From the hearth you can see almost nothing of what matters in a chimney, and on a shared city stack that blind spot can hide a real hazard. A proper inspection trades guesswork for footage. Chimney Squad Phila inspects chimneys across Philadelphia, PA whether you are closing on a rowhome, putting one on the market, switching to a new heating appliance, or simply want to know whether the flue is safe to light this winter. You get the whole chimney looked over, a camera run up the flue, photographs of whatever we find, and a plain written report, with nobody pushing you to buy a thing after.
- Camera run up the full length of the flue
- Crown, cap, flashing, and brick checked from above
- Smoke chamber, damper, and firebox examined
- Shared and bundled flues sorted out and documented
- Real-estate and pre-burning-season inspections handled
- Photos and a plain report, no obligation attached
What the camera reaches that the firebox hides
Most of a chimney is sealed inside the masonry where no flashlight from the hearth will ever reach it. The flue tiles climbing through the wall, the joints between them, the smoke chamber above the firebox, the back of the crown, these are exactly the places a city chimney fails, and they are exactly the places you cannot see without putting a camera up there. We run a video scope the full height of the flue and look at each section in turn, the tiles for cracks and gaps, the mortar joints between them, the smoke chamber for the rough, creosote-grabbing surfaces that breed problems, and the transition where the firebox meets the flue. On a bundled stack we identify which flue serves which appliance, because on these blocks a single chimney often carries two or three.
From the roof we check what the scope cannot, the crown for cracks and missing chunks, the cap for damage or a missing screen, the flashing where the chimney passes through the roof, and the brick and mortar of the stack itself. On a party-wall chimney we pay particular attention to where the crown and brick meet the neighboring property, because that boundary is where ownership of a problem gets murky and where leaks like to start. The point is to look at the whole chimney as one system rather than glancing at the parts that happen to be visible.
Inspections when you are buying, selling, or switching appliances
If you are buying a rowhome, the chimney is one of the systems a standard home inspection barely touches, and a cracked liner or a failed crown can be a costly surprise after closing. A camera inspection tells you before you sign whether the chimney is sound or whether it needs a reline or a rebuild that ought to factor into your offer. If you are selling, having the chimney scoped and documented ahead of time keeps it from becoming a last-minute bargaining chip and gives a buyer something solid to look at. And if you are putting in a new wood stove, insert, or gas appliance, an inspection confirms whether the existing flue is the right size and condition for it, because hooking a modern appliance to an old oversized or cracked flue is a common and dangerous mistake.
Whatever brought you to it, the payoff is the same. The guessing stops. Instead of wondering whether the chimney will make it through another burning season, you hold footage, photographs, and a written read on exactly what shape it is in. That is the information you need to decide what to do and when, on your own timeline rather than under pressure.
A report you can act on, with nothing waiting at the end
An inspection is only worth as much as the honesty behind it, so ours comes with the footage and the photos and a report that states plainly what needs doing now, what can wait, and what is perfectly fine. If the chimney is in good shape, you will hear that, because telling a homeowner their flue is sound is how we earn the call when real work is genuinely needed later. We do not manufacture urgency, and we do not recommend a single thing the camera and the photos cannot back up.
There is no sales pitch waiting at the end of the appointment. The footage and the report are yours to keep whatever you decide, and you are welcome to hold our findings up against anyone else's. That openness is the entire point of documenting the work. A homeowner who can see the evidence for themselves makes a sounder call, and a chimney crew that invites that kind of second look is usually the one worth hiring.
One team for sweep, repair, and more
A chimney is a system, so chimney inspection rarely stands alone, it connects to flue cleaning, chimney patching, a new chimney cap, stainless liner installation, masonry restoration, and our crew handles all of it under one roof. We bring the same service to South Philadelphia chimney inspection, Chimney Inspection in Fishtown, Chimney Inspection in Port Richmond, Chimney Inspection in Kensington and everywhere else across the Philadelphia area.
If you searched for chimney sweep near me, you have reached a local crew, call 215-602-7637 any time. For background, read Why Your Fireplace Smokes Into the Room: Draft Problems in City Flues on our blog, or head back to our Philadelphia home page to see everything we do.