A Free Chimney Inspection for Your Twin Cities Home

In Minneapolis and St. Paul, a brick chimney usually has more than one job. Gas heats about 70% of occupied homes in Minneapolis and 67% in St. Paul according to the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, and in a house built before the war the furnace or water heater frequently shares the stack with the fireplace. Roughly 43% of Minneapolis homes and 42% of St. Paul homes went up before 1940. That is why our inspection follows every flue, including the one that starts in the basement.

There is no charge. We check the outside of the stack and the roof line, then the firebox, damper, smoke chamber and flue from below, and finally whatever is connected downstairs. You get the photos we took and a plain written list. If a repair is needed, its price is on that list before any work is booked. When we suspect damage hidden deep in a flue where a light cannot reach, we tell you, and the camera scan is priced right there at the inspection so you can decide.

Signs you need this

• The chimney has not been looked at since you bought the house
• Your furnace or water heater was replaced in the last few years
• Flakes of tile, mortar or brick are landing on the smoke shelf or grate
• You can see a crack in the crown or a dark stain on the brick from the yard
• A ceiling or wall near the chimney showed a water mark after the last thaw

How we do it

1. Book a windowPick 8 to 11, 11 to 2 or 2 to 5, any day Sunday through Friday. We phone ahead to confirm.
2. The roof and the stackWe look at the crown, cap, mortar joints, brick faces, flashing and how far the chimney rises above the roof.
3. Firebox to flueInside, we open the damper and check the firebox walls, smoke chamber and liner as far as a light reaches.
4. Basement connectionsWe trace any furnace or water-heater vent into the chimney and note its size and condition.
5. Photos and pricesYou get the pictures and a written list, with a price next to anything worth fixing.

What the free visit covers, and what it does not

It is a visual check from the top of the stack to the base. Outside we are looking for crown cracks, open joints, spalled or loose brick, a missing or rusted cap, and gaps where the flashing meets the shingles. Inside we look at the firebox, the damper plate and frame, the smoke chamber and the visible length of liner. Downstairs we see what else is tied into the chimney.

What it does not include is anything invasive. We do not open walls or ceilings. For context, chimney inspections nationally run $100 to $250 according to HomeGuide; ours costs nothing because the written list is how we earn the chance to do any repair.

Why a gas furnace flue gets the same attention

Minnesota's fuel gas code, Minn. R. 1346.5501, says an approved metal liner shall be installed in a masonry chimney that vents gas appliances, and it bars connecting any appliance to a flue that serves a fireplace. A lot of older Twin Cities houses still send furnace or water-heater exhaust up a bare clay flue. We note what we find so you know where your house stands.

How often to have it done

NFPA 211, the national standard for chimneys, fireplaces and vents, calls for an inspection at least once a year, with cleaning or repair as needed. The winters here are a good reason to keep to that. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the MSP airport show about 147 nights a year at or below freezing and about 22 at or below zero. The masonry at the top of the stack takes every one of them.

• Every year if you burn wood, even occasionally
• Every year for a chimney that vents a gas furnace or water heater
• After any chimney fire, roof replacement or appliance change
• Before you buy or list a house with a fireplace