Chimney inspection in Plymouth

Old Village houses changing hands

The house at the corner of Mill and Liberty in the Old Village is a two-story Greek Revival built around 1843. George Starkweather, whose family settled the north end of town in the 1820s, built a house on what's now Starkweather Avenue around 1880. Houses from those decades are still lived in all over the Old Village, and each one has a chimney that has been patched, relined or rebuilt by people nobody remembers.

If you're buying one, ask for a Level 2 inspection. It's $149, and it covers the chimney in the attic, basement and crawl space, plus a camera through the full length of the flue. That's how you find out whether the flue has clay tile, a metal liner, or no lining at all. The photo shows a clay flue from the top: the tile is there, but the camera is what tells you whether it runs all the way down in one piece. If you're selling, a Level 2 before you list means the chimney is one less thing to come up late in the sale. Our inspection levels guide explains the difference.

Gas appliances in older chimneys

Plenty of older Plymouth houses still vent a water heater or furnace into the chimney. When a furnace gets replaced with one that vents out the side wall, the water heater can be left alone in a flue built for two appliances. Our guide to a water heater in an old chimney explains why that matters. A camera through the flue shows whether the old tile has cracked or lost pieces after decades of water heater exhaust running up it.

What it costs

A Level 1 inspection is $49, and the $49 is credited toward any repair or service we do after it. We look at the fireplace, the flue we can see, and the outside of the chimney, then walk you through what we found. A camera through the flue adds $75. A Level 1 takes about an hour. Our guide to chimney inspection cost lays out what each option covers.

If the fireplace burns wood, a sweep with the inspection included gets both done on one visit.