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 Myrtle Beach
A chimney inspection in Myrtle Beach runs $149 to $189 for a Level 1 and $249 to $349 for a Level 2, and in this coastal climate both should happen more often than the national average suggests. We work throughout the Grand Strand every week: Carolina Forest, Market Common, Socastee, Forestbrook, and down through Surfside and Murrells Inlet. Salt air doesn’t wait, so neither do we. Call (830) 251-4560 and a live person answers, day or night, with a written price before any work starts.
Most of our Myrtle Beach customers call because something’s changed since last season: a damper that won’t move, rust staining down the brick, or a real estate agent requiring an inspection before closing on an Ocean Boulevard condo. These aren’t cosmetic issues. They’re how chimneys tell you salt has been working on them, and they’re exactly what a trained eye catches.
Why Flint Chimney Sweep Is Myrtle Beach’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
We’ve inspected thousands of coastal chimneys as part of the Garrison Partners family of independently owned chimney service companies, operating under The Garrison Standard since 2002. Every inspection follows a documented checklist, and every repair we recommend gets a written price before a single tool comes off the truck. That’s not a policy we invented for the beach. It’s how we operate everywhere, and it’s why Myrtle Beach homeowners keep our number in their phone.
Hank Delano, who leads our inspection crews on the Grand Strand, has walked more Myrtle Beach rooftops than most contractors drive past. He knows what a salt-corroded cap looks like on a house near The Dunes Club versus a stucco fireplace in Plantation Lakes. That local familiarity means our inspections catch things a generic checklist misses.
When you schedule with us, a background-checked, uniformed technician arrives inside the window we give you. They introduce themselves by name. They explain what they’re looking at, not in trade jargon but in plain words, and they show you photos from the camera inspection before they recommend anything. You see the same evidence we see.
Our 365-Day Done Right Promise backs every repair in writing for a full year. If a covered repair fails within that period, we return at no charge. No argument, no requote, no fine print.
Level 2 Chimney Inspection in Myrtle Beach
A Level 2 Chimney Inspection in Myrtle Beach is what most coastal homeowners need, and here’s why: salt corrosion is a slow, hidden process that a basic visual check won’t catch. A Level 2 includes everything in a Level 1, plus a camera scan of the entire flue interior and access to the attic, crawlspace, and any accessible chimney exterior. If you’ve lived in your home for two or more years and haven’t had the flue camera-scanned, you’re overdue in this climate.
On the Grand Strand, three situations trigger a Level 2 more than any others: buying or selling a home (most Myrtle Beach real estate transactions within a half mile of the ocean now require one), a storm event like a hurricane or major nor’easter that shook the chimney or drove water through the crown, and any change in performance, like a draft that’s suddenly weak or smoke rolling back into the room when you light a fire.
What the Camera Scan Tells Us
The camera inspection is the part that matters most here. It shows us the flue liner from the firebox to the top cap, and on Myrtle Beach chimneys we’re looking for specific things: hairline cracks in clay tile liners from years of salt-saturated heating cycles, spalling (where flue tile surface flakes off in layers), and white efflorescence stains that signal water has been traveling through masonry. We photograph everything and walk you through it on-site.
You get a condition report with dated photos, and if repairs are needed, a written quote that same day. Nothing gets recommended unless we can show you why.
When One Season of Salt Did the Damage
We regularly see Myrtle Beach chimneys where the crown and cap are fine but the flue liner has deteriorated from salt air drawn up through the firebox. A chimney that sits unused all summer in humid, salty air develops condensation inside the flue. That moisture sits on clay tiles and eats at them. The camera scan is the only way to know if that’s happening before a flue fire or smoky draft makes it obvious.
Chimney Leak in Myrtle Beach
A chimney leak in Myrtle Beach is almost never what homeowners think it is. They assume rain came down the flue. What’s actually happening, more often than not, is that salt air has compromised the flashing, the crown, or the cap, and wind-driven rain is getting into the masonry from the outside. The Grand Strand’s onshore wind carries chloride from the Atlantic inland year-round, and that’s the root cause we hunt for first.
The failure sequence we see over and over: galvanised flashing begins pitting within a few seasons, the crown develops hairline cracks, and eventually wind-driven rain penetrates the brick. By the time you see a water stain on the ceiling near the fireplace, the leak has been active for months.
The Parts That Fail First, and What They Cost
Galvanised caps and flashing are the weakest link in Myrtle Beach. They rust along seams and where fasteners penetrate the metal. Replacing a standard galvanised cap runs $150 to $250. Replacing flashing runs $400 to $800 depending on rooftop access and how much needs to be removed and rebuilt. A crown repair, where we reset the mortar surface around the flue, typically runs $500 to $900.
We replace failed galvanised components with stainless steel. It’s not an upsell. It’s the only material that holds up in salt-aerosol exposure, and it costs 25 to 35 percent more than galvanised up front but lasts three to five times longer in this climate.
Chimney Leak Diagnosis
Whenever we investigate a chimney leak in Myrtle Beach, we don’t guess. Water testing, a camera scan, and close-up photographs of the flashing, crown, cap, and flue interior identify exactly where water enters. We document it all and give you a written repair plan with line-item pricing. You see the leak before you approve the fix.
Trusted Brands We Service in Myrtle Beach
We stock and install professional-grade chimney products that hold up to the Grand Strand’s salt and humidity. That means HeatShield for flue liner repair, Gelco for waterproofing chimney crowns and masonry, and Olympia Chimney components where a replacement cap or damper is needed. When we recommend a material, it’s because we’ve seen it perform in this specific coastal environment, not because it’s what we happen to carry. We keep common parts on our trucks for Myrtle Beach jobs, so most repairs go from diagnosis to done in a single visit.
Common Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Myrtle Beach Homes
- Rusted-out galvanised caps: Pitting appears along seams and screws within three to five seasons near the ocean. The cap looks intact from the ground, but a closer look shows daylight through holes. Failures we catch early cost $150 to $250; a full replacement with stainless runs $250 to $400.
- Cracked and spalling crowns: Salt spray plus Grand Strand humidity keeps masonry saturated year-round. Winter cold snaps cause freeze-thaw cycles that widen hairline cracks into gaps. A crown repair runs $500 to $900, and we use Gelco sealant to keep it watertight.
- Stuck dampers from moisture: A damper that won’t move is often the first sign of a leak you haven’t seen yet. We’ve found wind-driven rain entering through rusted cap seams and running down the flue, rusting the damper mechanism along the way. The leak fixes the damper problem, not lubricant.
- Flue tile damage from condensation: Humid, salty air inside an unused flue creates condensation that saturates clay liners. Over time the surface flakes and cracks. HeatShield resurfacing restores the liner without full replacement, and it runs $1,800 to $3,200 depending on flue length and condition.
On a call near the Golden Mile in Myrtle Beach, our tech found a galvanised chimney cap rusted through along its seams and a hairline crack in the chimney crown, with rust staining running down the flashing onto the brick. We pulled the failed cap, reset the crown around the flue liner, and swapped in a stainless cap and new flashing. The customer’s damper had been sticking from the moisture the whole time. The whole job was done by mid-afternoon, with photos taken before, during, and after.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Myrtle Beach, SC
A standard Chimney Inspection here runs on predictable ranges, and we’ll honor them in writing before we start. A Level 1 inspection runs $149 to $189. A Level 2 with full camera scan runs $249 to $349. A real estate inspection, which typically requires a Level 2 with documentation for both buyer and seller, runs $299 to $399 depending on chimney height and roof access. The factors that move the price are rooftop pitch, chimney height above the roofline, and how many flues are in the structure. It’s never a mystery.
Call (830) 251-4560 for an exact quote. Estimates are free, and the number we give you is the number on the invoice.
We Also Serve Cities Near Myrtle Beach
Our Chimney Inspection in Myrtle Beach crews also take calls from Charleston and the surrounding Lowcountry. If you need a chimney inspection for a coastal home near Charleston, the same written pricing and camera-verified reporting apply, with scheduling through the same number: (830) 251-4560.
Serving Myrtle Beach, SC - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Myrtle Beach 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 Myrtle Beach
Every year if you use your fireplace regularly, and every two years at minimum. The salt-aerosol exposure near the ocean accelerates cap, crown, and flashing corrosion well beyond what inland homes experience. Waiting three or more years in this climate is how a $200 cap replacement becomes a $900 crown repair.
The galvanised cap, almost always. Ocean air pushes chloride onto the metal, and because the Grand Strand’s humid subtropical climate keeps everything damp, there’s rarely a dry period that would interrupt the corrosion process. Cap seams and screw holes go first. Flashing is next, then crown mortar starts to crack.
No. A Level 1 is a visual check of accessible components and won’t identify where water is entering. A leaking chimney in Myrtle Beach requires a Level 2, which includes camera inspection of the flue interior and a close examination of the flashing, crown, and cap. That’s the only way to trace the actual point of entry.
Yes, and it’s the most cost-effective upgrade a Myrtle Beach homeowner can make. Stainless steel resists chloride corrosion that eats through galvanised caps in a few seasons. It costs 25 to 35 percent more up front but typically lasts three to five times longer in this salt-aerosol environment. We install stainless as standard near the coast.
Third-degree creosote is a hardened, tar-like glaze that forms when flue gases condense and bake inside the chimney, and in Myrtle Beach it’s often worsened by moisture from salt-saturated air. It’s extremely difficult to remove with standard brushing and is a serious fire risk. A camera inspection identifies it, and HeatShield or a relining may be required to restore a safe flue surface. Call (830) 251-4560 for a camera-verified assessment.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner at Flint Chimney Sweep, serving Myrtle Beach since 2002.