Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 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.
Fast, Reliable Chimney Inspection Across Dunwoody
A chimney inspection in Dunwoody typically costs $189 to $430, depending on the level of inspection and whether camera equipment is needed. Most Level 1 visual inspections run $189 to $269, while a Level 2 camera inspection, the type required for real estate transactions or after a chimney fire, runs $289 to $430 in this market. Those are real numbers. If a fireplace is venting combustion gases into your living room because the flue liner has spalled or the smoke chamber is glazed with third-degree creosote, you need to know before you light the next fire.
We’re Ashby Chimney Atlanta, and we’ve been inspecting chimneys since 2002. Our Chimney Inspection team works throughout Dunwoody, from Dunwoody North to Kingsley to the neighborhoods off Ashford Dunwoody Road. Call (678) 263-7908 and a live person answers, 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Not a voicemail loop. Not a call center script. A person who can schedule you and answer basic questions in one conversation.
Why Ashby Chimney Atlanta Is Dunwoody’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Dunwoody homeowners have been burned before, and not by the fireplace. A technician who never showed. A quote that doubled at the door. A repaired liner that cracked again six weeks later. We know this because Dunwoody homeowners tell us, often while we’re standing in their living room with a camera monitor in hand. Nathan Corliss built Ashby Chimney Atlanta around a simple standard: say the price, show up in the window, leave it cleaner, put the guarantee in writing, and come back if it fails. He calls it the Kingswell Way, and it’s how our techs operate on every Dunwoody job.
Every inspection gets a written price before we start. Every repair gets a written guarantee, not a verbal promise. If a covered repair fails within the guarantee period, we return and fix it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s included with every job. Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, so you know exactly who is walking into your Dunwoody home. And because this location is independently owned and operated under the Kingswell Guarantee, you get the standards of a network without the franchise boilerplate.
Dunwoody’s housing stock is specific, and our inspectors know it. We’re not sending someone who mostly works on new construction in south Fulton County. We send techs who know what a 1976 brick chimney on Tilly Mill Road looks like inside, who’ve crawled through attics in Dunwoody North to trace flue runs, and who understand what Georgia humidity does to clay tile mortar joints over four decades.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Camera Inspection in Dunwoody
Chimney Camera Inspection in Dunwoody is the only way to actually see what’s happening inside your flue liner, and it’s the standard we use for almost every Dunwoody inspection because this city’s older chimneys hide problems behind the damper that a flashlight can’t reach. A small waterproof camera on a flexible rod travels the full length of the flue, sending video to a monitor we hold with you. You see exactly what our tech sees, in real time, not after the fact in a report that could have been generated from stock photos.
Flue and Liner Inspection
Clay tile liners in 1970s Dunwoody chimneys crack. That’s not alarmist, it’s geology and heat cycling. A flue liner inspection shows whether the cracks are superficial or structural, whether there’s separation between tile joints, and whether gases could be escaping into the masonry or the house. In Dunwoody North, where narrow flues were standard in the original construction, we routinely find first-degree creosote building up faster than in neighboring communities with wider flue dimensions.
Camera Inspection for Real Estate Transactions
Dunwoody’s real estate market moves fast, and mortgage lenders and home inspectors increasingly ask for Level 2 camera inspections before closing on homes built in the 1970s and 1980s. A camera inspection gives buyers and sellers a documented record of the chimney’s condition, which means no surprises after the keys change hands. We provide a written report with still images from the camera footage for any Dunwoody transaction.
Fireplace Inspection in Dunwoody
A Fireplace Inspection in Dunwoody is not just eyeballing the firebox and saying it looks fine. It’s checking the firebox for cracked refractory panels, the damper for proper seal and operation, the smoke chamber for creosote buildup (especially in those narrow-flue Dunwoody North homes where third-degree glaze hides just above the damper), and the visible portion of the flue. Most Dunwoody fireplace inspections run $189 to $269 as part of a full chimney inspection, and camera footage is included when recommended.
Smoke Chamber and Damper Inspection
The smoke chamber is the funnel above the firebox and below the flue, and it’s a place where Dunwoody’s humid climate works against you. Summer humidity gets absorbed into creosote left over from winter fires, making it sticky and glazed rather than dry and flaky. That glaze is harder to remove and more likely to ignite than first-degree creosote. We check the smoke chamber on every Dunwoody fireplace inspection, not just the flue.
Masonry and Crown Inspection
Brick chimneys in Dunwoody’s established neighborhoods face a specific enemy: moisture absorption leading to spalling. Spalling happens when water gets into the brick face, freezes or expands, and pops the brick surface off in flakes. It looks bad, but the bigger problem is hidden deterioration around the crown and flashing. We inspect the chimney crown and flashing on every inspection, because catching a small flashing leak in Dunwoody costs a few hundred dollars to fix, while ignoring it can mean a partial rebuild years later.
Trusted Brands We Service in Dunwoody
When a Dunwoody inspection turns up a problem that needs repair, we use materials from established chimney-trade suppliers, not whatever was left over in the van. That means brands like HeatShield for resurfacing damaged flue liners, Gelco for masonry waterproofing, and Olympia Chimney or Famco for caps and dampers. If we recommend a repair, we tell you exactly what product we’d use and why, and we stock common Dunwoody-specific components locally so you’re not waiting on a truck from another state. Most importantly, if the repair fails within the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge.
See the difference
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After
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AfterCommon Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Dunwoody Homes
- Creosote glaze in narrow flues from the 1970s. Dunwoody North and Kingsley homes were built with flue dimensions that were tight even by 1970s standards. Occasional winter fires, followed by hot humid summers, turn normal creosote into a glazed coating that’s more likely to ignite and harder to remove. A camera is often the only way to distinguish first-degree creosote from third-degree tar glaze.
- Spalling brick and deteriorating mortar joints in original masonry chimneys. Dunwoody’s tree canopy is beautiful, but it means more rain and debris on chimneys, and the brick absorbs it. We see spalled faces and loose mortar on a significant share of inspections in neighborhoods built before 1990.
- Clay tile liner damage from decades of heat cycling. Original clay tile flue liners crack, shift, and separate at the joints over 40 to 50 years. In narrow flues this damage compromises the chimney’s ability to vent properly and can allow gases into the house or the masonry.
- Debris blockages from Dunwoody’s tree canopy. Pine needles, leaves, and even small branches find their way into uncapped chimneys all over Dunwoody. A blockage like this can cause a chimney fire or push carbon monoxide back into the home, and it’s one of the cheapest things for a camera inspection to catch.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Dunwoody, GA
A Level 1 inspection in Dunwoody, the basic visual check when nothing has changed and you burn regularly, runs $189 to $269. A Level 2 camera inspection, required for real estate transactions or after any event like a fire, storm, or sudden draft change, runs $289 to $430. Level 3 inspections, which involve removing portions of the chimney or surrounding masonry to access hidden areas, are rare in Dunwoody but start around $700 and up, depending on the access work needed. What affects your price? The height and access of the chimney, the need for camera equipment, and whether we’re also doing a sweep as part of the visit. Every Dunwoody inspection gets a written price before we start. No surprises on the invoice. Call (678) 263-7908 for a free estimate, and we’ll tell you over the phone what your specific situation likely costs.
We Also Serve Cities Near Dunwoody
Our crews also work in Atlanta, North Atlanta, East Point, and Union City. If you’re just outside Dunwoody proper, call us, because our service area covers the whole north metro. For the full picture of our inspection services, see our Chimney Inspection in Dunwoody page or call our office directly.
Serving Dunwoody, GA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Dunwoody 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 Dunwoody
Dunwoody’s hot, humid summers cause creosote left from winter fires to become sticky and glazed rather than dry, which makes it more flammable and harder to remove. Humidity also accelerates moisture absorption in the brick face, leading to spalling. Our inspectors account for both of these local conditions when assessing a Dunwoody chimney. Call (678) 263-7908 for an inspection that accounts for Georgia’s actual climate.
Yes, in most cases. Homes in Dunwoody North built in the 1970s have the narrow flues and original clay tile liners that are most prone to hidden damage, and a Level 2 camera inspection is the only way to see the full flue condition. If the home is being sold, it’s often required anyway. For an older Dunwoody North chimney that hasn’t been inspected in years, a camera inspection is the most honest baseline you can get.
Third-degree creosote looks like a shiny, tar-like glaze coating the flue walls, and on Dunwoody chimneys it often concentrates at the smoke chamber, just above the damper. It’s the result of incomplete combustion over many seasons and is the most difficult type to remove, often requiring chemical treatments or rotary cleaning. We show you the camera footage so you see it for yourself before we discuss any remediation.
Yes. A camera inspection directly shows debris blockages at the flue top or along the liner, which is common in Dunwoody because of the dense tree canopy over residential lots. Pine needle accumulations and leaf debris can restrict draft and create a fire hazard, and they’re one of the easiest findings to see on camera. We check for this on every Dunwoody inspection and will show you the footage.
Because no Dunwoody homeowner should spend thousands on a reline based on someone else’s word. Camera evidence is the only way to verify whether an unlined or damaged flue actually needs full relining or whether a resurfacing treatment like HeatShield is sufficient. Our policy is simple: you see every frame before we quote any repair. Call (678) 263-7908 and we’ll schedule the camera inspection that shows you the truth.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Atlanta, serving Dunwoody since 2002.