Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Chimney Inspection Across Andover
Chimney inspection in Andover, MA typically runs $189 – $389 depending on the level of inspection, and most appointments are booked within three to five business days. If you need a real estate inspection before closing or a Level 2 camera inspection after a chimney fire scare, call us at (830) 251-4560 and we’ll get you a written price before anything is scheduled. Our techs know the difference between a pre-1900 center-village colonial stack and a 1990s metal flue off Dascomb Road, because they work both every week.
Flint Chimney Sweep serves Andover directly from our Boston coordination office as your trusted Andover Chimney Sweep, and every job is booked with a flat price agreed before we dispatch. No number moves at the door. No tech starts work until you’ve approved the scope in writing.
Why Flint Chimney Sweep Is Andover’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Andover homeowners call us because we document everything. When our tech finishes an inspection, you get a written photo report showing exactly what the camera saw, what it means, and what needs doing now versus what can safely wait. That’s the difference between a real inspection and a guy with a flashlight and a clipboard.
We’ve worked chimneys on Phillips Street, off Haggetts Pond Road, and throughout the Lowell Street corridor, and the same discipline applies regardless of whether it’s a 1790s brick stack or a 2001 factory-built unit. Every tech is background-checked and uniformed, so you know who’s walking through the door before they arrive.
Our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every repair we write. If a covered repair fails within one full year from the service date, we return at no charge. That guarantee is part of The Garrison Standard, the code followed by every Garrison Partners location since 2002. Hank Delano has run our team on that standard from day one.
Chimney Inspection Services in Andover
Chimney Inspection Services in Andover cover everything from a basic visual check to a full camera run up the flue. The right level depends on what changed: a home sale, a new appliance, a chimney fire scare, or years of skipped maintenance. Here’s what each level involves and what it costs in the Andover market.
Level 1 Inspection
A Level 1 inspection runs $189 – $249 in Andover and covers the accessible parts of the chimney: firebox, damper, smoke chamber, flue from below, and the exterior stack from the ground. This is the standard check when nothing has changed since the last sweep. It’s the right call for most annual maintenance on an actively used fireplace.
Level 2 Inspection
A Level 2 inspection runs $289 – $389 in Andover and adds a full camera scan of the flue interior, the chimney crown, and the termination cap. This is what you need when buying or selling a home in Andover, after a chimney fire, or when an appliance is being connected to a new flue. Our Chimney Inspection team runs Level 2 checks most weeks for Andover real estate closings.
Level 3 Inspection
A Level 3 inspection is only called for when Level 2 findings suggest hidden damage inside the chimney structure itself, often requiring partial demolition to access. In Andover, we typically see this on center-village homes where decades of water intrusion have compromised the internal brick. We quote Level 3 work only after a Level 2 camera report justifies it, never as a first step.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Chimney Flue Inspection in Andover
Chimney Flue Inspection in Andover means running a camera up the actual inner passageway that carries smoke and gases out of the house. This is where the real problems hide: cracked flue tiles on older masonry stacks, separated liner joints on factory-built systems, and nests jammed against the cap. A visual check from the firebox simply can’t see the upper two-thirds of the flue.
For Andover’s older homes, a flue inspection typically finds spalling mortar, missing tile sections, or a flue that was never properly sized for the appliance it serves. For the newer subdivisions off Lowell Street and Dascomb Road, the camera finds different issues: crushed termination caps from ice, liner joints that have pulled apart, or a flue that was installed without a proper cap at all.
Camera Inspection
Camera inspection is standard equipment for us, not an add-on. The scan takes about 20 minutes and records the full flue from throat to crown. You get still images included in your photo report, so you can see the crack or joint separation yourself rather than taking our word for it.
Real Estate Inspection
If you’re buying or selling a home in Andover, most purchase-and-sale agreements now require a Level 2 inspection with photo documentation. We schedule these around closing timelines and deliver the report same day, marked clearly as acceptable, needing repair, or unsafe to use. Sellers on South Main Street and buyers in the Elm Street area both get the same written documentation, with no gray areas.
Trusted Brands We Service in Andover
When an Andover inspection turns up damage, we write repair scopes using materials from manufacturers whose specs we trust: HeatShield for flue liner repair, Gelco for caps and hardware, and Olympia Chimney for liner components. We stock common parts for the chimneys we see most in Andover, which means repairs on typical systems start sooner than if we had to special-order everything. The material gets specified by the job, not by our margin.
Common Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Andover Homes
- Pre-1900 center-village masonry stacks: Spalling mortar and degraded crowns let water into the brick, which freezes and thaws through New England winters. By the time someone calls for a “quick sweep,” the real problem is water intrusion, not creosote.
- 1980s – 2000s subdivision metal flues: Factory-built systems get inspected like masonry chimneys and nobody checks the termination cap, the liner joints, or whether the cap got crushed by sliding ice. We check all three on every Level 2.
- Skipped inspections on rarely used fireplaces: “We barely burn” is exactly how a cracked flue tile goes unnoticed until a Level 2 camera run after a scare. In Andover’s older homes, the flue was often marginal on day one, and time has not improved it.
- Animal nests and debris at the cap: Squirrels and birds find their way into uncapped or damaged caps all over Andover, from the edges of Harold Parker State Forest to the neighborhoods around Pomps Pond. A nest partially blocking the flue changes draft and pushes smoke into the house.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Andover, MA
A Level 1 inspection in Andover runs $189 – $249. A Level 2 with full camera scan runs $289 – $389. A Level 3 quote is only produced after a Level 2 report shows it’s necessary, and we will not perform Level 3 work on a chimney that a Level 2 says is sound. Real estate inspections fall under the Level 2 range and include the photo report at no additional charge. If an inspection turns up repair needs, we write a fixed repair scope with a dollar figure before anything else happens.
What changes the price is what the camera shows, not some number our tech invents at the door. The number you approve is the number on the invoice. Call (830) 251-4560 for a free estimate on chimney inspection in Andover.
We Also Serve Cities Near Andover
Beyond Andover, our techs cover Andover‘s neighboring communities including Lawrence, Wilmington, Lowell, and Reading. If you’re just over the town line, the same written pricing and 365-Day Done Right Promise apply. Call and we’ll tell you exactly which day we’re in your area.
Serving Andover, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Andover area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Inspection in Andover
Once a year, even with light use. Infrequent burning means creosote doesn’t build up fast, but it also means nobody looks at the flue year after year. In Andover’s older center-village homes, a cracked flue tile or a deteriorated crown gets worse whether you burn or not, because the freeze-thaw cycle works on the masonry all winter. Call (830) 251-4560 to book an inspection, and we’ll tell you honestly if the chimney could have waited.
Yes. Factory-built metal flues on 1990s Andover homes fail differently than masonry chimneys. Liner joints separate, termination caps get crushed by ice, and the metal itself corrodes from years of condensation. The inspection checks the cap, the joints, and the liner condition, and we photograph all three so you can see the result. If the cap is intact and joints are sound, we tell you that too, and you’re done for the year.
A camera shows the full flue interior from throat to crown, including cracks, missing tile sections, separated joints, and blockages that are invisible from the firebox or the roof. The upper flue is where most failures happen, and no visual check from either end can see the middle third. We give you still photos from the scan, so you’re not just trusting a line item on a report.
We give you one of three answers: safe to use, needs repair before use, or needs repair but can wait. That call is made by the tech on site, documented in the photo report, and explained in plain words. If the only issue is routine creosote, we say so and sweep it. We do not write repair scopes for chimneys that don’t need them.
We book inspections on a schedule, not as same-day dispatch. If you smell smoke in the house, stop using the fireplace immediately and call (830) 251-4560. We’ll get you the soonest available appointment, and we’ll walk you through what to check in the meantime by phone. Smoke in the living space is a draft or blockage problem, not a normal fireplace smell.
Contact Flint Chimney Sweep for Chimney Inspection in Andover
If you own a home in Andover, MA and you have not had the chimney looked at in a while, the inspection is the cheapest part of the whole equation. Call (830) 251-4560 and we’ll give you a written price before anything is booked. This guide was written by Chimney Inspection in Andover specialist Flint Chimney Sweep for Andover homeowners who want the camera run, the photo report, and a straight answer on whether the chimney is safe to use.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner at Flint Chimney Sweep, serving Andover since 2002.