Chimney Service in Bergen County
Seventy towns, mostly gas heat, and a lot of 1950s and 1960s brick. We inspect for free and write the price down before any work starts.
Bergen is the most populous county in New Jersey, with 955,732 people at the 2020 census and 70 municipalities, more than any other county. The Census Bureau's 2024 survey puts the median Bergen home at 1961, and about 19 percent of homes were built before 1940. Ridgewood is older than most of its neighbors: 37.9 percent of its homes predate 1940. Most of the rest of the county, from Paramus and Fair Lawn to Mahwah, is postwar housing, often with one masonry chimney carrying both a fireplace flue and the heating flue.
Bergen heats with gas. About 78 percent of occupied homes use utility gas and only 3 percent use oil. That makes the furnace and water-heater flue as important as the fireplace. A flue built for an old oil burner or an older gas boiler is often the wrong size for a modern high-efficiency appliance, and the acidic condensate from gas can eat at clay tile and mortar from the inside. We see that damage most in chimneys that look fine from the street.
New furnace in Bergen County? The chimney gets checked too
When a furnace, boiler or water heater is replaced in New Jersey, the town's construction office wants a chimney verification on state form F-370 before the job is approved. A homeowner can't sign it. The form asks whether the chimney is clean, in good repair and lined and sized for the appliance. If a new liner goes in, its paperwork goes in with the permit.
Our free inspection covers what the F-370 asks about. If the flue needs a liner for the new furnace or water heater, that typically runs $625 to $2,250. A full stainless liner for a fireplace or larger flue typically runs $1,500 to $5,000.
Ridgewood, Teaneck and the older brick
In the prewar houses around Ridgewood, Englewood and Teaneck, the common problems are worn mortar joints, cracked crowns and flashing that has been patched with tar more than once. Repointing typically runs $500 to $2,500, a new crown $600 to $2,200 and new flashing $300 to $1,800. If a chimney has no liner and its mortar joints are open, the New Jersey fire code says it shall be repaired or relined.
FAQ
Bergen County questions
Do you charge to inspect a chimney in Bergen County?
No. The inspection is free in every Bergen town. We look at the chimney from the roof and from inside, take photos and write down the price of anything that needs work, including the cleaning, before anything is done.
Our house in Fair Lawn heats with gas. Does the chimney still need attention?
Yes. Gas burns cleaner than oil or wood, but its exhaust carries water vapor that can wear down a clay liner and mortar over time. Nests and debris can also block a gas flue. A yearly look is what NFPA 211, the national chimney standard, recommends.
How do I check a chimney company in New Jersey?
Ask for its New Jersey home improvement contractor registration number, which starts with 13VH, and ask for photos of any problem before you agree to work. The state Attorney General sued three chimney companies in 2012 over unregistered and unsafe work.
When can you come to Bergen County?
We book Sunday through Friday in 3-hour windows: 8 to 11, 11 to 2 or 2 to 5. We call ahead to confirm. We are closed Saturday.
Book online
Pick a day. We'll bring a ladder.
Free inspection in a 3-hour window: 8 to 11, 11 to 2, or 2 to 5. We call to confirm before we arrive.