Most people never think to look or inspect their chimney once it is installed. Older home chimney’s are especially vulnerable to damage from water and weather. Old style chimneys has caps which were just poured on top of bricks. This type of cap, when cracked, allows water to penetrate into brick below, which always causes a lot of damage.
New fireplace chimney’s are required to have one piece cast in place concrete caps with a drip edge installed. The joint at the clay flue liner still requires sealing and should be checked at least once a year for cracks. This should not be an issue if you are burning wood as your liner requires cleaning at least once a year, more often if you are supplementing your homes heat with a wood burning appliance.
Before firing up your fireplace in the fall, follow these simple visual inspections to prevent disaster or a chimney fire;
Open your fireplace damper, using a strong flashlight, check the flue for combustible material such as birds nests or other foreign objects. You should be able to see daylight at the top. Inspect the fireplace surround, hearth, and firebox to make sure there are no cracked bricks or missing mortar.
Use binoculars to inspect visible sections of chimney and clay flue tiles. Any cracks should be dealt with as soon as possible to prevent further damage. Hopefully you have a Rain Cap on your chimney, this prevents most of rain and snow from entering your chimney.