Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 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.
HeatShield Chimney Inspection in Miami: What to Know First
We inspect HeatShield chimney systems throughout Miami as an independent HeatShield service provider, and most inspections run between $189 and $349 depending on the level and whether a camera is needed. A standard HeatShield inspection at your home takes about an hour, and you get a written report with photos before we leave. If you own a HeatShield system and want to know whether it’s still doing its job, call (850) 787-8597 and we’ll give you a straight answer over the phone before anyone shows up.
This page is for Miami homeowners who already have a HeatShield ceramic resurfacing system, a HeatShield CeCure sleeve, or a HeatShield joint repair inside their flue. If you bought the house with one of these systems already installed, or a previous contractor put one in, you probably have questions that the manufacturer’s website doesn’t answer. We answer them from the inside of a flue, not from a spec sheet.
How HeatShield Products Fail – and How We Fix Them
- HeatShield Cerfractory Flue Sealant delamination in coastal humidity. The Cerfractory material is a ceramic-and-refractory blend applied to the flue interior, and in Miami’s salt air and wet-season condensation cycles, we regularly see it separate from the original clay liner in patches. The symptom is usually a rust-colored drip stain at the cleanout door or a musty smell after heavy rain. We camera-scan the full flue, map every delaminated section, and recommend a re-application pass or a CeCure sleeve where the substrate has failed.
- HeatShield CeCure sleeve joint gaps. The CeCure product installs as a cast-in-place sleeve, and the weak point in our Miami inspections is almost always the joint where the sleeve meets the smoke chamber or the crown. Over a few years of thermal expansion, that joint can open just enough to let flue gases into the chimney chase. The fix is a targeted joint seal with HeatShield material, not a full sleeve replacement, and we show you the camera footage before and after so you can see the gap close.
- HeatShield joint repair on older Miami clay liners. Homes built in the 1950s and 60s in neighborhoods like Shenandoah and Morningside often have original clay tile liners with cracked mortar joints. HeatShield’s joint repair system works well there, but only if the clay tiles themselves are still sound. We inspect every tile face before recommending a joint-only repair, because in a handful of cases the tile has spalled behind the joint and the right call is a full resurfacing instead. That’s the difference between a $1,200 fix and a $4,500 one, and we’ll tell you which one you actually need.
- Improper original installation by previous contractors. We’ve inspected HeatShield systems in Miami where the original installer skipped surface prep or applied the material too thin, and the result is a chalky, powdery finish that fails a simple adhesion test. HeatShield’s warranty doesn’t cover installer error, so the homeowner is left holding the bill. Our written inspection report documents the exact condition so you can go back to the original contractor with evidence, or we can bring the system back to spec with a proper re-application.
- Flue cap and crown interaction with HeatShield systems. A HeatShield liner can be perfect and still fail to protect the chimney if the crown is cracked or the cap is missing. In Miami, wind-driven rain from afternoon storms pours straight down the flue and sits at the base, degrading the lower section of the Cerfractory surface faster than the top. Every HeatShield inspection we do includes a hard look at the crown, cap, and chase top, and we’ll flag that before it destroys the resurfacing work you already paid for.
Styles & brands we work with
Our HeatShield Chimney Inspection Process
- 1
Call and pricing before anything else. You call (850) 787-8597, you tell us what you have and what’s bothering you, and we give you the inspection price in writing before we book the visit. Nathan Corliss has a simple rule about that: tell me the price first, then explain the work, everything else is just noise.
- 2
Arrive, introduce, and look. Our technician shows up in uniform, and the first thing we do is walk the chimney from the ground, the roof line, and the firebox. We want to see the system the way the house actually uses it, not just the way a camera sees it.
- 3
Camera scan of the full HeatShield flue. We run a camera from the top down and the cleanout up, recording the whole thing. You see the footage on the spot, not in an emailed report two days later. We pause at every joint, every patch of discoloration, every area of concern.
- 4
Parts decision, made honestly. If a repair is needed, we decide between HeatShield materials and a quality aftermarket option like DuraFlex or Gelco. The deciding factors are the condition of the substrate, the age of the existing system, and whether the HeatShield warranty still applies. We never default to the most expensive option and we never patch a system that should be re-sleeved.
- 5
The repair, done the same visit when possible. If the repair is straightforward and you give us the go-ahead, we do it then and there. We use HeatShield materials where the system calls for them, and we follow the manufacturer’s application instructions to the letter so your warranty stays intact.
- 6
Post-repair camera pass and written guarantee. We re-scan the flue after the repair and show you the before and after. Then we hand you a written guarantee from Ashby Chimney Miami that covers the work. If it fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s not an add-on. It’s just how we work.
What HeatShield Chimney Inspection Costs in Miami
Here are the numbers we give on the phone, so you’re not surprised when the invoice matches the quote:
- Level 1 inspection (visual, no camera): $189
- Level 2 inspection with full camera scan: $289
- Real estate transaction inspection (Level 2 plus written report for closing): $349
- Level 3 inspection (involves partial demolition or access openings): $500 – $900, quoted after the Level 2 findings
What moves the price: roof access difficulty, chase height, and whether the flue is shared between two appliances. A standard single-flue HeatShield system in a Miami single-family home is the $289 camera inspection. If you own a duplex or a small condo building, we’ll quote it per flue. Call (850) 787-8597 and we’ll give you a firm number in writing before we book the visit.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterWhy Miami Homeowners Call Ashby Chimney Miami for HeatShield Work
Because we’ve been doing this since 2002, and because the company was built for people who’ve already had a contractor waste their time. We answer the phone with a live person 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We give you a written price before any work starts, and a written guarantee on every repair when it’s done. If a covered repair fails, we come back and fix it free inside the guarantee period. That’s the Kingswell Guarantee, and it’s not a marketing line; it’s the way every Ashby location operates, independently owned and operated under the Kingswell standards.
Our techs work on HeatShield systems regularly, and when a HeatShield repair isn’t the right call, we’ll tell you and offer a DuraFlex or Gelco alternative with the same written guarantee. We’re not married to one brand. We’re married to doing it right the first time.
FAQs
No, an inspection by an independent company doesn’t void your HeatShield warranty, and we document our work with camera footage so your warranty record stays clean. We’re not authorized by HeatShield, and we don’t claim to be, but we follow the manufacturer’s installation and repair guidelines precisely so any covered warranty claim on the materials themselves remains intact.
The only way to know is a camera scan, and we’ll show you the footage live so you can see the condition of the Cerfractory surface, the joints, and the crown with your own eyes. If the system is sound and just needs a sweep, we’ll tell you that, and we’ll give you the sweep price instead of selling you a repair you don’t need. If the surface is delaminating or the joints are open, you’ll see it on the monitor before we say a word.
Most inspections take about an hour on site, and we can usually schedule within a few days of your call. Camera footage is reviewed with you during the visit, and the written report is in your hand before we leave. If a repair is approved during the inspection, we can often complete it the same visit, depending on the scope. Call (850) 787-8597 and we’ll give you the next available window.
Repair means restoring the existing HeatShield surface or joints to working condition. Replacement means installing a new liner system, usually a stainless steel one like DuraFlex or a Gelco product, when the existing chimney structure can’t support a repair. In our Miami inspections, about seven out of ten HeatShield issues we see are repairable. The other three involve substrate failure, structural chimney damage, or an original installation so poor that re-application won’t hold.
We don’t offer in-house financing, but we’ll give you the exact price for the repair in writing before any work starts, so you can plan around it. Most HeatShield repairs we do in Miami fall between $800 and $3,200, depending on the extent of the damage, and we’ll tell you plainly if the problem can wait until the next burning season or if it’s a carbon monoxide risk that should be handled now. Call (850) 787-8597 and we’ll walk you through what you’re looking at.
Yes, because in Miami the issue isn’t just creosote buildup from fires; it’s water intrusion, salt air corrosion, and humidity-driven deterioration that happens whether you use the fireplace or not. A chimney that sits unused in a coastal climate still needs a functioning liner to keep water out of your home’s structure and to keep any future fire use safe. A one-hour inspection costs a lot less than water damage behind your drywall.
Call Ashby Chimney Miami for HeatShield Inspection
If you own a HeatShield system in Miami and you want to know what’s actually going on inside your flue, call (850) 787-8597. You’ll get a live person, a written price before we come out, and a technician who’ll show you the camera footage and explain it in plain English. If we find a problem, you’ll get a written guarantee on the repair. If we don’t find a problem, you’ll pay for the inspection and nothing else. That’s the way it’s been since 2002, and it’s not changing.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner & Lead Chimney Technician, Ashby Chimney Miami at Ashby Chimney Miami, serving Miami and nearby areas.