Chimney Inspection in Alpharetta, GA

Most of north Fulton’s housing stock was built between the mid 1980s and the mid 2000s. Those homes are now at the age where clay flue tiles have cracked, factory-built fireplaces have reached the end of their rated life, and the crown has been letting Georgia rain into the masonry for a few seasons. None of that is visible from the hearth. A chimney inspection is how you find it before it becomes a chimney fire, a carbon monoxide problem or a $5,000 rebuild.

What an Ember Chimney Inspection in Alpharetta Includes

Our Level 1 chimney inspection covers every part of the system you can reach without tools, and every part gets photographed:

• Firebox and firebrick. Cracked or loose firebrick, failed mortar joints, gaps where heat can reach the framing.
• Damper. Opens, closes, seals. Rusted or warped dampers are the most common finding in homes near the Chattahoochee that sit closed all summer in humid air.
• Smoke chamber and smoke shelf. Creosote buildup, missing parging, debris.
• Flue liner. The visible section from the firebox and from the roof: cracked tiles, gaps, offset joints, creosote stage.
• Crown, flashing and cap. Cracks in the crown, lifted or rusted flashing, a missing or clogged cap. On the roof when it is safe to walk, from a ladder and camera pole when it is not.
• Exterior masonry. Spalling brick, white efflorescence stains, open mortar joints, leaning or separating chimney.

A Level 2 inspection adds a video camera scan of the full flue, top to bottom, plus a check of the attic and any other access point. It is the inspection NFPA 211 requires when a home changes hands, after a chimney fire, lightning strike or storm damage, and when a new insert, stove or fuel type goes in. If the Level 1 finds something that calls for a closer look, we tell you before switching to Level 2 and what it adds to the price.

How Much Does a Chimney Inspection Cost in Alpharetta?

A Level 1 chimney inspection from Ember’s Alpharetta office costs $69. It is also included in the $149 Chimney Safety Package together with a chimney sweep and the photo report, and in the $99 chimney sweep + inspection. A Level 2 camera inspection is quoted when you book, because the price depends on the number of flues and how the chimney is built.

For comparison, Chimney Mike’s, an Atlanta-area sweep, lists a Level I inspection at $249 on its own and $399 with a sweep. National Level 1 prices run about $100 to $250 and Level 2 about $250 to $600. Our chimney inspection cost guide breaks down all three levels.

If the inspection finds a problem, the repair estimate is free and in writing. Book that repair within 30 days of a $149 package visit and the full $149 is credited toward it.

When Alpharetta Homeowners Need a Chimney Inspection

• Once a year, every year. The NFPA 211 standard, and the only way to catch slow water damage.
• Before you buy or sell. A general home inspector does not scope the flue. Buyers in Windward, Crabapple and Milton who skip the Level 2 inspection regularly inherit a cracked liner. Our post on why a Level 2 inspection matters before a sale explains what it finds.
• After a chimney fire. A roar in the flue, a smell of hot metal, puffy honeycomb creosote afterward. Stop using the fireplace and have the liner scoped.
• After storm damage or a lightning strike. Ice storms and falling pine limbs crack crowns and knock caps loose.
• Before changing the fireplace. A new gas log set, insert or wood stove needs a liner sized and rated for it.
• When you notice a sign. Smoke in the room, a damp or musty smell from the fireplace in summer, white stains on the brick outside, water on the smoke shelf, rust on the damper.

What the Inspection Finds in North Fulton Homes

The problems we photograph most often around Alpharetta:

• Cracked or missing crown mortar. The crown is the concrete slab on top of the chimney. Once it cracks, every Georgia downpour runs into the brick, and freeze nights in January pry it apart. A cracked crown is a chimney repair job that costs far less before the brick starts spalling.
• Rusted dampers and firebox floors. Water from the crown or a missing cap ends up on the smoke shelf and firebox floor.
• Cracked clay flue tiles. Common in 1990s masonry chimneys. Heat and gases reach the framing through the cracks. The fix is chimney relining.
• Worn-out prefab fireplaces. Many subdivision homes have factory-built metal fireplaces with a 20 to 30 year rated life. Rusted fireboxes, missing refractory panels and broken chase covers are typical. Some are repairable, some need an insert or replacement, which is a fireplace installation conversation.
• Gas fireplace issues. Dirty burners, failed thermocouples, blocked vents. We handle those under fireplace repair.
• Creosote. Pine and other soft firewood, common in Georgia, leaves more creosote than seasoned oak. A layer of 1/8 inch or more means a sweep before the next fire. See what a chimney sweep in Alpharetta includes.

What Happens During the Visit

1. A technician arrives in the booked window, lays a drop cloth at the hearth and asks how you use the fireplace.
2. Firebox, damper and smoke chamber are checked and photographed from inside.
3. Crown, flashing, cap and exterior masonry are checked from the roof or a ladder.
4. On a Level 2, the camera goes through the full flue and you can watch the screen.
5. You see every photo on site. If something needs work, you get a free written estimate before the technician leaves. No pressure, no same-day decision needed.

Chimney Inspection Service Area

Ember’s Alpharetta office is at 3480 Preston Ridge Rd, Suite 500, off Old Milton Parkway near North Point. Our technicians inspect chimneys in Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek, Roswell and Cumming, in neighborhoods from Windward and Avalon to Crabapple, Wills Park and Deerfield Township, and across north Fulton and south Forsyth County. The Alpharetta office page has the map, directions and hours. For the rest of the metro, see our Atlanta chimney sweep page.

Open 7 days a week, 7 AM to 8 PM. Call (770) 762-0310, or send the form on this page and a real person calls you back within 10 minutes.

Why Alpharetta Homeowners Choose Ember

• BBB Accredited Business, rated A.
• CSIA-certified chimney technicians.
• 5.0 stars on Google on our Alpharetta profile.
• Photos of every finding, so the estimate is for something you have seen.
• Written price before any repair. Free estimates on every repair we find.
• Zero-Mess Guarantee. Drop cloths and HEPA vacuums on every visit.
• 10% senior and 5% military discounts.

The brand-wide chimney inspection page covers Level 1, 2 and 3 inspections in detail for both of our markets.