Frequently Asked Questions

We lay drop cloths around the hearth, set up a high-capacity HEPA vacuum, and run rotary brushes the full length of the flue from the top down or bottom up depending on the setup. The brush removes creosote, soot, and any bird nesting material. Then we remove the debris from the smoke chamber and firebox, and run the inspection: a Level 1 visual check of the accessible areas, and a Level 2 camera scan if you've requested one. You get a written report with photos of specific findings. The whole job usually takes 60 to 90 minutes for a standard single-flue fireplace.

Plan on an hour to an hour and a half for a standard cleaning and Level 1 inspection. If you've also booked a Level 2 camera scan, add 30 to 45 minutes, because we review the footage with you and explain what we're seeing. Older Flushing homes with tight dampers, unusual flue offsets, or years of neglected creosote can push the job longer, and we'll tell you that when we see the chimney. The clock is never the point. The point is that the flue is actually clean and the record is complete before we leave.

Yes. Gas fireplaces still produce corrosive byproducts and can host debris, spider nests, and even birds if the cap is missing, so the flue needs attention even without wood smoke. The cleaning process is lighter than for a wood-burning unit because there's no creosote, but the inspection matters just as much: gas flues hide cracked clay tiles and loose mortar joints that can leak carbon monoxide into the house. In Flushing co-ops and attached homes especially, that's the issue worth checking every year or two. We'll advise you on the right interval for your unit.

Chapter 1 of NFPA 211 defines three levels of inspection, and the differences are meaningful. A Level 1 is a visual check of the readily accessible portions: the firebox, damper, cap, and the flue entrance and exit, plus a basic safety assessment. A Level 2 is everything in the Level 1 plus a camera scan of the full flue interior, attics, crawlspaces, and accessible exterior. You need a Level 2 when you're selling a home, after a chimney fire, after an earthquake or major storm, or when you're changing the fuel type. In Flushing real estate transactions, a Level 2 is often the one your buyer's inspector will require.

Yes, and this is where we'd put it firmly: a standard home inspection does not include a camera scan of the flue interior, and a chimney problem the home inspector flags as "needs further evaluation" is exactly what we're here to evaluate. Flushing has thousands of prewar and mid-century homes with original clay liners, and those liners crack over time, especially with the freeze-thaw cycles this city gets every winter. A Level 2 inspection before closing tells you whether that chimney is safe to use and whether you're about to inherit a $3,000 or $8,000 repair. The cost of the inspection is the cheapest thing in the transaction.

Clear the area around the fireplace three to four feet back so we can lay tarps and set up equipment, and make sure we can reach the chimney from the roof; if you have a locked roof hatch or a specific building access policy, let us know when booking. Don't start a fire for at least 24 hours before we arrive, because the firebox needs to be cool enough to work in. If you have pets, keep them in another room while we're moving equipment in and out. That's about it. We handle the rest, including cleanup of everything we bring in.

The National Fire Protection Association standard is that chimneys be inspected at least once a year and cleaned whenever creosote buildup reaches 1/8 inch, which in practical terms means most wood-burning fireplaces used regularly in Flushing should be swept every year or two. Gas fireplaces can go longer, typically two to three years, because they don't produce creosote. Oil-fired furnaces in older Flushing homes should be cleaned annually. If you burn unseasoned wood, burn often, or have a stove rather than an open fireplace, err on the yearly side. We'll tell you what we found and when we'd recommend seeing you again.

Usually yes, especially in the spring and summer when the schedule is lighter. In fall, the weeks before burning season, Flushing homeowners tend to book two to three weeks out, so call early if you want the job done before the first fire. Our phones are answered Monday through Friday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM, and weekends 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM. Call (516) 240-9191 and the scheduling coordinator will find you a window that works, with a named tech and a text when they're on the way, per Clause 2 of the Haven Standard.

We work with DuraFlex and Olympia Chimney stainless steel liner systems most often because they hold up well in Queens' corrosive coastal air and have long track records in this market. For homes that need a poured-in-place solution for an existing masonry flue, we specify HeatShield cerfractory material, which is a castable refractory applied inside the damaged flue. The choice among these is determined by what we see on camera: the condition of the existing liner, the flue dimensions, the appliance type, and the house structure. We don't stock one brand and force it into every situation. We match the product to the flue.

HeatShield is often the right call for a Flushing rowhouse or prewar home with a clay tile liner that has cracked but hasn't collapsed, because it repairs the existing flue from the inside without a full teardown. The cerfractory material is pumped in around a form, creating a new, seamless, insulated flue path inside the old one. The alternative, a full stainless reline with DuraFlex or Olympia system, is generally better when the old liner is too far gone or the flue is being resized for a new appliance. We'll show you the camera footage and explain which approach the structure actually supports.

Yes, and we see more cap and damper failures in Flushing than most parts of the city, because the combination of salty air, wind-driven rain, and nesting starlings and pigeons takes a real toll. A missing or rusted cap lets rain into the flue, which accelerates liner damage and creates the damp, musty smell you notice in summer. A failed damper lets heated air escape all winter and lets cold air pour down in January. We quote cap and damper replacements in writing, with the exact part, after documenting the condition on camera. No "while we're here" surprises.

Every technician working under the Level Two name in Flushing is required to hold the licensing and insurance New York State requires for chimney work. We maintain general liability coverage and our crews carry identification and license numbers you can verify. The name Level Two is the standard we work to: a written price before work starts, a real arrival window, background-checked crews, documented evidence from every job, and no door upsell. You're welcome to ask about credentials when you call, and we'll tell you exactly who's coming to your home before they arrive.

We use a network of licensed and insured local tradespeople who agree to work to the Haven Standard and carry the credentials their state requires. The local Flushing business is independently owned and operated, led locally by Corrine Halstead, and the crews showing up at your door are part of that local operation. What connects every job, whether it's in Jackson Heights, Fresh Meadows, or Throgs Neck, is the documentation: every tech working under our name is required to follow the Haven Standard's five clauses and submit the same written evidence on every job. You'll see the same standard regardless of who's on the truck.

The Haven Standard is the five-clause operating code every Level Two job is required to follow. Clause 1: Have it in writing, flat price, written scope, written warranty, before anyone starts. Clause 2: Arrive on schedule, real window, named tech, text when they're on the way. Clause 3: Verified crews, licensed, insured, background-checked, license number on the page. Clause 4: Evidence on every job, photos and readings of what we actually found. Clause 5: No surprises, no door upsell, no scope creep, no "while we are in here." It's the reason the brand is named Level Two: NFPA 211 defines Level 2 inspection as the one that actually looks inside with a camera. That's the bar every job has to clear.

Stop using the fireplace immediately, even if the fire is out and everything looks normal. A chimney fire can burn at over 2,000 degrees, and even a small one can crack the flue liner, damage the mortar joints, and create a channel for the next fire to reach the house framing. Do not use the fireplace again until a Level 2 camera inspection has documented the full flue interior. We serve Flushing and surrounding Queens neighborhoods, and when you call (516) 240-9191, we'll prioritize getting a camera into that flue. The inspection tells you what you're dealing with. The report is yours to keep.

During our business hours, Monday through Friday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM and weekends 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM, we'll make every effort to get a Level 2 camera inspection scheduled quickly for a post-chimney-fire situation or a suspected flue blockage. We don't offer overnight dispatch. If you have an active fire or smoke in the house, call 911 first and the fire department will handle the immediate danger. For everything after, call (516) 240-9191 and we'll get you on the schedule as fast as the calendar allows, with the written inspection report you'll need for insurance or repair decisions.

Yes, and this is why we treat a suspected blockage as urgent even when there's no visible fire. A blocked flue forces exhaust gases, including carbon monoxide, back into the living space instead of up and out. In Flushing attached homes and co-ops, that gas can also migrate into neighboring units through shared walls and floor cavities. Symptoms of CO exposure are headache, dizziness, nausea, and confusion, and they often get dismissed as a cold or flu. If you suspect a blockage, stop using the appliance, ventilate the room, and get the flue camera-scanned before anything burns again. Call us and we'll walk through what to check first.

The smell is usually creosote and soot residue absorbing Flushing's humid summer air inside a flue with a damper that isn't sealing properly. The humidity concentrates the odor and pushes it down into the living space. Sometimes the culprit is animal nesting material, which rots and smells worse, or a missing cap that's letting rain pool in the firebox. A cleaning removes the creosote and debris, and a damper or cap repair stops the air and moisture from entering in the first place. We see this every July in homes from Elmhurst to Bayside. The fix starts with a documented look inside.

Every job is quoted in writing before the work starts and leaves a documented record when we're done, including photos and readings of the flue condition. If something's not right, we'll make it right under the terms of the Haven Standard, which is a written warranty on the work we perform. The guarantee isn't vague; it's Clause 1: everything in writing before we start, everything documented when we leave. If you believe the cleaning wasn't done to standard, call us and we'll review the footage and the record and address it directly. The documentation works both ways, and that's the point.

The stainless liner systems we install, including DuraFlex and Olympia Chimney products, carry manufacturer warranties that range from limited lifetime coverage on the materials to shorter coverage on components, and we register that warranty for you when the job is complete. The HeatShield cerfractory system carries its own manufacturer coverage on materials and application. Your written warranty document will spell out what's covered and for how long, and we'll hand it to you with the before and after camera footage. We don't describe warranty terms from memory; we put them in the written record before we leave.

If the issue is something we should have caught during the inspection, we'll show you the footage from your job and we'll make it right under the Haven Standard. That's why the evidence exists. If the issue is new or unrelated, we'll document it with the camera, explain it in plain English, and quote the fix in writing if one is needed. Either way, you'll know exactly what we found and when we found it. The record from every job is archived, so if you call us six months later with a question about your flue, we can pull the footage and speak to what we saw. That's the value of a company that archives inspections as standard practice, not as an upsell.

Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Level Two Chimney Flushing, serving Flushing since 2009.