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 Highland
A chimney inspection in Highland typically costs $149 – $349 depending on the level, and a Level 2 camera inspection is what we recommend for most older Highland homes. Highland sits at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, and that elevation means genuinely freezing winter nights, Santa Ana winds through Cajon Pass, and fireplaces that get used hard when South Coast AQMD finally lifts a no-burn day. If you live along Base Line Street, Fifth Street, or in any of the foothill subdivisions, your chimney has been through more than most. Call (336) 863-3889 and we’ll send a technician you’ll know by name and photo before they knock.
Why Alcott Chimney Sweep Is Highland’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
We’ve been inspecting chimneys since 2002, and Highland’s housing stock keeps us honest. The 1950s and 1960s ranch homes along Base Line and Fifth still carry original masonry fireplaces, and the 1980s and 1990s foothill tracts are full of prefabricated zero-clearance units. Both fail differently. Both need a trained eye. Ruben Castellano built this company on a simple rule: show the homeowner exactly what the camera sees, explain it in plain English, and hand over a written price before anything gets touched.
Response time to Highland from our Inland Empire dispatch office is usually same-week, and we coordinate scheduling around the SCAQMD burn calendar because we know that’s when you’re actually thinking about your fireplace. Every technician who arrives at a Highland door is background-checked and identity-verified under the Threshold Standard. You get their name and photo before we arrive, and they show a photo ID badge at the door. No exceptions. Ever. That’s the Alcott way, and it matters even more when you’re home alone or have young kids.
Our Chimney Inspection work in Highland includes a written report with photos from the camera so you can see what we see. If we recommend a repair, you’ll get a written guarantee on it. If that repair fails within the coverage period, the second visit is free. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s included on every job, not sold as an add-on.
Chimney Camera Inspection in Highland
Chimney Camera Inspection is the core of what we do in Highland because so much of what goes wrong here is invisible from the hearth. We run a high-resolution camera up the flue and through the smoke chamber, recording everything. You watch the footage with us, in real time, and we point out exactly what we’re seeing, whether it’s second-degree creosote, a cracked flue tile, or a damper that’s rusted through from water intrusion. In Highland, a camera inspection typically runs $199 – $349 when bundled with a sweep.
What the Camera Reveals
The camera catches what a flashlight never will. Cracked flue liners in original masonry chimneys. Hairline fractures in prefab metal flues. Creosote glazing that’s hardened into a tar-like shell. In Highland’s foothill homes, we also look for signs of reverse draft damage from Santa Ana events, embers that got pulled the wrong way, and spark arrestor screens that are no longer doing their job.
When Highland Homeowners Need This
If you just bought your home and the seller can’t produce a recent inspection report, get a camera inspection before your first fire. If your fireplace hasn’t been used in years and you’re about to light it after the next no-burn lift, get one before you do. If you smell something odd when the wind picks up, don’t wait. The camera tells us in 45 minutes what guessing never will.
Fireplace Inspection in Highland
Fireplace Inspection in Highland means looking at the whole system, not just the flue, because the firebox, damper, hearth, and chimney cap all take a beating from our freeze-thaw cycles and wind. We inspect the firebox for cracked refractory panels, test the damper for smooth operation, check the hearth clearance, and examine the crown and flashing from the roof. A standard fireplace inspection in Highland runs $149 – $249, with deeper levels priced according to access and what we need to examine.
The Freeze-Thaw Problem
Highland gets cold enough at night, regularly below freezing at 1,200 to 1,500 feet, that moisture seeps into the crown’s tiny cracks, freezes, expands, and spalls the concrete. We see this on nearly every original 1960s masonry chimney we inspect. The homeowner never notices until water has already rusted the damper or stained the ceiling below the flashing.
Prefab Units Need Attention Too
Those 1980s and 1990s zero-clearance fireplaces in Highland’s foothill subdivisions are not maintenance-free. The metal fireboxes fatigue from repeated heating and cooling cycles, and the flue liners crack where you can’t see them. A fireplace inspection that skips the camera misses these entirely. We don’t skip the camera.
Trusted Brands We Service in Highland
When a Highland inspection turns up a failed component, we don’t improvise. We install and service DuraFlex stainless steel liner systems, HeatShield resurfacing for damaged flues, and caps and dampers from Olympia Chimney. These are the brands chimney professionals specify, not box-store substitutes. Because we carry these product lines directly, we can often move from inspection to repair faster for Highland customers, often within the same week, which matters when a burn window is about to open. If your inspection shows a spalled crown, a cracked liner, or a rusted cap, we’ll show you the exact materials we recommend and hand you a written price before any work starts.
Common Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Highland Homes
- Spalled crowns and failed flashing. The original masonry fireplaces along Base Line Street and Fifth Street are now 50 to 70 years old, and Highland’s freezing winter nights have been spalling their concrete crowns for decades. Water gets in, rusts the damper, and slowly destroys the flue liner from the inside.
- Compressed creosote from SCAQMD no-burn days. When Highland residents can’t burn for weeks, then finally get a legal burn window, they light fires in flues that have been accumulating creosote without the regular hot burns that would normally burn some of it off. That first fire after a curtailment lift is when we see the most glazed, second-degree creosote.
- Reverse-draft damage from Cajon Pass winds. Santa Ana events funnel through the pass and hit Highland’s foothill neighborhoods hard. We regularly find heat damage around the fireplace opening and debris in the smoke chamber where embers got pushed back down instead of venting up.
- Cracked prefab flue liners. Zero-clearance units in the 1980s and 1990s subdivisions weren’t built for Highland’s temperature swings. The metal liners crack, and a Level 1 visual-only inspection would never catch it. Our camera does.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Highland, CA
A Level 1 inspection in Highland runs $149 – $199 when you’re on an annual maintenance schedule and nothing looks suspicious. A Level 2 camera inspection runs $199 – $349, and it’s what we recommend for real estate transactions, after any chimney fire, or before your first burn after a long stretch of no-burn days. Level 3 inspections, which involve removing components to access hidden areas, start around $500 and are only recommended when a Level 2 has already found something serious. Every inspection includes the written report and photos. Repair pricing is always given in writing before work begins, and every repair carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise. Call (336) 863-3889 for a free estimate and we’ll tell you exactly what level your chimney needs.
We Also Serve Cities Near Highland
Our technicians cover Chimney Inspection in Highland and the surrounding Inland Empire communities, including San Bernardino, Loma Linda, Redlands, and Mentone. If you’re in one of these neighboring cities and your chimney hasn’t been inspected in years, the same team, same pricing, and same name-and-photo verification apply. Call us at (336) 863-3889 and we’ll get you scheduled.
Serving Highland, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Highland 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 Highland
Because those compressed burn windows are exactly what’s hurting your flue. When Highland hits a no-burn stretch, you’re not running regular hot fires that help burn off light creosote deposits. Then the curtailment lifts and you light a full fire in a flue that’s been sitting with accumulated creosote. That cycle, repeated over a winter, builds second-degree glazed creosote faster than most homeowners realize, and annual inspection is the only way to catch it before it becomes a chimney fire risk. Call (336) 863-3889 and we’ll get you on the schedule before the next burn window.
Santa Ana winds hitting Highland from the northwest can overcome the natural draft in your flue, pushing air down instead of letting smoke rise. That’s called reverse draft, and it can pull embers and debris onto your roof or into your living space. We check for reverse-draft indicators during every inspection, including heat damage around the fireplace opening and ember scoring in the smoke chamber. If your home sits in a wind-exposed part of Highland, mention it when you call, and we’ll pay extra attention to your chimney cap and spark arrestor condition.
Three things matter most on an original Highland masonry fireplace: the crown, the flashing, and the flue liner. The crown is the concrete slab on top of the chimney, and after 60 years of freeze-thaw cycles, it’s almost certainly spalled and letting water in. The flashing is the metal where the chimney meets the roof, and it fails quietly. The flue liner, usually clay tile in these homes, cracks under repeated heating and cooling. All three are repairable, and a camera inspection tells us which ones actually need work. You’ll see the footage yourself before any repair is recommended.
Yes, we inspect prefabricated and zero-clearance systems regularly in Highland’s 1980s and 1990s foothill neighborhoods. These units use metal flue liners that crack from thermal fatigue, and the cracks hide where only a camera can reach. The inspection protocol is the same: we camera the flue, examine the firebox, check clearances, and test the draft. If your prefab unit’s liner has failed, we’ll show you the footage and provide a written quote for replacement using DuraFlex or a comparable professional-grade system.
A Level 1 is a visual check of the accessible parts of the chimney and fireplace, appropriate for annual maintenance when nothing has changed. A Level 2 adds a camera scan of the entire flue and is required for real estate transactions, after a chimney fire, or when you’ve made any changes to the system. A Level 3 is the most invasive, requiring removal of building components to access hidden areas, and it’s only recommended when a Level 2 has already identified a serious problem. In Highland, we recommend Level 2 for most homeowners because so much local damage is invisible without the camera.
Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner at Alcott Chimney Sweep, serving Highland since 2002.