Chimney inspection in Geneva, IL
A camera up the flue, photographs you keep, and findings sorted into what matters now and what can wait a season.
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- 19 years in the trade
- Three brothers, one crew
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There are three chimney inspection levels. Level 1 is the routine annual check on an unchanged system. Level 2 adds a full camera scan of the flue plus attic and roof access, and is required when a property changes hands, when the appliance or fuel changes, or after a chimney fire. Level 3 involves opening up the structure and is rare. A Level 1 takes about an hour; a Level 2 typically 90 minutes to two hours.
Smoke coming into the room, flames or roaring in the flue, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounding? Get everyone out and call the fire service first, then call us. We put these calls to the front of the queue.
Which level do you need?
The levels are not ours to invent. They are defined by NFPA 211, the National Fire Protection Association’s Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel–Burning Appliances, and that is the standard we inspect to. It is also what makes the recorded camera scan mandatory on a Level 2 rather than an optional extra — a Level 2 carried out without one is not a Level 2, whatever the invoice says.
Level 1 is the routine annual check where nothing about the system has changed. We examine the readily accessible parts of the chimney and the connection to the appliance, looking for soundness, buildup and obstruction. If you burn regularly and nothing is different, this is the one.
Level 2 adds a full camera scan of the flue interior plus accessible attic, crawlspace and roof areas. It is the level defined for property transfers, for any change of appliance or fuel, and after any event that could have damaged the system — a chimney fire, a lightning strike, an earthquake, a serious weather event.
Level 3 involves opening up parts of the building or chimney to reach concealed areas. It is rare, it is destructive, and nobody should be selling you one without a Level 2 finding that clearly justifies it.
Why the camera matters
Almost everything that makes a chimney dangerous is invisible from the hearth. You can see that a flue is dirty. You cannot see whether a clay tile has cracked through, whether the joints between tiles have opened, whether a previous chimney fire warped a metal liner, or whether the flue is the wrong size for the appliance now attached to it.
A camera scan answers all of those. You watch the screen with us rather than being handed a verdict afterwards, and you keep the photographs whether or not you hire us for any repair that comes out of it.
That last point matters. An inspection that can only ever conclude “you need expensive work” is not an inspection, it is a sales call. Finding nothing wrong is a legitimate and fairly common outcome, and we will tell you that plainly.
Buying or selling a house
Almost every home inspection report we see says some version of the same thing: recommend evaluation by a qualified chimney professional. That is not a diagnosis. It is an inspector correctly noting that chimneys are outside their scope, and it leaves the buyer with an open-ended unknown at the worst possible moment.
A general inspector looks at the firebox and the visible exterior. They do not put a camera up the flue, get into the attic to check clearance to framing, or assess the crown and flashing from the roof. The parts that cost money to fix are almost entirely the parts they cannot see.
Get the Level 2 done before closing rather than after. Before, it is a line item in a negotiation with a documented number attached. Afterwards it is your problem and your bill.
After a chimney fire
Any chimney that has had a fire needs a Level 2 inspection before it is used again. This is not an upsell; it is the specific circumstance the level exists for.
A flue fire routinely cracks clay tiles through thermal shock, opens the joints between them, and warps metal liners and connectors. The flue can look fine from the firebox and no longer be a sealed passage. Once that seal is broken, the next ordinary fire can put heat and combustion gases into the wall cavity and the framing — which is how a chimney fire becomes a house fire.
Want to know what you actually own?
You watch the camera footage with us. Photographs and findings in writing, yours to keep.
Chimney inspection questions
Which level do I need for a house purchase?
Level 2. It is specifically the level defined for property transfers, appliance changes, and after events that could have damaged the flue.
How long should I allow for each inspection level?
A Level 1 is about an hour. A Level 2 with full camera scan plus attic and roof access is typically 90 minutes to two hours.
Do I get something in writing?
Yes, with photographs, and you keep it whether or not you use us for any repair it identifies.
Do I need to be home?
Ideally yes. Part of the value is watching the camera footage with us and asking questions while we are there.
Will you try to sell me repairs on the day?
No. We photograph, explain, and quote separately afterwards. Nobody is asked to decide about masonry work on a doorstep.
What if the flue is too dirty to see anything?
Then it has to be swept before a camera can tell you anything useful, and we will say so rather than charge for a scan of soot.
What happens if you find nothing wrong?
We tell you that, and you have a documented baseline with photographs. It is a perfectly normal outcome.
How are the two inspection levels priced?
Both levels have published starting prices, kept in one place so the figures never drift. See the pricing page.
Other things we do
All eight services come from the same three people.
Chimney sweeping · Chimney repair · Chimney relining · Chimney caps & crowns · Gas fireplace service
Written by Rick Lee, owner of Zenith Chimney Service, Geneva IL. Published September 4, 2026 · Last updated September 12, 2026.