Chimney inspection: the yearly look at every part you can reach
A chimney inspection is a methodical check of the readily accessible parts of a chimney, from the firebox, damper and visible flue indoors to the cap, crown, flashing and brick on the roof, with photographs of what we find. It is the annual check NFPA 211 recommends. Our Union Street office in New Bedford carries it out for houses in Dartmouth, Acushnet, Fairhaven and the city.
What a yearly check tends to find here
The chimneys of these four towns have their own habits. Knowing the housing and the heating helps explain what an inspection looks for first.
Flues that work all winter unseen
Most homes here never light a log but still use the chimney every day, to vent a gas or oil boiler or water heater. In Acushnet about 42.5% of homes heat with oil, which is hard on flue liners over time.
Old stacks with several flues
Census figures date 52.1% of New Bedford’s housing to 1939 or before, and plenty of two-family houses and three-deckers run several flues up one chimney. Part of the job is working out which flue serves which appliance.
Storm wear on the top
The Hurricane Barrier holds back storm tides, not wind. Nor’easters and gales off Buzzards Bay loosen caps, crack crowns and open flashing, damage that is rarely visible from the yard until a leak appears.
Housing ages, heating fuels and storm history come from the sourced notes on our community pages: New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Acushnet.
What we check, room to roof
NFPA 211 calls the routine examination a Level 1 inspection. It covers what can be reached without tools or opening up the building, inside and out.
Firebox and hearth
Firebrick, the joints between bricks, the hearth and the area just outside the opening are checked for cracks, gaps and enough clearance from anything that can burn.
Damper and smoke chamber
The damper is opened and closed to test its movement and seal, and the space above it is examined with a light for deposits, debris and open joints.
The flue as far as it shows
Looking up from below and down from the top, we check the flue for buildup, blockages, nests and any cracked or shifted tile within view.
Heating appliance connections
Where a flue carries exhaust from heating equipment, the connector pipe, its entry into the chimney and the cleanout at the base are looked at for corrosion and debris.
On the roof
If the roof can be reached without undue risk, the cap, crown, flashing and brickwork above the roofline are checked for cracks, loose courses, rust and gaps.
Report with photographs
You receive the findings with pictures, sorted into what needs attention soon, what is worth watching, and what is in good order.
A routine inspection does not open walls or ceilings. If a finding hints at hidden damage, we explain why a camera scan or Level 2 inspection would be the next step.
If the flue needs a cleaning, it can usually be swept during the same visit when you agree to it.
Reasons to book a check
Some of these are simply the calendar. Others are the chimney telling you something.
- A year since the last lookThe standard calls for an inspection once a year, whether or not a fire has been lit.
- A new-to-you houseIf you do not know when the chimney was last looked at, an inspection gives you a baseline.
- After a big stormA missing cap, a leaning top or fresh staining seen from the ground after a nor’easter is worth having checked.
- Odors or stains indoorsDamp patches on the chimney breast or a smoky smell from the fireplace can trace back to the chimney.
- Getting ready for the seasonLate summer and early autumn are the sensible time, before the boiler and the fireplace go back to work.
Routine inspection, or a deeper one?
A routine inspection suits an existing chimney in regular use when nothing has changed: no new appliance or fuel, no sale, and no chimney fire or storm event since the last check.
Ask for chimney inspection when
- The yearly check is due
- Before the first fire or the heating season
- You know little about the chimney’s history
- You want a small change explained before it grows
Ask about a different page when
- A sale, a fuel change or a chimney fire: Level 2 Chimney Inspection
- A close look along the full flue: Chimney Camera Inspection
- Soot or creosote that needs clearing: Chimney Sweeping
What sets the length of a visit
An inspection follows the same method every time, but some chimneys simply have more to look at.
- Number of flues and appliances
- One fireplace flue on its own is quick to cover. A stack carrying a fireplace, a boiler and a water heater flue for each of three floors takes much longer.
- Access to the roof
- A low cottage roof is easy to reach. A steep pitch or a three-story building takes more setup, and sometimes the top can only be viewed from a distance.
- What the flue serves
- Wood, oil and gas each leave different signs, and connectors, cleanouts and inserts add stops along the way.
- What turns up
- If something needs a closer look, photographing and explaining it properly takes time. Repairs are quoted separately, never folded into the inspection.
No price list on this site, on purpose. Two chimneys that sound the same over the phone rarely are. Once someone from the New Bedford office has looked at yours, you get the scope in writing and decide from there.
More frames of this kind of work
Taken on Chimney Champ’s jobs and kept in the company photo library that all our locations draw on. The library holds no job addresses, so no frame here is tied to a street or a town.
See the matching gallery photosPhoto story: Getting to the top of a two-story outside chimney
Inspection questions from New Bedford-area owners
How is a Level 1 different from a Level 2?
Level 1 is the routine yearly examination of the readily accessible parts of the chimney. Level 2 adds accessible attics, crawl spaces and basements and a camera run through the flue. NFPA 211 calls for Level 2 when a house is sold, when the appliance or fuel changes, or after a chimney fire or other event.
We never use the fireplace. Does the chimney still need checking?
If any heating appliance exhausts through it, yes, and arguably more so, since that flue works every day of the winter. Even a chimney nobody uses can let water into the house or host a nest. The yearly check covers all of the flues in the stack.
Do you go up on the roof?
When it is safe to do so, yes, because the cap, crown and flashing can only be judged properly from close up. On a roof that is too steep, too high or icy, we inspect the top from the best vantage point available and say clearly in the report what could not be seen.
Will I get the results in writing?
Yes. You receive the findings with photographs, sorted by what needs attention soon, what to keep an eye on and what looks fine. If repairs are recommended, they are explained so you can make a decision in your own time, not on the spot.
Do I need to be home?
Someone needs to let us in and point out the fireplace, stove and heating equipment, since the inspection includes the inside as well as the roof. If the boiler is in a basement, it helps if that area is reachable. The office will go over access when it confirms your visit.
Booking, hours and general chimney questions are on the main FAQ; how a visit runs is on what to expect.
Often looked at alongside
- Level 2 Chimney InspectionThe closer inspection for a sale, a chimney fire or storm, or a change of heating appliance, fuel or liner.
- Chimney Camera InspectionA video scan of the flue lining from bottom to top, with stills of cracks, gaps and blockages to show you.
- Chimney SweepingBrushing soot and loose creosote out of the flue, then explaining what the deposits show about the chimney.
- Chimney RepairTracing a chimney problem to the part that failed, then repairing that part rather than the symptom.
Background reading
- 7 minOil Heat and the Chimney: Why Oil Flues Need Regular AttentionOil soot and moisture wear flues from the inside. What to watch for, and what changes when the oil boiler is replaced.
- 7 minThree-Decker and Two-Family Chimneys in New Bedford: What Owners Should KnowSeveral flues in one stack, gas boilers in old coal flues, tall tops in the harbor wind: how to look after a multifamily chimney.
- MapThe four places we coverNew Bedford · Dartmouth · Fairhaven · Acushnet, all from one office downtown.