Chimney questions, answered honestly

The inspection is annual regardless of use — that is the NFPA 211 baseline and it is what we work to. Sweeping depends on how much you burn: a regularly used wood-burning fireplace generally needs it yearly, an occasional one may not. On the larger houses around Teaneck, most of what we find each year is masonry and water damage rather than creosote, which is exactly why the yearly look matters even if you barely light a fire.

Yes. Each flue is effectively its own chimney and fails independently. It is common around here to find one flue completely blocked by debris or a collapsed clay tile while the others draft normally, and not unusual to find two appliances improperly sharing a flue — which is both a code violation and a carbon monoxide risk. Our inspection covers each flue on its own.

It is worth checking. A modern high-efficiency appliance vented into an old masonry flue produces cooler exhaust that condenses inside the chimney, and that condensate is acidic enough to eat clay tile and mortar from the inside. If the flue was not relined or re-vented when the boiler went in, we would want a camera up it.

Yes. A Level 2 inspection is the standard for a property transfer: a camera scan of the full flue, accessible parts of the chimney examined, and a written report with images that buyers, sellers, attorneys and home inspectors all accept.

Efflorescence — mineral salts carried out of the masonry by water moving through it. Harmless in itself, but a reliable sign the chimney is holding water it should not be, usually from a failed crown, a missing cap, or masonry that needs sealing.

Yes, fully insured, and we will send the certificate before the appointment if you would like it on file. Our techs are CSIA-trained and we work to NFPA 211.