Chimney Sweep in Boston, MA

That's the first thing we sort out, and it takes longer in a Federal or Victorian brick rowhouse than most people expect. A single party-wall stack in Beacon Hill, Back Bay or the South End can carry several narrow flues, some serving fireplaces on different floors, some abandoned, some originally built for coal-fired appliances. We work from the firebox up with a camera and smoke, and match what we see at the top against what's connected below. Guessing is how people end up cleaning a neighbor's flue or missing a blockage in their own.

Sometimes, but it depends on the work and the week. A straightforward sweep and inspection on a flue we've already got history on is the kind of thing that can sometimes be fit in. Anything involving roof access on a tall exposed chimney is different, especially on steep slate or a flat rubber roof, because that needs the right setup and safe conditions. If you smell smoke in a unit it shouldn't be in, or you've had a chimney fire, tell us that when you call so we prioritize it properly.

The top. Harbor-side salt air, nor'easter rain driving in sideways, and repeated freeze-thaw work on crowns, caps and flashing harder than most people realize, and the tallest, most exposed chimneys on the block take the worst of it. We see cracked and spalling crowns, caps corroded or gone entirely, and flashing that's let water track down behind the brick for years. Inside, the other common find is an original unlined flue, built for coal, that was never upgraded when the house started burning wood.

Fireplaces here are mostly supplemental, used evenings from November into March, so everybody calls at once in October and early November. If you call then, expect a wait. Late spring through summer the schedule is open and it's a much better time to deal with anything beyond a sweep, since crown, cap and flashing repair goes smoother in dry weather anyway.

Access and age, mostly. A prefab metal firebox or sealed gas unit in a downtown or Seaport condo is quick and predictable. An old rowhouse stack with several narrow flues takes real time to identify, inspect and clean properly, and if the flue is unlined, the conversation shifts from sweeping to what it would take to make it safe to use. Triple-decker chimneys in Dorchester, Roxbury or JP that serve stacked units add another layer, since what's found in one flue affects the other tenants. Roof work is its own variable: a steep slate roof or a flat rubber one changes how we have to get up there safely. We'll tell you what we find and what it'll take before you decide anything.