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.
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AfterFast, Reliable Chimney Inspection Across Greeley
A chimney inspection in Greeley typically costs $189 – $349, and most inspections take 45 – 90 minutes from setup to written findings. If you’re buying a home near the University of Northern Colorado or own one of the 1910s – 1950s brick bungalows in the Union Colony grid, you need a camera inspection, not just a visual walkthrough. Our Chimney Inspection team serves every neighborhood in Greeley, from the historic downtown blocks to the newer subdivisions east of Highway 85. Call (336) 863-3889 and we’ll schedule you within the week, sometimes sooner depending on the route our Denver-based dispatch coordinates through Weld County.
Why Alcott Chimney Sweep Is Greeley’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Ruben Castellano founded our Greeley Chimney Sweep company in 2002 with a simple rule that we still hold to: nothing gets recommended unless the customer can see the evidence. That matters here more than anywhere else on the Front Range. Greeley’s older flues, especially the terra cotta liners in pre-1960 homes, attract a specific kind of upselling from chimney companies that quote a full reline based on a visual glance alone. We don’t do that. Before any repair is proposed on a Greeley chimney, our technician runs a camera down the flue and walks you through the footage in real time.
You’ll know exactly who’s coming to your door before we arrive. Every technician is background-checked, identity-verified, and sent to you by name and photo in advance. That’s the Threshold Standard, and it isn’t optional. When Ruben’s team inspects a chimney near Island Grove Regional Park or a rental property off 10th Street, the homeowner sees a photo ID badge before the tech steps inside. We built this company for people who open the door to strangers with hesitation, and we’ve kept that habit for over two decades.
Chimney Inspection Services in Greeley
Chimney Inspection Services in Greeley cover three levels defined by NFPA 211, and the level you need depends on what’s changed and what you’re seeing. A Level 1 inspection, which runs $189 – $249 in Greeley, covers the readily accessible portions of your fireplace, chimney cap, and flue when nothing has changed since the last sweep. A Level 2 inspection, which runs $299 – $349, adds a full camera scan of the flue interior and is required when you’re buying or selling a home, after a chimney fire, or after any weather event that could have damaged the stack. A Level 3 inspection runs higher and involves opening a portion of the chimney or surrounding masonry, usually after a suspected structural failure.
Most Greeley homeowners call us for one of two reasons: they’re closing on a home and the inspection contingency requires a certified chimney check, or they’ve seen water stains on the ceiling near the fireplace and suspect a cap or crown failure. Both are smart calls, and both get the same camera treatment from us.
Real Estate Inspections
When you’re buying a home in Greeley, your lender or agent will often ask for a Level 2 chimney inspection before the deal closes. We provide the written report you need, same day in most cases, with photos embedded so you can see exactly what the camera found. We also photograph the exterior crown, cap, and flashing from the roof when access allows.
Camera Inspections
A camera inspection is the only way to see what’s actually inside a Greeley chimney. Visual checks tell you the firebox looks fine. The camera shows you hairline cracks in clay tiles, spalled mortar joints, and condensation damage that would never appear on a basic walkthrough. If we recommend a liner, you’ll see why on screen. If we don’t recommend one, you’ll see that too.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Chimney Flue Inspection in Greeley
Chimney Flue Inspection in Greeley is the part of the job where our camera does the heavy lifting, and it’s where we catch most of the expensive problems early. The flue is the vertical passage that carries smoke and combustion gases out of your home, and in Greeley’s older homes it’s usually made of terra cotta clay tiles, some over 100 years old. Freeze-thaw cycling from Colorado’s aggressive temperature swings spalls those tiles over time. Our inspection looks for cracked or missing tiles, gaps in the mortar joints between them, and any narrowing or blockage that could trap heat against combustible framing.
If you have a gas log insert, the flue inspection also verifies that the existing liner is correctly sized for gas venting. We routinely find oversized, unlined flues in Greeley homes where a gas insert was retrofitted into an original wood-burning firebox. That combination vents too slowly and creates a carbon monoxide hazard that current Colorado code doesn’t allow. The testing shows up clearly on camera, and we’ll show you the footage before we quote any fix.
Flue Blockage Detection
Birds, squirrels, and raccoons love Greeley chimneys. Nests, carcasses, and debris block the flue and send smoke back into your living room. Our camera identifies the obstruction, and we remove it or advise on the right cap or guard to keep it from happening again. Chinook winds regularly blow caps off, and a missing cap is an open invitation to every bird in Weld County.
Flue Liner Condition
When we scan a Greeley flue, we’re looking for three things: structural cracks, missing mortar between tiles, and acidic condensation damage from gas appliances. All three are common in the Union Colony housing stock. If the liner is intact, you’ll see it on camera and we’ll tell you it’s safe to burn. If it isn’t, we’ll show you the exact defect and explain whether a repair is needed now or can wait.
Trusted Brands We Service in Greeley
We install and service professional-grade chimney materials in Greeley, including HeatShield resurfacing systems, Gelco caps, and Olympia Chimney dampers. When a Greeley homeowner needs a replacement crown after a chinook gust shears the old one, we use a reinforced crown with a proper drip edge, not a slapped-on patch. If a flue liner needs resurfacing rather than full replacement, HeatShield lets us restore the interior without tearing out the masonry wall. We keep trade-brand parts on our trucks, so a follow-up fix after a winter storm usually doesn’t require a second visit. You’ll see the brand name on your quote, which means you can look up exactly what you’re paying for.
Common Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Greeley Homes
- Blown-off caps and cracked crowns. Greeley sits fully exposed on the open plains, and chinook gusts of 60 – 75 mph regularly shear caps off masonry crowns. The exposed flue then takes on direct water, and freeze-thaw cycles do the rest.
- Spalled terra cotta flue liners. The 1910s – 1950s brick chimneys in the Union Colony grid were built with clay tile liners that have now been through a century of Colorado temperature swings. Cracked tiles are common, and they’re invisible without a camera.
- Gas log inserts in oversized, unlined flues. Around UNC, we repeatedly find gas logs retrofitted into original wood-burning fireplaces with no liner at all. The combustion gases cool too quickly, moisture deposits inside the flue, and carbon monoxide risk climbs. Code requires a properly sized liner for gas venting.
- Deferred maintenance in rental properties. Long-term rentals near the University of Northern Colorado often go years between chimney checks. Tenants rarely think about the chimney, and owners rarely hear about it until a sale inspection reveals accumulated damage that could have been caught early for far less money.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Greeley, CO
A Level 1 inspection in Greeley runs $189 – $249. A Level 2 inspection with full camera scan runs $299 – $349. A Level 3 inspection, which involves opening masonry and is rarely needed, starts at $750 and is quoted case by case after the Level 2 findings. What affects your price is the inspection level, the type and height of the stack, and whether you need a written report for a real estate closing. Every Greeley customer receives a written price before any work begins, not a verbal estimate that changes when the bill comes. Call (336) 863-3889 for a free quote, and we’ll tell you which level your home actually needs based on what you describe, not based on what bumps our average ticket.
We Also Serve Cities Near Greeley
Our Greeley inspection routes also cover Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs. If you’re outside the city limits, in Evans, Eaton, or La Salle, we’ll still come out. Call (336) 863-3889 and our dispatcher will tell you which day our crews are in your area.
Serving Greeley, CO - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Greeley area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Inspection in Greeley
A camera inspection sees what your eyes can’t: hairline cracks in clay tiles, spalled mortar joints, blockages mid-flue, and liner damage caused by freeze-thaw cycles. In Greeley’s older housing stock, particularly the Union Colony-era homes from the 1910s through 1950s, the most expensive defects are invisible from the firebox or roof. A visual-only Level 1 check tells you the cap is missing. The camera tells you whether water already ruined the liner underneath. Call (336) 863-3889 to schedule a Level 2 scan with footage you can watch as we run it.
Usually not, and we see this exact setup constantly in Greeley’s rental districts near the University of Northern Colorado. An original wood-burning firebox with an unlined, oversized flue vents gas combustion products too slowly, deposits acidic moisture inside the stack, and creates a carbon monoxide risk that violates current Colorado/IRC code for gas appliance venting. The fix is usually a properly sized liner or HeatShield resurfacing, and the evidence shows up clearly on camera. If you own or rent a property with this configuration, get it inspected before you burn again. Call (336) 863-3889 and we’ll show you what’s actually in your flue.
Yes. Greeley is one of the windiest spots on the Front Range, and chinook gusts of 60 – 75 mph do real structural damage. We regularly find caps blown off masonry crowns, cracked crowns from lateral wind pressure, and water intrusion that followed. The damage compounds quickly because those same winds drive moisture deep into cracked mortar. A Level 2 inspection after a severe wind event will tell you whether your chimney took a hit you can’t see from the ground. Call (336) 863-3889 and we’ll check it before the next freeze-thaw cycle locks in the damage.
Yes, NFPA 211 requires an annual inspection of chimneys, fireplaces, and vents regardless of how often you burn, and the reason matters in Greeley specifically. Even a rarely used chimney is exposed to Greeley’s freeze-thaw cycles, chinook winds, and nesting animals. A cap that blew off last March lets in water all summer, and by the time you notice the ceiling stain, the liner may already be compromised. An annual Level 1 check catches these issues for $189 – $249, before they become $3,000 reline jobs. Call (336) 863-3889 to schedule yours.
We check the flue liner for cracks, missing mortar between tiles, blockages, and condensation damage from gas appliances, then we run a camera through the full length so you can see it all for yourself. We inspect the cap, crown, and flashing from the roof when access is safe. And we verify that any gas appliance venting into the flue is properly configured for current code. In Greeley, that last check matters a lot because so many older homes around UNC have retrofitted gas logs in chimneys never designed for them. Call (336) 863-3889 for a flue inspection with camera evidence included.
Need a chimney inspection in Greeley? Call (336) 863-3889 now. We’ll give you a straight answer on which inspection level you need, a written price before any work starts, and a technician’s name and photo before we arrive.
Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner at Alcott Chimney Sweep, serving Greeley and the Front Range since 2002.