How Much Does It Cost to Sweep a Chimney?

The list of home maintenance tasks that must be regularly performed is incomplete without chimney sweeping. Failing to clean your chimney puts you and the people inside your home at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. Chimney fires are also more likely to occur if that part of your home remains unclean for a long time.

You should add chimney sweeping to your list of regular maintenance expenses. That maintenance task is crucial to keeping your household as safe and protected as possible. So, how much is professional chimney sweeping going to cost you?

The cost of professional chimney sweeping will depend on the level of inspection you’re paying for. Level 1 inspection is the most affordable option at $150 while a Level 2 inspection will costs $300. Level 3 inspection is significantly more expensive at $3,000. Prices for professional chimney sweeping may also change based on the type of fireplace you have.

If you use your fireplace regularly at home, you cannot neglect chimney sweeping. You are endangering your household by opting not to pay for that important aspect of home maintenance. Find out how much professional chimney sweeping will cost you by continuing with the rest of this article.

If you need to get your home’s chimney cleaned, you should seek out a professional who can perform chimney inspections. Given how it’s called, you might have assumed that inspections have nothing to do with chimney cleaning. That is not the case.

Chimney cleaning and inspection are services often bundled together in a package. You don’t have to pay separate fees for those two maintenance tasks. In that sense, paying for a chimney inspection can be regarded as a cost-effective move for homeowners.

Let’s start with Level 1 inspections. This is the lowest inspection level and also the least expensive. Chimney sweeps will charge you $150 if you’re hiring them to perform a Level 1 inspection.

A Level 1 inspection is the minimum requirement if you intend to use your chimney regularly. This is also the minimum requirement if you haven’t made any significant changes to your chimney or the connected vents.

During a Level 1 inspection, the chimney sweep will examine the readily accessible parts of the chimney. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, chimney sweeps will also check for any obstructions during a Level 1 inspection.

There’s a big leap in pricing from Level 1 to Level 2 inspections. You’re going from $150 for a Level 1 inspection to $300 if you need a Level 2 inspection.

Level 2 inspections are required if you make a significant change to that part of your home. Whether you changed the chimney itself or just the fuel you’re using, a Level 2 inspection will still be required.

You will also need a Level 2 inspection if a recent mishap may have caused damage to your chimney. Lastly, paying up for the Level 2 inspection will be required if you intend to sell your home.

Homeowners can also pay a professional to perform a Level 3 chimney inspection. Level 3 inspections are major expenses as they cost an average of $3,000.

Level 3 inspections are required if there is reason to believe that your chimney has sustained structural damage of some kind. During a Level 3 inspection, the professionals may go in there and remove certain parts of your chimney. They are doing that to get a clear look at all of the chimney’s components.

Level 3 inspections are pricey and time-consuming. Even so, you must pay for them so you can find out if your chimney remains safe to use.

If you don’t want to save as much money as possible on chimney maintenance, you should install a gas fireplace. Cleaning the chimney connected to your gas fireplace will cost $115.

Chimneys attached to gas fireplaces are known for being low-maintenance home appliances. They don’t require cleaning after every few months.

You can stick with an annual cleaning routine and that will suffice. Deviating from that is only necessary if you have reason to believe that your fireplace was damaged recently.

The gas fireplace itself is also a low-maintenance appliance. Keep that in mind when selecting a fireplace for your home.

Next up, we have the pellet stoves. You’ll have to pay a bit more to clean the chimney connected to your pellet stove. The average cost of that aforementioned expense sits at $170.

In stark contrast to gas fireplaces, cleaning must be done more often if you have a pellet stove. If you use the pellet stove regularly, you should inspect and clean it regularly as well. Check out the pellet stove weekly because it may already require cleaning at that point.

Although chimneys for other fireplace types are more expensive to clean per session, pellet stoves may still be pricier. That’s due to how often they need to be cleaned.

Do you have a wood-burning fireplace at home? If so, the cost of cleaning the chimney attached to it will be $200.

Chimneys positioned above wood-burning fireplaces require diligent maintenance. Fail to clean them regularly and they could easily end up damaged. Instead of cleaning expenses, you may have to shoulder the full replacement of your chimney.

At a minimum, you should get the chimney for your wood-burning fireplace cleaned once every four months. That prevents significant residue buildup and also allows the fireplace to continue working efficiently. Paying $800 per year for chimney cleaning is steep, but it’s also necessary.

The cost of cleaning the chimney connected to your wood stove is high. On average, a chimney sweep will charge $230 to take on that job.

Wood stove maintenance is very similar to wood-burning fireplace maintenance. Once again, you have to worry about too much residue accumulating inside your chimney. Unless you’re interested in a damaged chimney or higher fuel costs, you need to clean up your chimney regularly.

Cleaning the chimney for your wood stove every four months should be good enough. You may have to pay for an earlier inspection if you think the chimney is damaged.

The design of your home will make a difference when determining chimney cleaning costs. Your roof design is the specific factor that matters.

Consider how easy it is to get to your roof. Will it be easy to set up a ladder and climb up there? If not, the workers will probably charge you more.

You also have to account for the angle of your roof. The workers may have a tough time getting their footing because of how your roof is designed. They will charge extra for the risk they’re taking on while cleaning your chimney.

Unbeknownst to you, there may be some animals taking up residence inside your chimney. That’s not something you can shrug off. You will have to pay to get those animals removed from your chimney and that will cost an average of $330.

Animals that may be living near your chimney include different birds, bats, and even squirrels. There’s also a chance that the animals are inside your chimney.

If animals die on your roof, they could fall inside your chimney. The last thing you want is to fire up your chimney while a dead animal is in there. Pay for professional cleaning to address that problem.

Related Questions

How Often Should You Sweep Your Chimney?

Chimney sweeping should be a part of your regular home maintenance routine. Cleaning your chimney at least one time per year is the minimum.Now, if your household uses the fireplace often, annual cleaning may not be enough. You should consider paying for quarterly chimney cleaning instead.

How Can You Tell if a Chimney Needs Sweeping?

Your chimney will let you know if it’s time to call the chimney sweep by giving off some warning signs. First off, you may start to notice strong odors coming from your fireplace if the chimney needs to be cleaned. The odor will have a smoky quality to it.The appearance of your chimney and fireplace will also change if it remains unclean for too long. Contact the chimney sweep as soon as you see black deposits inside the chimney and dark spots around the fireplace.

How Long Does Chimney Sweeping Take?

A typical chimney sweep will not take too long. The professionals can finish a Level 1 inspection in under an hour.