Sylvan Lake, Oakland County
Chimney inspection in Sylvan Lake
On a few blocks of Sylvan Lake you can find a chimney from the 1920s, one from the 1950s and one from the 1980s, and each needs a different set of checks. That's what an inspection here sorts out.
Most of the city, and the calls we get
Our service area covers most of Sylvan Lake. Houses at the east edge, by Telegraph and the Pontiac line, should call first so we can confirm.
People here book an inspection for a few common reasons. You're buying a house and the chimney's history is a blank. The fireplace hasn't been used in years. A furnace or water heater still vents up the chimney. Or a storm dropped branches on the roof and you want to know if anything got hit.
Old chimneys near the water
The oldest houses in town are the cottages near the shore, from the resort years that started when the Sylvan Lake Inn opened in 1893. On a chimney that old, or a Wood Lawn chimney from the 1930s, bricks near the top have often been replaced, like the lighter ones on the tall end-wall chimney in the photo. Further down, the joints between old clay flue tiles can open up where nobody can see them. A camera through the flue is the only way to see those.
Framed chases in Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest went up from the 1950s into the 1980s, so the earlier houses there tend to have brick chimneys and some of the later ones may have a framed chase instead. In a framed chase, the flue is metal, and the things that wear out are the chase cover, the cap and the seal between them. We check those from the roof.
Level 1, Level 2 and the camera
A Level 1 inspection is $49, and it's credited toward any repair or service we do after it. It covers the firebox, the damper, the flue we can see and the outside of the chimney.
A Level 2 is $149. It adds the chimney in the attic, basement and crawl space, plus a camera through the flue. It's what to book for a home sale, after a chimney fire or storm, or before you change what vents into the chimney. The camera alone can be added to a Level 1 for $75. Our guide to chimney inspection levels lays out the difference, and what a chimney inspection costs covers the rest.
If the flue turns out to need cleaning, a chimney sweep in Sylvan Lake is $349 with an inspection on the same visit.
Questions
Our Sherwood Forest house has a chimney covered in siding. What does an inspection look at?
That's a framed chase with a factory-built fireplace and a metal flue inside. We check the fireplace and the flue from below, then the chase cover, cap and siding on the roof. Rust on the cover or stains on the siding below it usually mean water is getting in. The $49 Level 1 covers it. If you're selling, a Level 2 adds the attic and a camera.
Does a gas fireplace need an inspection if it never makes soot?
Yes. Gas doesn't leave creosote, but the flue still has to carry exhaust out, and caps, liners and chase covers still wear. Nests and fallen debris can block a gas flue the same as a wood one. We look at the venting and the outside of the chimney. Service on the gas logs and burner is separate.
Chimney inspection in Sylvan Lake
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.