Varies by level and access
Chimney Inspection in California
Establishing the condition of the system rather than clearing what is in it
Chimney & Fireplace
Sweeping, inspection and repair
Wood, Gas & Factory-Built
Different systems, different work
Inspection Is Separate
Not bundled into a cleaning
California Service Areas
Find your city
What Chimney Inspection Covers
An inspection answers a different question from a cleaning. Cleaning asks what is in the flue; inspection asks what condition the flue is in. That distinction matters because the things most likely to be genuinely dangerous — a cracked liner, a deteriorated smoke chamber, an improper connection, inadequate clearance to combustible framing — are invisible from the room and are not addressed by removing deposits. Inspections are defined at three levels in NFPA 211, and which level applies depends on what you need to know and why.
Inspection assesses condition. It does not remove deposits — if that is what you need, a chimney sweep and cleaning is the service. And if the inspection identifies damage rather than build-up, the work that follows is chimney repair.
What is included
- Establishes the actual condition of the flue liner
- Identifies cracking, joint separation and deterioration that are invisible from the room
- Checks clearances between the chimney and combustible framing
- Confirms whether appliance connections and venting are appropriate
- Gives you a documented starting point rather than a guess
How the work goes
Establish what you need to know
A routine annual check, a property transaction and a post-event assessment call for different levels of inspection. This decides the scope before anyone opens anything.
Readily accessible examination
The parts reachable without dismantling anything: firebox, damper, visible flue, exterior structure, termination and surrounding roof interface.
Internal survey where the level requires it
A camera through the flue is the only way to establish liner condition along its length. Nothing visible from the firebox substitutes for it.
Clearances and connections
Whether the chimney maintains proper separation from combustible framing, and whether what is connected to it is connected appropriately.
A plain account of findings
What was found, what it means, what is urgent, what can wait, and what needs no action. Including the last of those.
The Three Levels
NFPA 211 defines chimney inspection at three levels, and knowing which one is being quoted matters.
A Level 1 inspection covers the readily accessible portions of the chimney and appliance, and it suits a system in continuous service with no changes and no known problems. A Level 2 adds the accessible parts of attics, crawl spaces and basements, plus a video survey of the flue interior, and it applies when the system has changed, when an appliance has been replaced, after an event that could have damaged the chimney, and at property transfer. A Level 3 involves removing parts of the structure to reach concealed areas, and it is only warranted when a serious hazard is suspected and cannot be confirmed otherwise. We carry out all three, and recommend the lowest level that answers your question. Our guide to Level 2 inspections goes through when each level applies.
Buying or Selling a House
This is the one worth being emphatic about. A general home inspection does not examine the inside of a flue. It cannot — the equipment and access are not part of that scope. A chimney can pass a home inspection and still have a liner that has separated at the joints.
At property transfer, NFPA 211 treats a Level 2 inspection as the applicable standard, and the reason is straightforward: the system is changing hands, its history is unknown to the buyer, and the condition of the liner is not establishable any other way. If you are buying a house with a chimney and nobody has put a camera up it, that is a genuine unknown rather than a formality.
When You Do Not Need One
If you had a Level 2 inspection eighteen months ago, nothing has changed, no appliance has been swapped, and there has been no earthquake or chimney fire since, another one now will very likely tell you exactly what the last one did.
Annual assessment is a sound default for a system in regular use. It is not a reason to repeat a full camera survey every twelve months on a chimney that has been documented and has not changed.
Chimney Inspection by city
Local pages covering how this service differs in each market. All service areas
Chimney Inspection — common questions
Not sure whether chimney inspection is what you need?
Tell us what the chimney or fireplace is actually doing and we will tell you which service applies — including when the answer is that you do not need one yet.