Chimney issues are serious.

An annual chimney inspection protects your family and property.

A damaged or dirty chimney can cause fires, carbon monoxide poisoning and air pollution inside the home.

In fact, over 25,000 chimney fires in the U.S. last year were responsible for over $120 million in property damage. Chimney fires can quickly spread into house fires in a relatively short period of time.

The best way to avoid this is to have an annual chimney inspection from Lowes Chimney Sweep.

What to expect from your chimney inspection

Our expert chimney technicians will inspect your chimney to identify any issues and determine what action should be taken to remedy the issue(s). There are 3 levels of inspection: Level 1: Standard Inspection, Level 2: Video Scan Inspection and Level 3: Accessing a Hidden Area.

STANDARD INSPECTION

If you have a chimney without any known issues, and you use your fireplace every year, it’s important to have an inspection annually. Our standard inspection and cleaning typically takes about an hour. During our standard inspection we look at the following:

1. Structural integrity of chimney elements and flue – We inspect the interior and exterior of your home for signs of problems or wear and tear.

2. Flammable debris and obstructions – We make sure your chimney is free of all debris (leaves, nests, etc). It’s important to make sure nothing is blocking the venting of smoke, gas and ash that comes with using your fireplace.

3. Combustibles clearance – We examine your chimney and fireplace to make sure that combustibles cannot contact any building materials and start a house fire.

4. Combustibles deposits – Our inspection will reveal whether or not your chimney’s walls have a dangerous buildup of byproducts like creosote. Too much buildup can ignite and pose a serious threat of a house fire.

VIDEO SCAN

Depending on what we find during our standard inspection, we may suggest a level 2 inspection. This inspection looks at the chimney’s interior. This is typically not needed unless you’ve experienced a fire or malfunction or recently have done a major overhaul to your heating system.

ACCESSING A HIDDEN AREA

If a problem is discovered during a level 2 inspection, a Level 3 inspection may be needed to access hidden areas adjacent to the chimney. This could require removing drywall or other parts of the home.