Ypsilanti Township, Washtenaw County
Chimney inspection in Ypsilanti Township
Plenty of the post-war houses around Clark Road have changed hands or become rentals since the plants closed, and a chimney inspection is the quickest way to find out what the last owner left you.
Who books one here
We cover the northern part of the township, on the 48198 side, around the city and along I-94 and Michigan Avenue. If you live farther south, call and ask first.
The Clark Road neighborhood went up in the middle and late 1950s as an expansion of the old Willow Run Village. The first houses were one-story ranches and two-story Cape Cods sold with the upstairs unfinished. When the plants closed in the late 2000s, many owners moved away, and investors bought a lot of the houses as rentals. If you're buying one of those houses or renting it out, you want to know what's in the chimney.
Furnace flues and liners
Houses from those years with a chimney usually have two flues in it, one for a fireplace and one for the furnace. Over sixty-plus years, the furnace has usually been replaced at least once. A newer high-efficiency furnace often vents out the side wall, leaving the water heater alone in the chimney. A gas water heater puts out water vapor, and in an oversized clay flue that moisture soaks into the tile.
The photo shows the inside of a stainless liner, the usual fix. Our guide to a water heater in an old chimney explains what we look for.
What each inspection covers
A Level 1 inspection is $49. We check what can be reached without special tools: the firebox, the flue, the outside of the chimney and the connection to the furnace or water heater. The $49 is credited toward any repair or service we do after it.
A Level 2 is $149. It adds the chimney sections in the attic, basement and crawl space, and a camera run through the flue. It's what to book for a home sale, a change to the heating system, or after a chimney fire or storm. You can add the camera to a Level 1 for $75. Our guide to chimney inspection levels has the details, and our inspection cost guide covers pricing.
After the inspection
You get photos and a plain explanation of what we found. If the fireplace flue needs cleaning, we can sweep it for $349, which includes the inspection. Any repair gets a written price first.
Questions
I'm buying a rental in Ypsilanti Township. Does the chimney need an inspection?
For a sale, a Level 2 at $149 is the one to book. It checks the attic, basement and crawl space sections and puts a camera down the flue. On a house that has been rented out for years, nobody may have looked at the furnace flue or the fireplace in a long time. You get photos and a written price for anything that needs fixing before you close.
Our furnace was replaced and the water heater still vents into the chimney. Is that a problem?
It can be. If the old furnace and water heater shared a flue, the water heater alone may not keep the flue warm enough, and moisture condenses inside. Over time that damages clay tile. A $49 Level 1 shows what's connected and what condition the flue is in. If it needs a liner, we price it in writing.
Chimney inspection near Ypsilanti Township
Chimney inspection in Ypsilanti Township
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.