Free Chimney Inspection in New Jersey

Most New Jersey chimney companies charge for an inspection, and it is usually the first line on the bill. We do not, whether you burn wood, gas or oil. A free inspection means you can find out what is going on with your chimney without paying to hear it, and you get photos you can show a spouse, a seller, a buyer or a second contractor.

We look at the outside of the stack, the crown, cap and flashing, then the flue, damper, smoke chamber and firebox, and any furnace or water heater connected to the chimney. If something hidden is suspected, such as a cracked flue tile behind a section we cannot see, we can run a camera scan. That scan is priced at the inspection, before we do it.

Signs you need this

• You are buying or selling a house with a fireplace
• A new furnace, boiler or water heater is planned
• There was a chimney fire or a loud rumbling in the flue
• Water stains near the chimney after rain
• You have never had the chimney looked at

How we do it

1. Outside firstWe check the crown, cap, brick, mortar and flashing from the roof or with a camera on a pole.
2. Inside the flueA light and mirror or camera up the flue, plus the damper, smoke chamber and firebox.
3. Appliance connectionsFurnace, boiler and water heater flue pipes and how they enter the chimney.
4. Photos and a written priceYou get the photos and a written price for any work, with no charge for the visit.

Does New Jersey require a chimney inspection to sell a house?

No. Before a one- or two-family home is sold, New Jersey requires a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm and fire extinguisher certificate, often shortened to CSACMAPFEC, under N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.3. That rule does not mention chimneys. Some websites say otherwise, but we could not find any state rule requiring a chimney inspection at sale.

In practice, buyers' home inspectors routinely flag chimneys, and lenders or insurers sometimes ask about them. A free inspection before you list, or before your attorney review period ends, gives you photos and a written price to negotiate with instead of a vague note in a report.

Does a gas fireplace affect the CO alarm certificate?

It can. The state fire code requires carbon monoxide alarms near sleeping areas in homes that have a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage, and a DCA bulletin (99-3) treats a gas fireplace as one of those appliances. So a house with a gas fireplace and no other gas service still needs CO alarms for the certificate.

We do not issue that certificate; your town's fire official does. But while we inspect we can point out where the fuel-burning appliances are so you know what the alarm check will look for.

When is a camera scan worth it?

When something suggests damage we cannot see from the top or bottom: after a chimney fire, when flue tiles are falling into the firebox, when a new appliance is being connected, or when a buyer's inspector has written up the flue. The camera shows each tile joint on the way up.

A buyer in Matawan once posted a five-figure chimney estimate on a local forum and asked whether it was reasonable. Photos from a scan are the best answer to that question. We price the scan at the inspection, and only recommend it when the visual check leaves a real doubt.