Are You a Real Estate Buyer or Owner?

f you are buying or already own property with a fireplace, this article is for you! You will learn the codes and regulations governing real estate chimney inspections. Let’s begin with a brief overview of the fireplace itself.

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Overview of Fireplaces Codes

Every fireplace manufacturer has a different expectations for safe distance between combustibles and their fireplace or wood stove. This makes the rules different for every installation of either product. But some rules apply to all types of fireplaces and wood stoves. These are national codes of clearance that must be met or exceeded by any listed product. Hang on. There’s more!

Into the Details… UL Listings for Wood, Pellet, and Gas Appliances

National standards do not apply in most circumstances these days because the manufacturer of the stove or fireplace has done its own private testing to surpass national minimum standards.  Private testing is performed by a UL Qualified laboratory, and provides the manufacturer of the fireplace or wood stove or gas stove or pellet stove with a UL Listing. This UL Listing is extremely important. You should know if your home heating appliance is UL Listed or not. This listing may be found on a sheet metal plate riveted to the body of the listed appliance. Try looking on the back or base pedastal or near the fireplace opening on the left or right side near the fire screen. If you have this plate, it is probably a listed appliance. Our Qualified technicians must abide by the clearances indicated on the plate. We cannot reduce those minimum laboratory tested numbers by using national codes, because the listing process is what got these numbers reduced in the first place.

Fireplace and Chimney Inspections

The Fire Department’s code book for wood stoves and fireplaces has a name, the NFPA 211. This is the National minimum standard. It indicates that there are 3 different levels of inspections that may be done for a fireplace or wood stove. You can go to the code book source website here, NFPA 211. We use this as our controlling document at Midtown Chimney Sweeps. The three levels are not surprisingly labeled Level I, Level II, and Level III, and increase in their invasiveness. Below is a disclaimer for our company and then a brief description of the 3 Levels of Inspections recognized by the NFPA 211.

If you do need chimney repairs on a masonry chimney, read more by clicking here.

If you need a leaky chimney fixed, read more by clicking here.

 Hidden Defects- legal disclaimer

Hidden construction defects of many types may exist, and may not be discovered using only a Level I or Level II Inspection. These inspections are not intended as a guarantee of safety or the absence of hazards of use, and no guarantee is implied. There have been times when even a Level III inspection was not thorough enough. Needless to say, caution and common sense must be used when both performing inspections and when burning a solid-fuel burning appliance in a modern real estate holding such as a single family residence.

Level I Inspection & Sweep

is our base level annual chimney sweep and is the least expensive level. We typically do not inspect fireplaces unless we sweep it first, even if it seems clean at a glance. Level I inspections should be done annually according to our certification body (Qualified Chimney Professionals organization) and the Fire Department, and consists of physical brushing of the flue, and a visual inspection of the easily accessible portion of the chimney, and requires no tools, no cameras, and no roof inspection is required.

Level II Inspection & Sweep

is our next most popular service, and is slightly more expensive than the Level I, and for good reason. This is known commonly as the Real Estate Chimney Inspection. First we do everything listed in the Level I sweep and inspection above plus the following: roof inspection, live scan video inspection inside the flue, and accessible portions of the chimney. This Level II sweep and inspection is recommended by the NFPA 211 every time the property changes owners, when the fuel type changes, and after every chimney fire. This is a common sense recommendation based on industry research finding ways to reduce structure fires in America. Basically, this is the “better safe than sorry” approach for new owners or occupants of a residence, either commercial or residential.

Level III Inspection 

is the most invasive type of fireplace or chimney inspection(a sweep has usually already been done by the time this invasive inspection level is reached). It consists of the logical and progressively more detailed inspections of Level I, Level II, and finally Level III. We don’t typically perform this level of inspection on a regular basis so we don’t have readily available pricing on this. The technician will be explaining all his findings to you on site as you move  down this path.

Real Estate Chimney Inspections Should be done:

  • Upon sale or transfer of a property
  • Upon changing the fuel type of the fireplace or chimney
  • After a chimney fire
  • When a Level I inspection indicates the need for further inspection

This would include the inheritance of real estate or a traditional sale process (such as contract, escrow, closing, real estate agents and brokers, and loan officers). When you engage in a home transaction, be sure to have the building’s chimney inspected. Just like the septic system or electrical system is inspected upon sale or transfer of a property, so also the chimney should be inspected upon the sale or transfer of a property. After all, the fire in chimneys and fireplaces can be either pleasant or dangerous. It’s your choice!

Call a certified Midtown technician for a Level II Real Estate Chimney Inspection today at 844-793-3766!


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Qualified

Our chimney sweeps are qualified and insured.

Local

Our local chimney technicians know what works best for your specific area.

Professional

Our sweeps treat your home like it’s their own.

Happy Customers

Midtown Chimney Sweeps is rated 4.9/5.0

ExcellentMidtown Chimney Sweeps4.8 Based on 2256 reviews fromSee all reviews review us onMichael JosephMichael Joseph ★★★★★ Great working with Midtown. They were accommodating, did good work, and made the process easy. Techs are knowledgable and communication with Miya around the permit process was clear and smooth. Thank you!Response from the ownerAwesome! Thank you for sharing your positive experience, Michael! We know any kind of installation can get complicated quickly and so we always strive to make our processes smooth sailing for everyone! We truly value your time and business! Take care :)--The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 TanyaTanya ★★★★★ these guys are great. they've been the first vendors i've dealt with who actually did a thorough excellent job and solved my problem, and for a very fair priceResponse from the ownerWow, thanks so much Tanya! Happy to hear we were able to diagnose and solve the issue for you! We appreciate your kind words! Please don't hesitate to reach out if anything else is ever needed, take care!-The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Nick KnudtsonNick Knudtson ★★★★★ Mike was very thorough with the sweep and very informativeResponse from the ownerWe truly appreciate your business and your time leaving us a positive review, Nick! We are always happy to share our knowledge and Mike is one of the best! Take care!-The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Travis MonroeTravis Monroe ★★★★★ I had a small leak through my chimney. Midtown Chimney was able to come out quickly and get it taken care of. Marcus was helpful and got the issue taken care of.Response from the ownerThanks so much Travis! We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your positive experience with Marcus! Glad to be of service for your chimney needs! Please take care and don't hesitate to reach out if anything else is ever needed, thank you!-The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Isaac SmithIsaac Smith ★★★★★ Their technician Joshua was very helpful and knowledgeable. He went out of his way on a routine cleaning to point out some issues with our fireplace and gave recommendations to address them.Response from the ownerThank you for your positive review, Isaac! We're happy to hear Joshua was so helpful and thorough! Looking forward to continuing to provide you with excellent service! Please take care! -The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 shakurmurray22shakurmurray22 ★★★★★ Great service and great experience. Very easy to work withResponse from the ownerThank you for sharing your experience! We are happy to be of great service and are looking forward to helping with any future needs! Take care! -The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Devon MunzPhelpsDevon MunzPhelps ★★★★★ Response from the ownerThanks so much for the 5 star review! We really appreciate it! Take care :)-The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Angela EpiscopoAngela Episcopo ★★★★★ Daniel and his helper did excellent work. Very clean and very professional Great communication and explanations (and pics) of what needed done. Thank you Daniel, I’ll be using you in the future!Response from the ownerAwesome, thank you for sharing your experience, Angela! We know any type of home repair can get stressful, so we always try to communicate and explain to the best of our abilities to help ease the process! Glad we were able to provide excellent service for your fireplace and are looking forward to seeing you next time! Take care! -The Midtown Chimney Team 🎩 Rhonda CozziRhonda Cozzi ★★★★★ Levi Bruckelmyer Is wonderful human being. He's does his work 100% he came by. What should have only been? A couple of hours ended up being hours well into the night and then today I just had a question about something unrelated and he stopped by took the time out of his busy schedule to make sure that I was OK and to answer my questions. So whoever calls upon this young man to do for for him. 100% he's gonna do it to the best of his ability. And be there for anything that you need. Thank you and have a great day.Response from the ownerWow, thank you so much Rhonda! We agree, Levi is pretty wonderful! We are so happy to hear our level of service went above and beyond and hope to continue providing you with excellent service in the future! Thank you again and please take care!-The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Adrienne PAdrienne P ★★★★★ We had an inspection done on our chimney, but the results were not complete due to our situation, and a newer technician. My husband spoke with the owner Mike, and he took care of us right away. They scheduled Brandon, a seasoned technician out to complete the job. He was very professional, very knowledgeable and made sure that our chimney was in great shape. He really put my mind at ease by going up on our very steep roof to do a visual inspection from above. Very thorough, and he was so courteous and conscientious. I highly recommend Midtown Chimney Fireplace Store. And I really appreciate they are family owned since 1979!Response from the ownerThank you so much Adrienne! We appreciate you taking the time to share your positive experience with us! Safety is definitely a priority and we're happy to have helped ease your mind with our thorough inspection process! Thank you for your recommendation and please take care! :)-The Midtown Chimney Team 🎩 Patrick SmithPatrick Smith ★★★★★ Levi is great. Very professional, clean and does a great job problem solving. We use this company every year.Response from the ownerThank you so much Patrick, we really appreciate your continued business and sharing your experience! It means a lot, Levi is one of the best! Please take care and we look forward to seeing you again next year! Thank you!- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Dino BonominiDino Bonomini ★★★★★ Eric was awesome! We had a sweep and an inspection done because we were getting water in our basement and suspected it was coming in from the roof/chimney because the water was coming out from our chimney flue ash clean out in our basement. Eric took me up on our roof with him and he showed me all the possible places where water could be getting in. Ultimately we did a water test where Eric took a hose up on the roof and sprayed the chimney in different spots while I kept an eye out downstairs for the water. We found the HVAC exhaust did not have silicone around the top of the chimney cap and that's where the water was coming in. Eric had some silicone in his van and was able to fix the issue for us. I did another water test a couple days later and no water!!! Very grateful we found the issue!Eric also showed us the entire process of him inspecting our chimney and pointing out the potential dangers if we were to use our chimney using his camera. He also showed us how to properly start our gas fireplace. We do not plan to use it due to the dangers he found, but it was really good to know all of that.We had great conversations with Eric. He was extremely knowledgeable and he was very respectful of our home. I am only recommending Eric and Midtown Chimney Sweeps for anyone needing help with their chimney!Response from the ownerWow, thank you so much Dino for sharing this awesome experience with Eric! He truly is a rockstar!! We will be sure to share this with him! Thank you so much, we value your business and your recommendation, it means a lot! Please take care and have a great day, thank you so much! :)- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Dan MillsDan Mills ★★★★★ Very satisfied with the work they have done sweeping and inspecting my chimney. They also helped diagnose an issue with a leak in my roof and provided recommendations on preventing birds from building nests in our dryer vent. Very helpful!Response from the ownerThank you so much Dan, for sharing your experience! We are so happy to provide excellent service and we truly value your business and are so happy to help! Thank you! Please take care :)- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Chad RemingtonChad Remington ★★★★★ The Worker for Midtown chimney sweep was very nice and did not take long to do the job. The fireplace area was clean and working great.Response from the ownerAwesome, thank you so much Chad!! We are so happy to provide excellent service! We value your business and please don't hesitate to connect with us again if anything else is ever needed, thank you! - The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Kaegan ParkerKaegan Parker ★★★★★ Nathan absolutely took the utmost care and respect for our home and got our large wood stove out clean! Would recommend him & Midtown to anyone! Thank you for the amazing service!Response from the ownerThank you so much Kaegan, we truly appreciate your business and sharing your experience with Nathan! He is one of the best 🙂 Please take care and we look forward to connecting again if anything else is ever needed, thank you!- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Alexa RossAlexa Ross ★★★★★ Michael was very professional & respectful of my house! He went out of his way to provide excellent customer service. I appreciate the way he explained in detail what the recommendations were for my fireplace & even categorized them into safety vs nice to have options. Absolutely recommend!Response from the ownerThank you so much for sharing Alexa! We truly value your business and your recommendation, thank you! Please take care and don't hesitate to reach out if anything else is ever needed, thank you!- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Violet BreedenViolet Breeden ★★★★★ Today we had Stephen out from Midtown Chimney Sweep-Denver. He was so courteous, explained what he was doing, explained the state of our chimney (wood burning), the risks of our neighbors tree and recommended a chimney cover. He was not overbearing, did not pressure me into sales and cleaned up everything, there was at least 6 years of ash in a fireplace we light every Fall and Winter. Highly recommend him for cleanings. He does do fireplace conversions, but I can't speak for that.Response from the ownerWow, thank you so much Violet for sharing your experience! We are so happy to provide excellent service, Stephen is one of the best! Please take care and don't hesitate to reach out if anything else is ever needed, thank you!! - The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Victor AngkicoVictor Angkico ★★★★★ Marcus did a great job in fixing my chimney cap leaking issue. He quickly diagnosed what was causing my chimney leak and clearly explained what and how he would get the problem resolved. He was quite diligent in getting it fixed very quickly which was very much appreciated. Now I no longer hear the pinging of leaking water in my chimney when it rains. 😁Response from the ownerAwesome, thank you so much for sharing Victor!! Marcus is one of the best!!! Take care and don't hesitate to reach out if anything else is ever needed :)- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Alex AflatooniAlex Aflatooni ★★★★★ Marcus was a straight up guy. Definitely knew his trade, and was able to give insight and understanding to my chimneys and inserts and the components. Would highly recommend.Response from the ownerThank you so much Alex, we truly appreciate you sharing your experience and your recommendation! Please take care and we look forward to connecting again if anything else is ever needed! :)- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Raymond AndringaRaymond Andringa ★★★★★ Marcus was throughout and honest with us and very helpful. I would recommend their service to anyone!! 🙂Response from the ownerThank you so much Raymond! We truly value your business and your recommendation, thank you! Please take care :)- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Rachael ReeseRachael Reese ★★★★★ Marcus is so kind, punctual, polite and friendly. He is also very knowledgeable on chimney systems and was able to help us brainstorm and fix ours. Thank you Marcus!Response from the ownerAwesome Rachael, thank you so much for sharing your experience with Marcus!! We are so happy to be able to get your chimney up and running great! Please take care and we look forward to connecting again if anything else is ever needed, thank you!- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 S. Zack HermsenS. Zack Hermsen ★★★★★ Response from the ownerThank you so much for the 5 star rating Zack! Please take care :)- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Kristen EastKristen East ★★★★★ Marcus from Midtown Chimney Sweeps was friendly, professional and efficient. He did a great job of walking me through the process and explaining (verbally and with pictures) how our chimney is meant to work and what further recommendations he had for maintenance. We received a detailed invoice, including pictures of our chimney. Plus, the whole cleaning process took just over an hour. I also appreciated that Midtown Chimney Sweeps was not judgmental about how little we have priorly serviced our chimney. If you have been putting off hiring a chimney sweep due to lack of familiarity with the process, I would highly recommend Midtown Chimney Sweeps.Response from the ownerThank you so much Kristen, for this awesome review and sharing your experience with Marcus!! We are so happy to be of such excellent service and provide you with the resources you need! We truly value your continued business and recommendation, thank you! Please take care and we look forward to connecting again in the future :)- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 S. P.S. P. ★★★★★ Marcus is great! On time and professional and explains what he was doing and why. Prices very competitive! I’d definitely use midtown chimney sweeps again if and when neededResponse from the ownerThank you so much for sharing your experience with Marcus, he is one of the best! We truly value your continued business and your recommendation, thank you! Please take care :)- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 Sue MSue M ★★★★★ Great service - professional, friendly and knowledgeable. We’re happy to be able to use our fireplace again!Response from the ownerAwesome Sue, we are so happy to be able to get your fireplace up and running again 🙂 Please take care and we look forward to connecting if anything else is ever needed, thank you!- The Midtown Chimney Team🎩 js_loader

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