Chimney inspection · North metro
Get your chimney looked at before the first fire of the year.
If nobody's looked at your chimney since you bought the house, you don't really know what's going on up there.
We go up on the roof, we run a camera the whole way up the flue, and you get pictures of everything we find. Our shop is in Blaine now.
We work weekdays, 9 to 5. Pick any time on the form and Kari will call you to set the exact one.
What we'll show you
A lot of the chimneys in Blaine and Andover are wood framed boxes with a metal cover on top, and once those houses hit 25 or 30 years the covers rust and let water down inside the chase. A lot of the older brick in Coon Rapids has crowns that are cracking and mortar that's washing out. You can't see either one from the driveway. We'll show you what yours looks like, and if it needs work we'll tell you what needs it now and what can wait.
Every flue gets looked at
Fireplace, wood stove, furnace, water heater. If it vents into the chimney we look at it, and the report comes to you by email.
Level I, Level II, Level III
Which chimney inspection do you need?
Most years it's a Level I. That's the yearly one: the outside of the chimney, the flue from the top and the bottom, the firebox, the damper and the pipe from a stove or furnace, everything you can get to without opening anything up. Ours always has the camera run up the flue too.
A Level II goes further. We go through the attic, the basement and any crawl space the chimney runs through, we check it against the building code and the maker's instructions, and we scan the inside of every flue you ask us to look at. The code calls for one when you sell the house or buy it, when you add a stove or swap the furnace for a different kind, before a flue gets relined, after a chimney fire or a storm that could have done damage, and any time smoke or exhaust is coming back into the house.
A Level III means opening something up, a piece of wall or brick, and only where a Level II found a problem it couldn't see the whole of. We'll tell you before anything comes apart, and why.
If you're closing on a house in Blaine, Coon Rapids, Andover or anywhere up here, tell our receptionist, Kari, the date when you call, so the report's in your hands before it.
The code is NFPA 211 (2027): the yearly inspection is section 14.2, a Level I is section 15.5, a Level II is section 15.6 (a sale or transfer of the home is section 15.6.1(3)), and a Level III is section 15.7.
Google reviews
What people wrote after we left.
“We thought initially we just needed to fix the flashing, but when Jason dug into the problem, we found the chimney extension that was done 25 years ago had an improperly installed vapor barrier... It is so nice to not worry about drip-drip-drip every rain storm.”
“We bought an old house and the chimney was in need of urgent repair... we not only got something functional but also beautifully designed and crafted. We knew exactly what it'd cost and what we were paying for.”
“I got a call back right away the next business day and was scheduled. Jason called and let us know when he would be on his way to our house. He inspected it, showed us pictures of our chimney, and explained the process.”
“The team who worked on our new chimney liner and damper left things super clean and we love that we can have a fire in our fireplace for the first time in a lonnnnnnnnnng time.”
“Returned call same day and scheduled inspection... I was given estimate the next day. They demoed old chimney, installed new liners, and built an awesome new chimney. Wow! Totally satisfied!”
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How it goes
What happens on inspection day.
We start on the roof.
The crown or the cap, the flashing, and the brick or the siding on the chase, with pictures from every side.
The camera goes down the flue.
Every flue you ask about, top to bottom, so you see the tiles or the liner the way we see them.
The report comes by email.
The pictures, what we found and anything we'd fix, in writing. Nothing gets fixed until you say go.
Chimney inspection questions
How much does a chimney inspection cost?
It depends on how many flues vent into your chimney. Call Kari at 320.414.0191 and she'll give you the price for yours and a time.
How often should a chimney be inspected?
Once a year, and before the heating season if you can. Anything you burn in, and anything venting into the chimney, should be looked at every year.
Do I need a chimney inspection to sell my house?
Yes, the Level II. When a house changes owners, the code wants the deeper inspection (NFPA 211, section 15.6.1(3)), so we go through the attic and the basement as well and scan every flue. The buyer and the seller can both read the same report.
Why do you inspect my furnace flue too?
We inspect every flue venting into the chimney, whether it's the fireplace, a wood stove, the furnace, the boiler or the water heater, because a furnace flue that's cracked or blocked puts exhaust in the house. NFPA 211 (2027) has the yearly inspection cover every flue you ask about (section 15.5.2.3), and we ask about all of them.
What do I get at the end?
A report by email with the pictures, what we found, and anything we'd fix, written up so you can see it.
Where we inspect
The north metro, town by town. Tap yours.
When was yours last looked at?
Kari has the calendar and the price. Call her at 320.414.0191 or book online at elementhearthandhome.com/request-an-appointment.
We work weekdays, 9 to 5. Pick any time on the form and Kari will call you to set the exact one.
Got pictures of your chimney? Email them to info@elementhearthandhome.com with your name and number, and Kari will take it from there.