Wixom, Oakland County
Chimney inspection in Wixom
Wixom has close to 9,000 homes, and only about a third are single-family houses. So a lot of the fireplaces here are factory-built units with metal flues, and those wear in different places than a brick chimney.
Why people in Wixom book one
These are the usual reasons we get the call:
- You've bought a condo or townhouse and have no record of the fireplace being looked at.
- You're selling, and the buyer's inspector flagged the chimney.
- The fireplace hasn't been used since you moved in, and you'd like to before winter.
- Water stains have shown up on the ceiling near the chimney, or there's rust on the siding below the chase.
- There was a chimney fire, or a storm hit the roof.
Newer townhouses and older condos
Near downtown on Pontiac Trail, the Tribute development has added newer townhomes from Robertson Brothers. Those are a different job from the condos built while the Ford plant was running. On a newer unit, we're mostly confirming the fireplace and vent were installed as the maker intended and that the chase top is sealed. On an older unit, we're looking for what thirty or forty years have done: rust, loose pipe joints, nests, and water inside the chase.
If you're in an association, check who maintains the chimney before you book repairs. An inspection report with photos helps either way.
The single-family houses get the same inspection. On the brick-faced chases around Loon Lake, we also check whether the brick, the chase cover and the seal around the flue are still keeping water out of the framing.
What each level covers
A Level 1 inspection is $49, and it's credited toward any repair or service we do after it. We check the firebox, the damper or vent, the flue as far as we can see it, and the outside of the chimney or chase.
A Level 2 is $149. It adds the chimney in the attic, basement and crawl space, plus a camera through the flue. It's the inspection for a home sale, after a chimney fire or storm, or before changing what vents into the chimney. You can add the camera to a Level 1 for $75. The guide to chimney inspection levels explains the difference, and what a chimney inspection costs covers pricing questions.
After the inspection
We walk you through what we found in plain language, with photos. If the flue needs cleaning, a chimney sweep in Wixom is $349 with an inspection on the same visit.
Questions
We just bought a townhouse with a gas fireplace. Does it need an inspection?
We'd do one before the first winter. A gas fireplace doesn't make soot, but the vent still has to carry exhaust out, and nests, a loose cap or a leaking chase cover can all cause trouble. The $49 inspection checks the venting and the outside of the chimney. Work on the gas logs, burner or controls is a separate service.
What does the camera show in a metal flue?
Whether the sections of pipe are still joined tight, whether there's rust or creosote on the walls, and whether anything is blocking it partway up. On a factory-built fireplace, the flue runs through a framed chase you can't see into, so the camera is the only look at it. It's $75 on a Level 1, or included in a $149 Level 2.
Chimney inspection in Wixom
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.