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.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Chimney Inspection Across Hurst
A chimney inspection in Hurst typically costs $189 to $429 depending on whether it’s a Level 1 visual check or a Level 2 camera inspection, and most scheduling happens within a week. If your Hurst home was built between 1955 and 1980, you’re almost certainly sitting on original clay-tile flue liners that are decades past their design life, and an inspection is the only way to know what’s actually happening inside that stack. We serve Hurst homeowners from our Dallas-Fort Worth office, and every tech who drives to your door has been background-checked and identity-verified before they ever see your address. Call (336) 863-3889 to book, and you’ll know exactly who’s coming before the truck pulls up.
Why Alcott Chimney Sweep Is Hurst’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Ruben Castellano built Alcott Chimney Sweep in 2002 around a simple idea: homeowners deserve to see the evidence before they spend a dollar on repairs. In Hurst, where aging ranch homes and expansive clay soils create chimney problems younger suburbs rarely see, that matters more than most places. Our techs know what a 1962 brick-veneer flue looks like when the mortar joints have started spalling, and they know what happens to a crown after a February ice event freezes and thaws already-compromised brick.
Every Hurst inspection comes with a written price before work starts, a written guarantee on any repair, and a photo report from the camera run so you can see exactly what we saw. You’ll get the technician’s name and photo before arrival, and they’ll show a photo ID badge at your door. That’s the Threshold Standard, and it’s non-negotiable. When you call, a live person answers, around the clock.
Chimney Leak in Hurst
A Chimney Leak in Hurst almost always traces to one of three places: a cracked crown, failed flashing at the roofline, or water entering through spalled mortar joints in the brick above the roofline. In Hurst’s 1955 to 1980 ranch stock, the crown is usually original and formed from a thin mortar cap that was never built to survive fifty years of North Texas freeze-thaw cycles. Water gets in, works its way down, and you see staining on the ceiling or damper rust before you ever see the source.
What a leak inspection covers
We trace the water path with a camera and visual checks at the crown, flashing, and interior flue walls. The goal is to find every entry point, not just the most obvious one. In Hurst, we routinely find that a crown crack and a flashing gap happened at different times but now work together.
What waterproofing and crown work costs here
A chimney leak inspection in Hurst runs $189 to $249 as part of a Level 2 inspection. Crack and crown repairs, where needed, are quoted separately and only after you’ve seen the photos. Nothing gets recommended on a guess.
Chimney Camera Inspection in Hurst
A Chimney Camera Inspection in Hurst is the only way to see the condition of a clay-tile flue liner that has been hidden behind brick for fifty years, and in older Hurst homes this is not optional. We run a high-resolution camera from the firebox or roof line down through the entire flue, documenting cracks, spalling, gaps between tiles, and creosote glaze. For a 1965 ranch in Browning Heights or a 1970s colonial in Hurstview, the camera run almost always uncovers at least one thing a visual check from below cannot.
When a camera run is the right call
Anytime the home’s flue is original clay tile, anytime a gas log set was retrofitted, and anytime a home has been through a severe ice event like February 2021. We also require a camera inspection before any real estate transaction in Hurst, because buyers deserve to know what they’re actually purchasing.
What we document
We produce still photos and video of the entire flue, then walk you through what we found on a tablet at your kitchen table. You’ll see the third-degree creosote glaze, the cracked tile, the spalled mortar joint. If a repair is recommended, you’ll understand why, because you saw it.
Trusted Brands We Service in Hurst
When Hurst chimneys need repair, we install and service the materials chimney professionals actually specify, not box-store substitutes. That means DuraFlex liner systems for relining undersized or unlined flues, Olympia Chimney components for caps and dampers, and Famco or Copperfield parts where the original hardware has failed. Because we stock these brands for our North Texas service area, turnaround on common Hurst repairs is faster than ordering through a generalist contractor. You’re not waiting on a part from a catalog that might fit. You’re getting the right material, the first time.
Common Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Hurst Homes
- Third-degree creosote glaze in original fireplaces. Hurst homeowners burn only 20 to 35 days a year, so the creosote sits and hardens between seasons. What starts as stage-two flake becomes a hard, tar-like glaze that cannot be brushed out, and it hides cracked tiles beneath it until a camera documents the truth.
- Gas log retrofits venting into unlined flues. In Browning Heights and Hurstview, we repeatedly find 1980s and 1990s gas log sets installed without relining the original clay-tile flue. That flue was built for wood smoke, not the exhaust of a gas appliance, and the result is draft failure and a carbon monoxide path into the living space.
- Foundation movement opening mortar joints. Hurst sits on expansive black-clay soil that swells and contracts with moisture. That movement shifts fireplaces and racks the masonry stack, opening hairline cracks that grow over time. A Level 1 visual from the roof won’t always see it. A camera run will.
- Frost-damaged crowns on original ranch homes. February 2021’s Winter Storm Uri cycled freeze and thaw across North Texas in a way these chimneys were never engineered for. The result is crowns cracked wide enough to admit water, and mortar joints that shed material with every hard rain.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Hurst, TX
A Level 1 Chimney Inspection in Hurst runs $189 to $249 when it’s paired with a sweep or when the system has not changed since the last check. A Level 2 camera inspection, which is what most 1955 to 1980 Hurst homes need, runs $329 to $429 and includes full photo documentation. A Level 3 inspection, where we open a portion of the chimney to evaluate hidden structure, starts at $750 and is quoted only after a Level 2 shows cause. Mortgage and real estate inspections in Hurst fall in the $329 to $429 range. Every quote is written before any work begins, and if a repair is recommended, the cost is separate and only after you’ve reviewed the evidence. Call (336) 863-3889 for a free estimate on a Hurst inspection.
We Also Serve Cities Near Hurst
We schedule Chimney Inspection work across the Mid-Cities, and our techs regularly run routes through North Richland Hills, Bedford, Colleyville, and Haltom City. If you’re just across the Hurst line, you’ll get the same name-and-photo preview, the same camera documentation, and the same written pricing. Call (336) 863-3889 and we’ll get you scheduled from our DFW office.
Serving Hurst, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Hurst 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 Hurst
Yes. A 1965 clay-tile flue in Hurst is sixty years old, and on expansive black-clay soil, that means cracked tiles, spalled mortar joints, or both are likely. A sweep alone will clear creosote but cannot tell you the flue is safe to use. A camera inspection documents the liner condition before any work happens, and in older Hurst ranches, we strongly recommend it as the standard, not the upgrade. Call (336) 863-3889 to book a Level 2.
In many Hurst homes, it is not safe. Gas log retrofits from the 1980s and 1990s were frequently installed without relining the original clay-tile flue, which was sized for wood smoke and not for gas appliance exhaust. That creates draft failure and a carbon monoxide path into the room. We check this during every inspection of a retrofit fireplace. If the flue is unlined or undersized, we’ll show you on camera and recommend a properly specified liner. Call (336) 863-3889 to schedule and find out what your flue actually looks like.
Annually, even with infrequent burning. Hurst averages only 20 to 35 fireplace days per year, which means creosote sits undisturbed for months and hardens into glaze that a brush can’t remove. An annual inspection catches small cracks before a hard freeze widens them, and catches glaze before it becomes a fire hazard. For most Hurst homes, a Level 1 paired with a sweep is enough in years when nothing has changed. If you haven’t had it inspected in three or more years, start with a Level 2. Call (336) 863-3889 and we’ll tell you which one you need.
Third-degree creosote looks like hardened, shiny black tar glazed onto the flue wall, often with ridges where it dripped and cooled. It cannot be removed by brushing. In a Hurst flue that’s been fed intermittent fires for fifty years, this is common. The flue typically requires professional removal with a rotary whip system or chemical treatment, and it’s a strong signal that the liner beneath should be camera-inspected before you burn again. Call (336) 863-3889 to have your flue evaluated.
Yes, and it routinely does. Hurst is built on expansive black-clay soil that swells in wet periods and shrinks in drought. That movement isn’t dramatic, but it’s constant, and over decades it racks masonry chimney structures enough to crack crowns, open mortar joints, and shift flue tiles out of alignment. A Level 1 check from the roof can miss this; a camera run through the flue will show it. If you haven’t had a camera inspection since before the last big freeze, call (336) 863-3889 and let us show you what’s going on inside the brick.
If you’re a Hurst homeowner with a chimney built before 1980, stop wondering what’s inside that stack. Call (336) 863-3889 today and we’ll send a background-checked, identity-verified technician whose name and photo you’ll have before they arrive. Written price first, camera evidence before any repair recommendation, and a 365-day guarantee on every job we complete.
Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner at Alcott Chimney Sweep, serving Hurst and the Mid-Cities since 2002.