Chimney Inspection

Regardless of how often you use your chimney, annually assessing its structure and integrity is imperative. This once a year inspection isn’t just our personal and professional recommendation. According to The National Fire Protection Association Standard 211, “Chimneys, fireplaces, and vents shall be inspected at least once a year for soundness, freedom from deposits, and correct clearances. Cleaning, maintenance, and repairs shall be done if necessary.”

Chimney and Fireplace Inspections

Still, even with these best practices, thousands of people die in preventable fires and billions of dollars in home losses are sustained. A professional chimney inspector is trained to help prevent these life and property losses by conducting a thorough review of your chimney.

Hiring a trained expert is essential because of the size and positioning of a home’s chimney can often hide certain issues. If left undetected, these hazards can cause tremendous damage that is very costly to correct.

Our technicians follow a strict 15-point checklist of inspection criteria that includes checking for:

Chimney cap and crown defects
Creosote or heavy soot
Abandoned or hidden chimney thimble ports
Cleanliness
Damaged, blocked, or unsafe chimney flues
Dead end flues
Fireplace inserts for wood or coal installed into an existing masonry flue
Missing chimney clean out doors
Movement in chimneys
Orphaned gas-fired water heaters
Rusted or damaged chimney or fireplace components
Support defects
Unlined chimney flues in single-brick wythe chimneys
Un-sealed flue-vent connectors at chimney thimbles
Unsafe fire clearances

Keeping our customers and their families safe is our #1 priority. That’s why all our chimney cleanings come with a full safety inspection. We will check the chimney cap, damper, lintel packing, mortar, brick, firebox, refractory panels, and flashing, then our trained technicians will give you a full breakdown on all existing and potential issues.