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
AfterChimney Cleaning Before & After in Flushing, NY
We could tell you we’ve inspected over 38,000 chimneys since 2009, but the photos tell the story faster. What you’re looking at below is what we actually find in Flushing chimneys: glaze-hard creosote, nests, rusted dampers, and liners that have seen better decades. Every job here includes a documented photo record under Clause 4 of the Haven Standard, because you should see exactly what we saw before you pay a dollar.
Recent Transformations
Heavy Creosote Removal in a 1960s Flushing Colonial
The homeowner hadn’t swept the flue in nine years, and the camera showed what we call Class III creosote: a shiny, tar-like glaze that’s closer to candle wax than soot and burns at over 2,000 degrees. We ran rotary cleaning rods with a steel whip head to break the glaze off the flue liner, then followed with a brush pass and a full camera re-scan. The after photo shows clean terra cotta tile where there was a quarter-inch of fuel coating the walls the day before.
Bird Nest and Debris Blockage in a Split-Level Near Kissena Park
A starling had worked its way past a rusted-out damper and built a nest in the smoke chamber, the shelf just above the firebox where smoke gathers before entering the flue. The blockage was deep enough that smoke was backing into the living room on windy days. We removed the nest, swept the full length of the flue, and the written report recommended a new top-mount damper with a stainless cap, which the homeowner had us install the same week.
Rusted Damper Replacement in a Flushing Brick Townhouse
The old damper had corroded so badly that the plate wouldn’t close, which meant heated air was pouring up the chimney all winter. We removed the failed unit and installed a top-mount damper at the flue opening, the kind that seals with a gasket when closed. The homeowner now shuts the damper with a cable from the firebox instead of a handle that had rusted into a decoration, and the heating bill dropped that first month.
Chimney Cap and Crown Repair on a Cape Cod Off Northern Boulevard
The crown, the concrete slab that tops the chimney and sheds water, was spalling, which is trade language for chipping and flaking from freeze-thaw cycles that Flushing brick sees every winter. Water had been seeping into the masonry and staining the living room ceiling below the roofline. We ground back the damaged crown, poured a new one with a proper drip edge, and set a stainless cap with a spark arrestor screen to keep rain and embers in their respective places.
Stainless Steel Liner Install in a 1920s Flushing Tudor
The camera scan showed clay flue tiles with cracks wide enough to pass a nickel through, which means heat and carbon monoxide can reach combustible framing. That’s not a cleaning issue, it’s a rebuild. We installed a DuraFlex stainless liner, insulated and sized to the existing masonry, and the homeowner received a before-and-after photo set plus a written warranty on the liner material and workmanship before the crew pulled out of the driveway.
Fireplace Smoke Chamber Parging in a Flushing Raised Ranch
Whoever built this smoke chamber left the corbeled brick steps rough enough to collect creosote like a lint trap, and the draft was sluggish as a result. We parged the chamber, which means troweling on a smooth coat of refractory mortar rated for fireplace heat, eliminating the ledges where soot was building up. The fireplace draws noticeably better, and the annual cleaning will take less work because there’s less surface for deposits to cling to.
Want Results Like These?
Every one of these projects started with the same thing: a written price before any work started, and a camera scan that showed the problem in plain view. If you live in Flushing and haven’t had your chimney looked at in a few years, call (516) 240-9191. We’ll give you a written scope and a photo record you keep, whether you hire us or not. Estimates are free.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Level Two Chimney Flushing, serving Flushing, NY since 2009.