Chimney questions, answered honestly

NFPA 211 calls for a yearly inspection, with sweeping when it’s needed. A fireplace used most winter weekends usually needs sweeping every year. The flue your boiler vents into should be checked every year as well, even if you never light the fireplace.

Yes. Each flue is its own passage with its own creosote and its own cracks, so each one gets swept, run with a camera and photographed. You get one report covering every flue.

Often, yes. Modern gas boilers and water heaters produce acidic condensation that breaks down old clay liners and mortar. If the flue is unlined or cracked, a stainless steel liner sized to the appliance is the usual fix, and many boiler replacements call for one.

Yes. Salt air and wind wear down crowns, caps and mortar joints faster than inland. Houses on Davenport Neck and near the Sound tend to need crown and cap work sooner, so we check those closely.

Yes. A Level 2 inspection, with a camera run up each flue and a check of the accessible parts of the chimney, comes with a written report and photos for your attorney, home inspector or insurer.

It depends on the chimney. A single fireplace and a three-flue stack with a boiler liner are very different jobs, so we quote after seeing it. The quote comes before the work and doesn’t change afterwards.