Wayne County
Chimney sweep, inspection and repair in Wayne
Wayne's oldest houses are in the blocks around downtown and Michigan Avenue, from its village years. Most of the rest went up in the 1950s and 1960s, when the city's population more than doubled.
The village blocks
The railroad reached Wayne in 1838, and Wayne was a village from 1869 until it became a city in 1960. The oldest houses are near downtown, on the streets around Michigan Avenue and Goudy Park on the Lower Rouge. Many were built for coal or wood heat, and on a lot of them the chimney now vents a gas furnace or water heater instead.
On a chimney that old, the question is what's inside it. Some were never lined. Some have clay tile that has cracked or come apart at the joints, and none of that shows from the yard. A camera through the flue tells you which you have. If the flue needs it, we put in a liner sized for the appliance that actually uses it.
The 1950s and 1960s
Wayne had about 9,400 people in 1950 and just over 21,000 by 1970. Ford opened the Michigan Assembly Plant in 1957, in the middle of that stretch. A lot of the houses from those years are modest ranches. Many have one brick chimney, and on some it runs up an outside wall instead of through the middle of the house.
Cold air by the fireplace
A chimney on an outside wall, like the one in the photo, gives up heat through the brick all winter. When the fireplace isn't in use, the flue fills with cold air, and a damper that doesn't close tight lets it into the room. If it's drafty by the fireplace, or you smell soot on a windy day, check the damper before anything else. Our guide to chimney damper problems covers the signs and the fixes.
A cold flue is also slower to start drawing, so a little smoke when you first light a fire is common on these chimneys. Smoke that keeps coming into the room after the fire is going is something to have looked at.
Mortar on outside chimneys
An outside chimney is in the weather from the ground to the crown, and after sixty-some years the mortar joints start to wash out. We repoint the joints with mortar matched to the color that's there, and you see the photos before we quote anything.
Buying an older Wayne house
If the house you're buying is one of the older ones near downtown, a Level 2 inspection covers the chimney areas in the attic and basement and puts a camera through the flue. You find out whether it's lined, and what it's venting, before your inspection period runs out.
Getting to you
We work across Wayne on Michigan Avenue, Wayne Road, Venoy, Glenwood and Howe Road, and pair Wayne visits with jobs in Westland, Romulus and Inkster. Book online and pick a 3-hour arrival window, or call for same-day availability when the schedule allows.
Wayne and the cities around it
We work across Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw counties.
Every area we serveServices in Wayne
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
Why is it cold by the fireplace in my Wayne house all winter?
On a lot of Wayne ranches the brick chimney runs up an outside wall, and it gives up heat through the brick all winter. When the fireplace isn't in use, the flue fills with cold air. If the damper doesn't close tight, that air comes into the room. Check the damper first. If it's rusted, warped or stuck, our guide to chimney damper problems covers the fixes, including a new damper at the top of the chimney.
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 Wayne
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.