Clawson, Oakland County
Chimney inspection in Clawson
Many Clawson chimneys are lined with clay tiles that went in between the 1920s and the 1960s, and a crack in one of those tiles is something you only find from inside the flue.
Old clay, hidden cracks
The Clawson Historical Museum is a house on Fisher Court built in 1919, the year before Clawson became a village. A lot of the houses around downtown are from that same decade. Their chimneys were lined with clay tiles, like the one in the photo, and nearly a century of heating and cooling cracks tiles and opens the joints between them. None of that shows from the roof or the firebox.
That is why a camera matters more on an older Clawson chimney than on a newer one. You can add one to a Level 1 inspection for $75, or get it as part of a Level 2.
Postwar ranches with two flues
The brick ranches and bungalows built here in the 1950s and 1960s usually have one chimney carrying two flues: one for the fireplace, one for the furnace and water heater. Owners book an inspection when the furnace has been replaced, when the fireplace hasn't been used in years, or when they notice flaking brick near the top. Each of those can point back to the flue that nobody looks at, the one carrying gas exhaust.
Buying or selling
Clawson houses tend to sell with the original chimney. For a sale, a Level 2 inspection is $149. It covers everything in a Level 1, plus the chimney sections in the attic, basement and crawl space, and a camera through every flue. Sellers get it done before listing so it doesn't come up late. Buyers book it early in the inspection period. Our guide to chimney inspection levels lays out what each level includes.
Prices
A Level 1 is $49 for one chimney. We check the fireplace, the damper, the flue as far as we can see, and the crown, cap, brick and flashing outside. The $49 is credited toward any repair or service we do after it. The camera is $75 more. A Level 1 takes about an hour, and we walk you through what we found before we leave. If you burn wood and it's been a while, book a chimney sweep in Clawson instead, since the $349 sweep includes the inspection.
Questions
Our Clawson bungalow's furnace was replaced. Should the chimney be checked?
Yes, and soon. When a new high-efficiency furnace vents out the side wall, the water heater is often left by itself in a flue sized for two appliances. It doesn't warm the flue enough, and the exhaust can condense inside. That wears on clay tile and mortar from the inside. An inspection tells you whether the water heater's flue is drafting and what shape it's in.
Does a Level 2 inspection mean you'll open up my walls?
No. A Level 2 covers the parts of the chimney you can reach in the attic, basement and crawl space without removing anything, plus a camera run through the flue. If the camera shows something behind a wall, we tell you what we saw and what it would take to get a closer look, and you decide.
Chimney inspection near Clawson
Chimney inspection in Clawson
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.