Chimney and fireplace service in the South Metro
In the South Metro the chimney is more likely to be a gas vent or a framed chase than old brick. Our inspection is free, and you get the price in writing before work starts.
Bloomington is the oldest of the big southern suburbs, with a quarter of its homes built between 1940 and 1959 and a median year of 1972 in the Census Bureau's 2024 survey. Burnsville follows at 1982. Eden Prairie and Eagan both have a median of 1988, Apple Valley 1990 and Lakeville 1999, with almost half of Lakeville's homes built in 2000 or later and nearly three quarters of them detached houses.
Gas heats 75 percent of homes in Bloomington and Burnsville and 81 to 86 percent in Eden Prairie, Eagan, Apple Valley and Lakeville. In those newer neighborhoods the fireplace is usually a factory-built unit or a direct-vent gas model, and the chimney is a metal pipe in a sided chase. Bloomington, with its large share of postwar houses, still has plenty of brick chimneys.
Gas fireplaces that won't light
The most common call from Eagan, Lakeville and Apple Valley is a gas fireplace that clicks but won't light, or lights and then goes out. In most cases one part is to blame. The thermocouple or thermopile senses the pilot flame and tells the valve to stay open, the igniter lights the pilot, and dust, spider webs or a weak pilot flame can stop the whole sequence.
A yearly service cleans the pilot and burner, checks the glass seal and looks at the vent termination outside, which in winter can be blocked by drifted snow. If you smell gas at any point, leave the house, then call 911 and your gas utility from outside.
- Igniter: $90 – $150
- Pilot assembly: $100 – $350
- Thermocouple: $150 – $350
- Thermopile or gas valve: $150 – $300
Chases and caps on newer homes
A chase cover is a flat sheet of metal sitting under snow for months, and on many 1980s and 1990s homes it was built without enough slope or a drip edge. Once it rusts through, water runs down the metal flue and into the firebox or the framing. Replacement runs $300 – $700, and work on the factory-built chimney below it typically runs $250 – $1,200.
The weather south of the river
NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Flying Cloud airport in Eden Prairie show about 145 nights at or below freezing and about 23 below zero, close to the MSP figures. The Farmington station farther south averages about 150 freezing nights and about 41 inches of snow. By our arithmetic on those normals, both see roughly 74 to 77 days a year that freeze at night and thaw by day, enough to open any crack left in a crown or brick joint.
FAQ
South Metro questions
How much does it cost to fix a gas fireplace that won't stay lit?
It depends on the part. A thermocouple runs $150 – $350, a thermopile or gas valve $150 – $300, an igniter $90 – $150 and a pilot assembly $100 – $350. The diagnosis is free, and you see the price before we replace anything.
We are selling our Burnsville house. Does the fireplace matter?
It can. Minnesota sellers must disclose known material facts in writing (Minn. Stat. 513.55), and the standard Minnesota Realtors disclosure form asks whether the fireplace, fireplace mechanisms, wood-burning stove and carbon monoxide detector are in working order. Our home-sale inspection is free and gives you photos and written findings.
Should a gas fireplace be inspected every year?
Yes. NFPA 211 calls for chimneys, fireplaces and vents to be inspected at least once a year, and that includes the vent on a gas fireplace.
Do you work in Savage, Prior Lake, Shakopee and Rosemount?
Yes, along with the rest of the South Metro. We book Sunday through Friday in three-hour windows and call to confirm before we arrive.
Book online
Choose a day. We'll bring the ladder.
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.