Chimney and fireplace work in Woodbury
The median Woodbury house was built in 1997, which usually means a factory-built fireplace in a sided chase or a gas unit. We inspect for free and price the work in writing.
Woodbury was farmland for most of its history. Its first suburban development, Woodbury Heights, broke ground in 1955, and the village incorporated on March 7, 1967. The big wave came later: the census counted 20,075 residents in 1990, 46,463 in 2000 and 75,102 in 2020. The 2024 American Community Survey puts 41.7 percent of the city's 29,990 housing units in the 2000-or-later column, and only 1.3 percent before 1940.
Homes from that period rarely have a brick chimney. Most have a metal firebox and flue inside a wood-framed chase on the roof, or a direct-vent gas fireplace that exhausts through the wall. Gas heats 80.7 percent of homes here. The service needs are different from an older city: chase covers, flashing on framed chases, and gas fireplaces that stop lighting.
Chase covers on 1990s roofs
The metal cover on top of a framed chase is often the first part to fail. Flat, thin covers hold water, rust and drip it down the inside of the chase, where it can rot framing and stain the ceiling. A replacement cover with a slope and a drip edge typically runs $300 to $700, and repairs to the factory-built chimney below it $250 to $1,200.
The nearest NOAA station to the east, Stillwater 2SW, averages about 159 nights a year at or below freezing and about 34 nights at or below zero in its 1991–2020 normals. Snow that sits on a flat chase cover for weeks, then melts in a January thaw, finds every rust hole.
- Rust streaks running down the siding of the chase
- Water in the firebox after a thaw
- Soft or stained drywall near the fireplace
Gas fireplaces that click and quit
Minnesota searchers look up gas fireplace repair hundreds of times a month, and in a newer suburb the usual culprits are small parts. Typical costs: igniter $90 to $150, pilot assembly $100 to $350, thermocouple $150 to $350, thermopile or gas valve $150 to $300. A yearly check of the pilot, burner, glass gasket and vent keeps most units lighting through the winter.
FAQ
Woodbury chimney questions
What is a chase cover and why is mine rusting?
It is the metal top on a framed chimney box. Many original covers are flat and thin, so water pools and rust follows. A sloped cover with a drip edge sheds snowmelt; replacement typically runs $300 to $700.
My gas fireplace pilot lights but the burner won't. What's wrong?
Usually the thermopile, the gas valve or the wall switch circuit. A thermopile or valve typically costs $150 to $300. We diagnose it at the free visit.
Do factory-built fireplaces need inspecting?
Yes. NFPA 211 calls for chimneys, fireplaces and vents to be inspected at least once a year. On a factory-built unit we check the firebox panels, the flue sections, the chase cover and the cap.
Does the seller's disclosure ask about the fireplace?
The Minnesota Realtors disclosure form asks whether the fireplace, its mechanisms, any wood-burning stove and the carbon monoxide detector are in working order. Our home-sale inspection is free and gives you photos to support the answer.
Book online
Book in Woodbury. The inspection is free.
Free inspection in a 3-hour arrival window: 8 to 11, 11 to 2, or 2 to 5, Sunday through Friday. We phone to confirm before we come.