Chimney services · Pittsburgh, PA
Chimney inspection in Pittsburgh, PA
The visit that tells you whether the rest of this list applies to you.
An inspection is not a formality before a sale. It is the only way to see the inside of a flue, and the inside of the flue is where the problems that actually matter — cracked liner tiles, gaps at the joints, corrosion from condensing gas exhaust — live entirely out of sight.
NFPA 211 defines three levels, and the difference between them is genuinely useful rather than trade jargon. Knowing which one you need saves money.
The three levels, in plain terms
Level 1 is the annual check on a chimney that has not changed and is doing the same job it did last year. Readily accessible parts, the firebox, the visible structure, the basic function of the system. This is what a yearly service visit is.
Level 2 adds a video camera down the full length of the flue plus a look at accessible parts of the chimney in the attic, crawl space and basement. It is required whenever a property changes hands, whenever the appliance or the fuel changes, and after anything that could have damaged the chimney — a chimney fire, a lightning strike, an earthquake, a serious storm. This is the inspection people mean when a home inspector flags a chimney.
Level 3 means opening something up — removing a section of chimney crown, wall or firebox — because a Level 2 found evidence of a hazard that cannot be confirmed any other way. It is uncommon, it is destructive by definition, and nobody should be selling you one before a Level 2 has justified it.
What you get afterwards
- Photographs of the crown, the cap, the flashing line, the stack above the roof and the flue interior
- A written condition note on each of those, in sentences rather than codes
- Findings split into 'needs doing now', 'watch it', and 'fine'
- A price for anything in the first group, with no obligation to use us
- For a sale: a report you can hand to the other side's agent
How long it takes
A Level 1 on a single-flue chimney is usually forty-five minutes. A Level 2 with a camera run is an hour to ninety minutes, longer on a multi-flue stack where each flue gets scanned separately. Older Pittsburgh houses often have three or four flues in one chimney — one for the fireplace, one for the furnace, sometimes an abandoned one from a coal stove that was bricked up decades ago and nobody remembers.
Book one if any of this is true
- You have not had the chimney looked at in over a year
- You are buying or selling the house
- A home inspector wrote something about the chimney you did not understand
- You changed appliance or fuel — new furnace, gas insert, wood stove added
- There was a loud, sustained roaring sound during a fire, or you found flakes of black debris on the roof afterwards
- There is a stain on the ceiling or wall next to the chimney
- The fireplace has started smelling, particularly in humid weather
- Smoke comes back into the room instead of going up
| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Level 1 — annual visual inspection | $125 – $250 |
| Level 2 — camera survey, single flue | $250 – $400 |
| Level 2 — camera survey, multi-flue stack | $350 – $550 |
| Level 2 for a real estate transfer, with written report | $300 – $500 |
| Level 3 — investigative, requires opening up | from $700, quoted per job |
| Inspection bundled with a sweep on the same visit | usually $75 – $125 off the separate prices |
Planning estimates for the Pittsburgh market, not quotes. Access, height, the condition of the masonry underneath and whether staging is needed all move these numbers. Your price comes in writing after we have looked at your chimney.
Questions about chimney inspection
Do I need a Level 2 if I never use the fireplace?
If the fireplace is genuinely dormant and nothing else vents into that flue, a Level 1 is usually enough. But check what else is connected — in a lot of older houses here the furnace or water heater shares the stack, and that flue is working hard every winter whether or not anyone lights a fire.
The house is being sold as-is. Is an inspection still worth it?
For a buyer, yes, and it is one of the cheapest pieces of information you can buy. A relining job is a five-figure surprise in the wrong house. As-is means you inherit whatever is up there, which is exactly the situation where you want to know first.
Can you inspect a chimney in winter?
Yes, and the firebox and camera work is unaffected. Roof access is the limit — we will not put someone on an iced roof, so if there is snow or ice on it we do everything else and come back for the rooftop portion. On a steep Pittsburgh slate roof that can mean waiting for a dry spell.
Will you give me the photographs even if I don't hire you for the repair?
Yes. They are photographs of your house. Take them to another company for a second quote if you want to — on anything over about two thousand dollars, we would suggest you do.
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Not sure what's wrong with your chimney?
Most people call us because of a smell, a stain on the ceiling, or a home inspector's note they don't understand. Tell us what you're seeing and we'll tell you what it usually means — before anyone books anything.