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.
Fast, Reliable Chimney Inspection Across Miami
A chimney inspection in Miami typically costs $189 – $349 for a standard Level 1 check, and $349 – $649 when a camera is run through the flue. Most inspections take 45 – 90 minutes, and you should have a written report plus photos in hand the same day. Call (850) 787-8597 and a live person will book you into a real arrival window, not a four-hour maybe.
We work across Miami, from Coral Gables to Coconut Grove to Kendall, and we know the housing stock here. Mid-century ranches, stucco contemporaries, decorative fireplaces that have not been lit in years. The humidity and salt air do not care how often you use the fireplace. They corrode metal flues anyway. If you own a home in Miami, your chimney is quietly degrading whether you burn fires or not.
Why Ashby Chimney Miami Is Miami’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
We have been inspecting chimneys since 2002, and the way we operate is simple: say the price, show up in the window, leave it cleaner, put the guarantee in writing, and come back if it fails. That is the Kingswell Way, and it is the reason Miami homeowners who have been burned by no-shows and price-switching contractors call us instead.
Nathan Corliss leads our Miami team. Every technician on the truck is background-checked and uniformed, so you know who is walking through your door. Every job gets a written price before any work starts. If we inspect your chimney and recommend a repair, you will see the camera footage that justifies it. No “trust me” upselling.
Our Chimney Inspection team shows up on time. We answer the phone 24/7 with a live person. No voicemail loops, no callback forms that go nowhere until Tuesday. When a Miami homeowner calls us, the number on the invoice matches the number we quoted at the door.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Leak in Miami
A chimney leak in Miami is rarely just a leak. Our salt-air and tropical-storm climate means water intrusion through a chimney rusts metal flues, rots framing, and invites mold into the chase. When we get a leak call from a homeowner in Pinecrest or Coral Terrace, we do not just caulk the flashing and leave.
A leak inspection starts with a visual check of the crown, the flashing, the cap, and the chase. Then we run a moisture reading, and when needed, a camera down the flue to find where water is actually getting in. If a chimney has been leaking in Miami’s humidity for more than a few months, the damage is usually deeper than the obvious stain on the ceiling. Most leak inspections in Miami run $189 – $249, and a camera add-on that finds interior damage runs $349 – $649 total.
What We Check During a Leak Inspection
Flashing, crown, cap, and the top courses of the flue. In Miami, we also check for rust on prefabricated metal chase tops, which fail faster here than almost anywhere in the state because of salt-laden air. The screw heads rust, the seams open, and storm water pours into the chase every time it rains.
When It Is Not the Chimney
Sometimes the leak is a roof valley, a cracked stucco wall, or a skylight flashing. We will tell you plainly if the chimney is not the source. We do not sell chimney repairs a chimney does not need, and we will show you why on the spot.
Chimney Camera Inspection in Miami
A chimney camera inspection in Miami is the only way to see what is happening inside a flue that you cannot access by eye, and it is the baseline for any real recommendation we make. The camera goes up the flue and sends live footage to a tablet we carry. You watch it with us.
In Miami, camera inspection matters more than in dryer climates. Clay tile flues in older Coral Gables and Coconut Grove homes spall from years of humidity cycling. The inner face of the tile flakes off, creating ledges where creosote builds. Camera inspections in Miami run $349 – $649 for a full Level 2. If we are already on site for a sweep or a leak call, the camera add-on runs $189 – $249.
Camera Footage Before Any Recommendation
We never recommend a liner, a cap, or a rebuild without showing you the footage. If we say a flue is cracked, you will see the crack on the tablet. If we say there is third-degree creosote, you will see the glaze. That is the standard. No camera evidence, no upsell.
Level 2 Inspections for Real Estate
If you are buying or selling a home in Miami, a Level 2 camera inspection is what the mortgage and insurance folks want to see when a chimney has changed hands or had a problem. We do them weekly for agents and buyers across the city, and the report is written for the file, not for a repair bill.
Trusted Brands We Service in Miami
We work on chimney systems built with Copperfield, DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco components, and we stock common repair parts locally so Miami customers are not waiting on a freight shipment from Ohio. DuraFlex liners are the ones we replace most often here because salt air eats the cheap aluminum versions in under a decade. When we recommend a replacement, it is usually with a 316L alloy liner from DuraFlex or a HeatShield resurfacing system, depending on the flue. We do not use whatever happened to be in the van.
See the difference
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AfterCommon Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Miami Homes
Here is what actually shows up when we inspect chimneys in Miami, not what the national guides say:
- Salt-air corrosion on prefabricated metal flues. Even chimneys that have not been lit in five years can have rusted flue walls because the air here eats galvanized and aluminum components. A Level 2 camera inspection is the only way to catch it before combustion gases leak into the home.
- Missing chimney caps in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove. Older masonry chimneys in these neighborhoods often have no cap at all. That means heavy rain pours straight down the flue, and iguanas climb in and die or build nests. We have pulled iguana nests out of smoke chambers.
- Third-degree creosote glaze in flues that are used only a few nights a year. Miami homeowners think infrequent fires mean a safe chimney. They actually mean cooler, smokier fires that deposit more creosote per burn. Brushing will not remove third-degree glaze; the flue needs chemical treatment or a camera-verified professional removal.
- Prefabricated flues that were never designed for a wood-burning fireplace. A lot of Miami’s mid-century tract homes ran gas or just decorative logs, and the chase was built around a skinny prefab flue. When someone later converts it to wood, the flue is too small and the clearances are wrong. We see this constantly in Westchester and Olympia Heights.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Miami, FL
A standard Level 1 chimney inspection in Miami runs $189 – $249. A Level 2 camera inspection runs $349 – $649 depending on the chimney height, the access, and whether we are already there for another service. A real estate inspection with photos and a written report for a transaction runs on the same range, usually $349 – $499. If we find damage and you decide to repair it, the inspection fee is credited toward the repair.
What moves the price is roof access, flue height, and whether the chimney is masonry or prefab. A two-story house in Coconut Grove with a steep tile roof costs more than a single-story ranch in Kendall with a low-pitch shingle roof. You will get a written price before we touch the ladder. Call (850) 787-8597 for the exact number; the estimate is free.
We Also Serve Cities Near Miami
Our crews cover Key Biscayne, Hialeah, and North Miami Beach regularly. If you are just outside Miami and need a chimney inspection, call and ask for the next available window in your area. We keep a regular schedule through the whole corridor, so you are not paying a travel premium for living across the causeway.
Serving Miami, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Miami 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 Miami
Because salt air and humidity corrode metal and break down clay tile flues whether or not you burn a fire. A fireplace that sits unused for years still accumulates debris from tropical storms, rusts at the damper and flue joints, and often becomes an iguana den if the cap is missing. A camera inspection is the only way to see that damage before it leaks or vents into the house. Call (850) 787-8597 and we will show you the footage ourselves.
Yes, and honestly, every chimney in Miami needs a proper cap. Caps keep rain out, which already matters here more than almost anywhere, and they keep iguanas, birds, and palm debris out. In Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, where a lot of the masonry chimneys predate caps entirely, the lack of a cap is the single most common entry point for water and wildlife damage we find. A stainless steel cap, properly installed with a screen, runs $149 – $299 in Miami depending on flue size.
Third-degree creosote is a hard, tar-like glaze that forms when wood burns too cool, and it is a concentrated fuel source inside your flue. In Miami, two things make it worse: homes are humid year-round, so firewood absorbs moisture and burns cooler and smokier, and our rare cool nights mean fires get lit only occasionally, which is exactly the burn pattern that produces the worst glaze. Third-degree creosote cannot be removed by normal brushing and requires chemical treatment or camera-verified professional removal. If the camera shows it, we will show you.
Once a year, same as anywhere. But in Miami, the annual inspection matters for a different reason. Up north, chimneys fail from use. Here, they fail from salt, humidity, storms, and neglect. A chimney that has not been used since last winter still needs an annual check because the metal and masonry are degrading regardless. An annual inspection is the cheapest insurance you can buy on the house, starting around $189 in Miami.
Yes. The camera runs up through the firebox and into the metal flue, and we can inspect every joint, the offset elbows, and the termination cap without disassembling anything. If we see a joint that has separated or rusted through, we will show you on the tablet. Some prefab flues in Miami are too narrow for our standard camera head, and in that case we use a smaller-diameter probe and let you know up front.
If you own a chimney in Miami, the safest thing you can do is get a camera inspection and see the inside of the flue for yourself. No upsell, no scare tactics, just the footage and a straight recommendation. Call (850) 787-8597 for a free estimate, and we will give you the written price before anything is done.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Miami, serving Miami since 2002.