Chimney Sweep · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to chimney sweeping
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any chimney sweep in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Estimate request
Wood, gas, or a fireplace that will not draw?
Straight to us, and a reply the same day.
By Michael Blair, owner, Nashville's Chimney Sweep · who we are
Warning signs
How to know you need us
Recognize one? Have it looked at before it grows.
- Smoke pushing back into the room
- A sharp, tarry smell in warm weather
- Birds, squirrels or nesting noise
- Water staining on the wall beside the hearth
- Crumbling mortar or brick above the roofline
- A damper that will not open or seal
- Black, shiny deposit visible in the flue
Your options
More than one right answer.
A cracked clay tile can call for a stainless liner, a cast-in-place liner, or only a sweep and a watchful eye. Here is what each fix does and when it is warranted.
Annual sweep and inspection
What most homes need. Once a year before the first fire, which is also when problems are cheapest to fix.
Level 2 camera inspection
Required when a home changes hands or an appliance changes, and the only way to see the whole flue. We show you the footage.
Relining
A stainless liner sized to the appliance. Usually the answer when an old clay flue has cracked or when fitting a modern insert into an old chimney.
Rebuild above the roofline
When the brick has spalled past repointing. Done in matching brick rather than whatever is on the truck.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
A chimney job is priced from what the camera shows: the flue, the liner, the crown and the masonry. Until we have looked, any figure is a guess; these are what move it.
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What the appliance burns
A wood-burning fireplace, a gas log set and a wood insert each foul at different rates and take different time to clean. The appliance drives the job, not the room it sits in.
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How long since the last sweep
A chimney swept every season is an hour. One that has not been touched in a decade can have glazed creosote that needs chemical treatment and repeat visits.
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Level of inspection
A visual check is quick. A camera survey of the full flue takes longer and finds the things that actually matter — cracked tiles, gaps at joints, a liner that has separated.
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Access and roof pitch
Single-story with a walkable pitch is straightforward. Three stories, steep slate or a chimney set back from the eaves needs staging and time.
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Repairs found
Sweeping and inspection are the known cost. Crowns, caps, flashing and liners are quoted separately once we have seen them, and never assumed into the first price.
Estimates are free, written and without obligation. Anything found only after starting is priced up front.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Booking
Send the form with what you burn and roughly when it was last swept. That is enough for an accurate price before we arrive.
Setting up
Floor protection, the opening sealed and a negative-pressure vacuum running before a brush goes anywhere near the flue.
Sweep and inspect
The flue swept from top and bottom, then a camera run through the full length. You see what we see.
The report
What is sound, what needs attention and what can wait — in writing, with the footage, and with prices for anything found.
Clearing up
The room goes back exactly as it was. A sweep that leaves soot in the house has not finished the job.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
Shortcuts that cheapen the quote and cost you later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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Skipping the inspection
A sweep cleans what it can reach. Only a camera tells you whether the flue behind it is intact, and a cracked flue is the failure that actually starts house fires.
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Burning unseasoned wood
Green wood produces far more creosote than dry, because most of the heat goes into boiling water out of the log instead of up the flue.
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Closing the damper too early
Shutting it while embers are still live pushes carbon monoxide into the room. Wait until the firebox is cold.
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Treating a cap as optional
A cap keeps out rain, birds and downdraught. It is the cheapest part on the chimney and prevents the most expensive damage.
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Assuming gas means clean
Gas logs still need annual service. Blocked flues, failed thermocouples and cracked ceramic are all things we find on systems that never make soot.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any chimney sweep.
Including us. If a chimney sweep cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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Are your sweeps certified, and by whom?
The Chimney Safety Institute of America certification, held by the person on the roof. The name and the number are the answer.
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Will you put a camera in the flue and show me what it sees?
Yes, on every inspection. A liner sale without the pictures is a sale; with them it is a diagnosis.
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What level of inspection is this, and what does it include?
Level 1, 2 or 3, and the answer knows the difference. A sale of a house or a change of appliance calls for a Level 2.
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Is the sweep price the price, or does it become a liner quote?
The sweep is priced; anything found is quoted separately from the camera pictures, in writing, for you to consider.
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Are you insured for work on my roof?
Liability insurance, with a certificate. Chimney work is roof work, and that is what the coverage is for.
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What does the repair warranty cover — the crown, the liner, the flashing?
Each part named with its term, in writing. Most chimney leaks are the crown and the flashing, not the brick.
FAQ
Choosing a chimney sweep in Nashville
How do I choose a chimney sweep in Nashville?
Every sweep on our crew is certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America and works under liability insurance we hold on file. Ask the six questions below of anyone, including us.
Should I get more than one quote for chimney sweeping?
Yes — and compare the scope, not the total. A chimney sweep in Nashville is a flat price per flue with a camera inspection included; repairs — a crown, a cap, a liner, tuckpointing — are quoted from what the camera finds, with the photographs, before any work is done.
Is the cheapest chimney sweeping quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically; a low number is information. A liner is a real repair for a real problem, and the camera shows which you have.
Do I need a permit for chimney sweeping in Nashville?
Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties permits a chimney rebuild above the roofline in some jurisdictions and a liner installation on a gas conversion; a sweep and a cap need none.
How far in advance should I book chimney sweeping?
A sweep in Nashville is usually within a week or two, longer in October when everyone remembers the fireplace at once; a chimney fire or a smoking fireplace is seen within a day.
Free estimate
Is your Nashville chimney due a sweep?
Let Nashville's Chimney Sweep know what you burn, how often and what you have noticed. A written estimate follows at no cost, without any obligation.