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 Westchester
A chimney inspection in Westchester typically runs $225 – $525 depending on the level, with most homeowners paying around $300 for a Level 2 camera inspection on a 1960s ranch. We book inspections six days a week and keep a live person on the phone around the clock at (850) 787-8597, because when you’re smelling smoke or seeing rust flakes in the firebox, you want answers, not a voicemail. Our crews know the mid-century brick homes along Coral Way, Bird Road, and Southwest 16th Street, and we’ve spent years learning what South Florida humidity does to a 60-year-old clay tile flue. If you live in Westchester and haven’t had your chimney looked at in years, this page explains exactly what we check, what it costs, and why we never ask you to approve a repair without showing you the camera footage first.
Why Ashby Chimney Miami Is Westchester’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
We’ve been inspecting chimneys since 2002, and the homes in Westchester are some of the most predictable we see. That’s not an insult. It means when we pull up to a brick ranch built between 1950 and 1970, we already know what we’re likely to find: a clay tile liner that’s spalling from decades of moisture, a damper rusted to the point of seizing, and often no chimney cap at all. Homeowners in Westchester call us back year after year because we write the price down before we start, we show up in the window we gave, and we show you exactly what the camera sees before we recommend anything.
Our Chimney Inspection team is led by Nathan Corliss, who built this company on a simple rule: say the price first, explain what you’re doing and why, and put the promise in writing. Every inspection ends with a written report and, where the camera finds damage, a written quote with the Kingswell Guarantee attached. If a covered repair fails inside the guarantee period, we return and fix it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it applies to every job we do in Westchester.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Camera Inspection in Westchester
A chimney camera inspection in Westchester is the only way to see what’s actually happening inside a 60-year-old flue, and it typically runs $180 – $400 depending on the depth of the run and the level of inspection required. We feed a high-resolution camera through the flue from the firebox or the roof, checking for cracked clay tiles, spalling, creosote buildup, and gaps in the mortar joints. For older Westchester ranch homes, this is the inspection that actually matters, because visual-only checks from the top and bottom routinely miss the damage hiding behind the smoke chamber.
What the Camera Shows You
You’ll see the footage on our monitor while we’re still at your home. Cracked liners, water staining, rust, third-degree creosote glazing the smoke chamber. Nothing gets recommended without frames from that video. That’s the Kingswell Way: show the work, don’t just describe it.
When a Westchester Homeowner Needs One
If you’re buying a mid-century home in Westchester, the seller’s real estate inspection almost always flags the chimney, and a Level 2 camera scan is what lenders and insurers actually want to see. If you smell something musty near the fireplace or see rust flakes in the firebox, a camera inspection is how we find out whether it’s a cap issue, a liner issue, or something in the smoke chamber. Most camera inspections in Westchester are done same-week.
Fireplace Inspection in Westchester
A fireplace inspection in Westchester examines the full system: firebox, damper, smoke chamber, flue liner, and exterior masonry. Most jobs in this area run $200 – $450. For a wood-burning fireplace in a 1960s ranch, the inspection focuses on three things: whether the clay tile liner is still intact, whether the damper opens and seals properly, and whether rain has been getting in through a missing or rusted cap. We check it all, then show you the photos.
Fireplace-Specific Failure Points
In Westchester, the most common fireplace problem we find isn’t creosote. It’s moisture. A chimney without a cap lets South Florida rain pour straight down the flue, rust out the damper, and soak into the mortar. The firebox cracks follow, and then the sulfur smell starts. We inspect for all of it and tell you plainly what’s urgent and what can wait.
Real Estate Fireplace Inspections
Real estate transactions in Westchester move fast. We offer Level 1 and Level 2 fireplace inspections with same-week scheduling and a written report you can hand to an insurer or a buyer’s agent. The report includes the camera frames and a written quote if repairs are needed, so there’s no guessing after closing.
Trusted Brands We Service in Westchester
When a Westchester chimney needs work, we use materials from manufacturers we’d put in our own homes: DuraFlex liners, HeatShield resurfacing systems, Gelco chimney caps, and Copperfield dampers. We stock common parts locally so a cracked cap or a rusted damper doesn’t leave you waiting on a backorder. If we recommend a liner repair or replacement, you’ll see the exact product on the written quote. No mystery materials, no whatever-was-in-the-van.
See the difference
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After
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AfterCommon Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Westchester Homes
- Clay tile liners spalling from humidity and temperature swings. Westchester’s humid subtropical climate drives moisture into masonry, and when a cold front drops the temperature overnight, the clay tiles crack. We see third-degree spalling in flues where the fireplace has barely been used in a decade.
- Missing or deteriorated chimney caps. A surprising number of original caps on 1950s and 1960s Westchester ranch homes are either missing entirely or rusted through. Without them, rain, leaves, and even birds get into the flue and accelerate every other problem.
- Appliances vented into chimneys never designed for them. Many Westchester homes had gas water heaters or furnaces added decades ago, and they were vented into the old masonry chimney. The acidic condensation from those appliances eats through mortar and can create carbon monoxide risks that only a camera inspection will show.
- Efflorescence on exterior brick. If you see white, chalky staining on the outside of your Westchester chimney, that’s efflorescence. It means water is moving through the masonry and evaporating on the surface. Inside, the same moisture is quietly breaking down the liner and mortar joints.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Westchester, FL
Here’s what you should expect to pay in Westchester, in plain dollars. A Level 1 visual inspection on a well-maintained fireplace runs $150 – $225. A Level 2 camera inspection, which is what we recommend for most mid-century homes here, runs $225 – $425. A Level 3 inspection, which is needed when we suspect hidden damage behind walls or in the flue and may require some disassembly, runs $450 – $850. The biggest factors are the height of the chimney, the depth of the flue, and whether we’re also inspecting a furnace or water heater vent. Every inspection includes a written report, and every quote is free. You’ll know the price before we start and the number won’t change at the door.
We Also Serve Cities Near Westchester
Our crews work throughout the Miami area, including Westchester itself, along with Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, and North Miami Beach. If you’re just outside the Westchester borders, give us a call at (850) 787-8597 and ask about scheduling. If we can get a crew to you from the Miami dispatch office, we will. If it’s outside our coverage, we’ll tell you straight and suggest someone who can.
Serving Westchester, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Westchester 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 Westchester
Because South Florida’s humidity and rain don’t care whether you burn wood. Moisture soaks into the masonry from the outside, and when a cold front moves through Westchester in winter, the clay tiles expand and contract and crack. A fireplace that hasn’t been used in years can still have a dangerously deteriorated liner. That’s why we recommend a Level 2 camera inspection even for occasional-use fireplaces in Westchester. Call (850) 787-8597 to schedule one.
For a 1960s ranch in Westchester that has never had a liner replaced and may still have the original clay tile flue, we recommend a Level 2 camera inspection. A Level 1 is a visual check from the accessible areas, but it cannot see behind the smoke chamber where spalling typically starts in these older Westchester homes. If you’re buying the house, a Level 2 is what your real estate agent and insurer will expect. If you’re staying in a home you’ve owned for years and the chimney’s last inspection is a distant memory, Level 2 is what we’d suggest.
It means the inspection has to look for water damage first and creosote second. Rain in Westchester is heavy and frequent from May through October, and an uncapped chimney lets water pour directly onto the damper, the firebox floor, and the flue walls. We check for rust, spalling, and efflorescence as part of every inspection, and if a cap is missing, we’ll show you the damage and quote you a Gelco cap before anything else is discussed.
Yes, and in Westchester this is one of the most important inspections we do. Many mid-century homes here have gas appliances vented into the original masonry chimney, and those chimneys were never designed for the acidic condensation modern appliances produce. A camera inspection can show whether the flue has deteriorated to the point where carbon monoxide could backdraft into the home. We inspect appliance-vented chimneys regularly in Westchester, and we test the draft as part of the job. Call (850) 787-8597 for details.
Third-degree creosote is a hard, glazed, tar-like coating that forms when a fireplace burns unseasoned wood or when fires burn at low temperatures with poor draft. Inside a Westchester chimney, it looks like shiny black glass coating the smoke chamber and upper flue. A camera inspection shows it clearly on the monitor, because the glazed surface reflects the camera light in a way that fluffy first-degree creosote doesn’t. Third-degree creosote is highly flammable and will not brush out. If the camera shows it in your flue, we’ll talk through removal options and give you a written quote before any work happens.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Miami, serving Westchester and the surrounding Miami area since 2002.