Oakland County
Chimney sweep, inspection and repair in Madison Heights
Madison Heights became a city in 1955, in the middle of its building boom, and most of its houses are brick ranches from the 1950s. The oldest blocks are at the south end, between 10 and 11 Mile, where Royal Oak Township laid out its first subdivision in 1920.
The south end
Before 1955, this was the east side of Royal Oak Township. The township's first subdivision was laid out in 1920 between 10 and 11 Mile, and through that decade schools and stores went up along 11 Mile and John R. A house from those first blocks can have a chimney close to a hundred years old.
On a chimney that age, we look hardest at the crown, the top few courses of brick and the clay flue tiles. A cracked tile or an open joint inside the flue doesn't show from the roof. You can add a camera to an inspection for $75 and see the inside for yourself.
The 1950s ranches
Most of Madison Heights came later. In 1950 a Federal Housing Administration program put up 150 new houses here, and the city was incorporated in January 1955 with the building boom already under way, and the typical house from those years is a brick ranch on a rectangular lot, with two or three bedrooms and a garage. Its brick chimney often carries a fireplace flue and a second flue for the furnace and water heater.
A chimney with no fireplace
If your house has a chimney but no fireplace, the chimney is there for the furnace and the water heater. Nothing goes up it but gas exhaust, and nobody thinks about it until something goes wrong.
Gas exhaust carries a lot of water vapor. In a clay flue that's too big or too cold for what's venting into it, that vapor can condense inside the chimney. Over the years it wears on the mortar and the tiles from the inside, and the first sign you might see outside is brick flaking near the top. It gets worse when a new furnace is vented out the side wall and the water heater is left alone in the flue. Our guide to a water heater in an old chimney explains why. The usual fix is a stainless liner sized for the water heater.
Crown and cap repair
On a seventy-year-old ranch chimney, the crown is usually the first part to crack, and once it does, water gets into the brick right below it. We repair or rebuild the crown and put a cap with a mesh screen over any flue that doesn't have one. You see the photos before we quote anything.
Getting to you
I-75 and I-696 both cross Madison Heights, so we can get to most streets in the city quickly. We work along John R, Dequindre and 11 through 14 Mile, and pair Madison Heights visits with jobs in Royal Oak, Troy and Clawson. Book online and pick a 3-hour arrival window, or call for same-day availability when the schedule allows.
Madison Heights and the cities around it
We work across Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw counties.
Every area we serveServices in Madison Heights
Chimney cleaning
We sweep the chimney and inspect it on the same visit, then clean up before we leave.
$349
Chimney inspection
We inspect the chimney inside and out and walk you through what we found, in plain language.
$49
Level 2 chimney inspection
For home sales and system changes: the attic, basement and crawl spaces, and a camera through the flue.
$149
Questions
Our Madison Heights ranch has a chimney but no fireplace. Does it still need a look?
Yes. That chimney is there for the furnace and the water heater, and gas exhaust carries a lot of water vapor. In a clay flue that's too big or too cold for what's venting into it, the vapor can condense and wear on the mortar and tiles from the inside. Brick flaking near the top is often the first sign. An inspection tells you whether the flue needs a liner sized for what's using it.
Do you offer same-day service?
Same-Day Availability When Schedule Allows. Call (248) 266-9991 and we'll tell you what we can do today.
Book a chimney visit in Madison Heights
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.