Brick colonial house with two chimneys in winter

Your Local Chimney Inspection Team

An inspection tells you whether the chimney is safe to use and what it needs next. We check the parts you can see and the parts you cannot: the firebox, damper, flue, crown, cap, flashing and the brick and mortar above the roof.

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About Chimney Inspection

A chimney inspection answers one question first: can this system be used safely as it stands? To answer it, the inspector looks at every part between the appliance and the sky. That means the hearth and firebox, the damper, the smoke chamber, each flue liner, the connector pipes from any boiler or water heater, the clearances between hot masonry and nearby wood, and the outside of the stack from the flashing to the cap.

Houses across the New York and New Jersey suburbs and the Philadelphia area often hide more than one flue in a single chimney. A rowhouse may share its stack with the house next door. A colonial may carry a fireplace flue beside a boiler flue that changed fuel at some point. Each flue has its own story, and an inspection that only looks into the fireplace misses the one that runs every day in winter.

A careful inspection follows a fixed order, so nothing gets skipped: inside first, then the basement and attic where the chimney passes through, then the roof if it can be reached safely. Findings are sorted by urgency rather than listed in a pile. Some items mean stop using the fireplace now, some mean plan a repair before next winter, and some only need watching. That order is what lets you decide calmly.

What Our Crew Does

A walk-through of how you use each fireplace, stove and heating appliance
Firebox, hearth, damper and smoke chamber checked with a strong light
Each flue examined from below, and from above where the roof is safe to reach
Boiler and water heater connector pipes checked where they enter the chimney
Attic and basement sections of the chimney looked at for gaps, stains and heat marks
Crown, cap, flashing and exterior brick checked from the roof or the ground
Clearances between the chimney and nearby framing noted where they can be seen
Findings explained in order of urgency, with any repair priced in writing

When to Call Us

You are buying or selling a home
The chimney has not been checked in a year or more
After a chimney fire or a bad storm
You see water stains near the chimney
You plan to switch fuel or add an insert

How the Job Goes

Inside the house
Firebox, damper, hearth and the visible flue, with a strong light and a mirror.
On the roof
Crown, cap, flashing, brick, mortar joints and the top of the flue.
Plain answers
We walk you through what is fine, what to watch and what needs work.
A written estimate
Any repair we suggest comes as a free written estimate, so you can decide calmly.

Your Options

Yearly check

For a chimney that has not changed and has no known problem. It covers the readily reachable parts inside and out.

Full-system check

For a sale, a fuel change, a new appliance or a chimney fire. It reaches into areas a routine visit does not, such as attic and crawl space sections.

Check after a storm or event

After lightning, high wind, a fallen limb or a chimney fire. It focuses on the damage the event could have caused.

What Affects the Cost

Flues and appliances tied into the chimney, each examined in turn
Whether the flue has to be swept before its walls can be seen
Whether the roof's height, pitch and surface allow a look at the top
Attic, basement and crawl space access to the chimney's hidden sections
The depth of the check: a yearly visit, a full-system look or a post-event review
How detailed the written findings need to be for an insurer or a sale

Every job starts with a free written estimate, so you know the price before we start.

When It Cannot Wait

A chimney fire, a lightning strike or a heavy limb hitting the stack
Pieces of clay tile or mortar turning up in the firebox or the cleanout
Smoke smell in an upstairs room or a closet while the fireplace burns
Any carbon monoxide alarm: get out, call 911 and do not run the appliances until checked

Make It Last

Book the check every year before the heating season, even in years the fireplace sat idle
Keep attic hatches, basement cleanouts and the area around the hearth clear for the visit
Keep a folder of past sweeps, repairs and appliance changes to hand to the inspector
Test carbon monoxide alarms on every floor when the clocks change

Questions About Chimney Inspection

How long does an inspection take?

Most homes take under an hour. A tall chimney or a hard roof can take longer, and we tell you before we start.

Do I need to be home?

Yes, at least at the start and the end, so we can reach the fireplace and walk you through what we found.

Can you inspect before I buy a house?

Yes. Call as soon as you have a date and we will fit the inspection into your schedule.

Can a dirty chimney be inspected properly?

Only partly. Heavy soot and creosote hide cracks, open joints and missing mortar in the flue walls. When the deposits are thick, we sweep first and then look, often on the same visit. A light layer does not get in the way, and we tell you which situation applies before we start so there are no surprises.

What happens if you find something unsafe?

We tell you on the spot, show you where it is, and explain why we would keep the fireplace or appliance out of service until the repair is made. The decision is yours. For a heating appliance, we suggest you call your heating technician or the gas utility. The repair, if you want one, comes with a written estimate.

Do you check the boiler and water heater flues too?

Yes. In many homes the heating flue works far harder than the fireplace flue, every day of the cold season. We look at where each connector pipe enters the chimney, at the base of the flue through the cleanout, and at the top. The burner and controls belong to your heating technician.

Guides From Our Crew

Why homeowners call Pro 1

18,000+ Chimney Jobs. One Standard.

15+ years and 18,000+ chimney jobs taught us what homeowners want: a crew that shows up, explains it plainly and leaves the house as clean as they found it.

$500 OFF any chimney service

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Our own local crews
The people at your door work for us and live in the area. We never send subcontractors.
Licensed and insured
Your home and our crew are covered on every job, from a sweep to a full rebuild.
Free written estimate
You see what we found and what it takes to fix it, in writing, before any work starts.
Upfront pricing
The price we write down is the price you pay. No hidden fees and no surprise add-ons.
Fast response
Open 24 hours Sunday to Friday, with a real person on the phone and same-day visits when we can.
Clean, careful work
Floors and furniture covered, the roof and yard cleaned up, and a walk-through when we finish.

Chimney Inspection Near You

Limited time offer

$500 OFF

Any chimney service. Mention it when you call or book online.

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Mason working on a brick building from a lift — **18,000+** projects completed by our own crew

Simple from the first call

How It Works

Your callCall, text or book online
Tell us what you see or smell. A real person from our team answers and sets a time that suits you.
The visitFree chimney inspection
Our own crew arrives in a marked Pro 1 van, covers the floor and inspects the chimney from the firebox to the cap, free of charge.
The estimateFree written estimate
We walk you through what we found, in plain words, and put any repair in writing before work starts.
The workThe job, done right
We do the work, clean up the roof, the yard and the room, and walk you through the finished job.

Book before the holidays. Fireplaces get their heaviest use from Thanksgiving to New Year. A free inspection now catches nests, creosote and cracked flue tiles before the first big fire and the family gatherings.

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Leave your details and our local team calls you back to set a time.

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(844) 468-2410 Book Online