Chimney Inspections

A documented look at the whole system, firebox to crown.

An inspection is the difference between guessing and knowing. NFPA 211, the national standard, defines three levels, each for a specific situation. Part of our job is telling you which one you need — including when the answer is the cheapest one.

Signs you'd notice

Illustrated Apex technician shining a flashlight up into a fireplace throat with a clipboard under his arm

You're buying or selling a home with a fireplace
There's been a chimney fire or a severe storm
You're changing appliances or switching fuel types
You've never had it looked at since you moved in
Another contractor flagged something and you want a second opinion

What happens on the visit

Illustrated Apex technician holding out a written inspection report with photographs

Level 1 — the annual check
For a system that hasn't changed and is in continued service. We examine all readily accessible portions: firebox, damper, accessible flue, crown, cap, and the exterior masonry. This is what most homeowners need once a year.
Level 2 — when something changed or something happened
NFPA 211 calls for this whenever a property is sold or transferred, when you change the appliance or the fuel, before a flue is relined, or after an event that could have damaged the chimney — such as a chimney fire or a severe storm. It adds a video scan of the flue's interior plus the accessible attic, crawl space, and basement runs. Whether it's legally required where you live depends on whether your local authority has adopted the standard; your lender or a buyer's agent may ask for one regardless.
Level 3 — only when there's real reason to
The invasive one. It means opening up part of the chimney or the building, and there are two reasons to do it: a hazard found at Level 1 or 2 that can't be evaluated without getting behind concealed construction, or a serious chimney or house fire that has to be investigated to establish what it damaged.
You get it in writing
A written report with photographs, including aerial images if a drone was the safer way to see the top. If you're in a sale, that's the document the other side's agent will ask for.

Why it matters

Almost everything expensive about a chimney started as something cheap that nobody looked at. A cracked crown is a small repair; the water damage it lets in for three winters is not. And in a home sale, an unexamined chimney is the item that holds up closing while everybody scrambles.