practice, the line falls between work that keeps the existing fireplace, chimney and flue in place and work that takes them apart, rebuilds them or makes them bigger. A damper fix or a liner swap that leaves the structure intact sits on the minor side. Rebuilding a chimney or raising its height does not. When we look at a job, we'll tell you which side of that line it falls on. The handout itself is the place to confirm the details with the city.
EPA Phase II certification and the natural gas exemption
The same handout states that under Ordinance 12.52, regulated wood-burning appliances must be U.S. EPA Phase II certified, while new or existing natural gas fireplaces, log sets and inserts are exempt. If you plan to add or rebuild a unit that burns wood, check its certification before anything is ordered. A natural gas fireplace, log set or insert falls outside this requirement.
Worth knowing before you call about fireplace work
- Whether the unit burns wood or natural gas
- Whether the job would add height to the chimney
- Whether the work would take apart the fireplace, chimney or flue, or leave them in place
- The make and model of any new appliance that burns wood, so its EPA Phase II status can be checked
Sources (1)
Facts and figures on this page come from these references.
- 1City of Menlo Park Community Development - Chimneys, Fireplaces and Wood Burning Requirements (handout)
