Chimney Inspections

Overview

The National Fire Protection Association is the nation’s governing body when it comes to standards set for chimney inspections. The NFPA outlines three levels of chimney inspection, depending on what circumstances are occurring that have triggered the inspection. In general, the greater the number level of inspection the more detailed the inspection will be. A Certified Chimney Sweep like Patriot Chimney should be able to handle each level.

Level I

With a Level I inspection, you’ll receive an inspection of all the readily available portions of the interior and exterior of your chimney or venting system. One of our certified technicians will ensure the basic soundness of the structure and flue, along with basic appliance connections.  The technician also will ensure the chimney is free of obstruction and combustible deposits. If not, a cleaning will be in order to ensure continued safe usage.

Level II

A level II inspection is designed to check your chimney after any changes have occurred to your system. This is a very in-depth inspection and should be used if you are buying or selling a home or if any serious weather event has occurred like a tornado or hurricane. This inspection builds off of the first inspection and adds inspections of the attic, basements, and crawl spaces. It checks for combustibles in all of these locations.

Level III

A Level III Chimney Inspection is usually required when the construction of the chimney is necessary for the continued or renewed use of the chimney due to potentially unseen defects. The Level 3 inspection could include opening or removing an interior wall to access hidden parts of the chimney. This level of inspection normally occurs when a more serious problem has been identified and a method of repair needs to be determined.

Patriot Chimney’s Approach to Chimney Inspections

Every chimney company will approach chimney inspections from a different angle. Here’s the five core beliefs that our chimney inspection service is based on:

#1. Education

For our technicians and for you. During our time working with you, our goal is to help you understand your chimney’s system, things that are wrong with it, how the problems can be fixed, and how to keep the problems from happening in the future. Moreover, we’ll never send a crew to your home without a CSIA certified expert.

#2. Dedicated Project Managers

From the time you schedule work with us all the way through completion, you’ll have a dedicated project manager helping you along the way. Our project managers are your point of connection and the person you can turn to directly if you have any questions.

#3. Optimize for Performance & Safety

Our work on your chimney is designed to keep you and your family safe, while also keeping your system working in peak performance. Whether your fireplace is brand new or a century’s old statement piece, you can trust us to keep it running like it was on day one.

#4. Report in Natural Language

We won’t confuse you with a bunch of chimney jargon. We provide straight forward reports that your family can easily understand. Plus, when your project manager reviews the report with you, he or she will be able to explain everything and answer any questions you may have. Besides, education is our #1 value.

#5. Have the Best People

When Patriot Chimney starts a new job, our goal is to set a new high score for service. We know that this isn’t a game, but we want to be the best. At the end of the day, we provide a service, and services are provided by people. From our project managers, to our technicians, to our customer service team, we invest heavily in recruiting and retaining the most-talented people around.

Our Full Cycle Process

Our process is built out of, and rooted in, our approach to chimneys inspections. You may be interested in how things work after you schedule work with us. We’ve broken it down into five steps. 

So, here’s how we do things:

Step 1: Learn

Before we start to work on your chimney, even before the inspection, we talk with you. This way your project manager can understand all of problems that you might be having. 

Step 2: Discovery

Once we’ve heard from you and listened to your concerns, we begin our investigation. Depending on the problems that you face, this could be a level 1, a level 2, or a level 3 inspection. Either way, we run a camera through your flue so that we can get a top-to-bottom, inside-out understanding of what’s happening with your chimney. 

Step 3: Discuss:

At every move and every discovery, we want you to understand what is happening with your chimney. No surprises. Your project manager will explain all discoveries and action items you’ll want to address. 

Step 4: Improve

If we discover any problems in your chimney, your project manager will discuss the action items with you that he or she believes will fix it. Then, we schedule a time to work on your chimney to correct the problems you’ve been facing. Your project manager will help you and guide you through the work. We know that any home improvement projects, no matter how minor, can cause undue stress. So we want to limit that as much as possible. 

Step 5: Support

Once we’re done, our customer service team works to make sure you are happy with the work. We take our 100% customer satisfaction seriously and want you to be satisfied with our work for years to come. Any questions that  you have, you can feel free to call your project manager or our office and we’re always going to be happy to serve you as your go-to chimney experts. 

Pricing

We understand that prices for chimney inspections can be a headache all on it’s own. It can be complicated. That’s why Patriot Chimney’s pricing for chimney inspections is pretty straightforward. We charge a flat rate for levels 1 and 2 inspections. The level 3 inspection price varies depending on the material, measurements, and a few other factors. Regardless, you don’t have to worry about hidden costs when you work with us.

Want to Work With Us? 

Think we might be a good fit for you and your family? And want to join thousands of other happy customers we’ve served in Virginia?  Click below and schedule an inspection. 

Or call us at 540-225-2626.

Interested in learning more about chimney inspections? Check out this post.