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 Austin
Austin homeowners call us when they need to know whether their fireplace is safe to light. The answer in most central Austin homes comes down to one thing: the flue liner. A Chimney Inspection runs between $149 and $349 depending on the level, and our Austin crew schedules most inspections within three to five business days. Call (254) 274-4486 and you’ll speak to a live person, not a voicemail tree.
We work across Austin every week, from Hyde Park bungalows to Mueller’s newer builds. Each has its own failure points, and we’ve seen enough of them to know exactly where to look. The question is never “did anything go wrong.” The question is what went wrong first, and whether it’s a safety problem or a wait-and-watch problem.
Why Ashby Chimney Austin Is Austin’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Nathan Corliss founded Ashby our Chimney Sweep in Austin in 2002, and the Austin location operates the same way: written price before work starts, uniformed technicians, and a written guarantee when the job is done. That guarantee isn’t an add-on. If a covered repair fails inside the guarantee period, we return and fix it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s why homeowners who’ve been burned by no-shows and price-switching contractors call us instead of rolling the dice again.
Our technicians are background-checked and show up in uniform, so you know who’s walking into your home. We answer the phone 24/7 with a live person. No callback forms, no “we’ll get back to you Monday.” When a customer in Travis Heights calls on a Sunday because their carbon monoxide detector went off, we pick up.
Austin is our service area, and we’ve inspected chimneys in every corner of it. We know that a Hyde Park chimney from 1938 behaves differently than a Mueller prefab fireplace from 2015. That local knowledge matters when the difference between “fine” and “replace the liner” is a crack you can’t see without a camera.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Camera Inspection in Austin
A Chimney Camera Inspection in Austin is the only way to see what’s actually happening inside your flue, and it’s the service we recommend most often for older central-Austin homes. We run a high-resolution camera down the full length of the flue, from the firebox to the crown, and record everything. You see the footage. We walk you through it frame by frame. Nothing is recommended without visual evidence you can see for yourself. A camera inspection in Austin typically runs $189 to $349, and it’s included at no extra charge as part of every Level 2 inspection.
What the camera catches
Hairline cracks in fireclay tile liners, separated flue tiles, third-degree creosote glaze, animal nests, and voids in the mortar joints all show up clearly on camera. In Austin’s clay-heavy soils, we regularly see flue tile joints shift and separate, which a flashlight from the roof would never reveal. The camera doesn’t guess. It documents.
When you need it
Buying a home in Austin, selling one, or noticing any change in how your fireplace draws are all reasons to get the camera down the flue. So is any chimney that’s sat dormant through a long Austin summer. Creosote hardens, liner cracks widen, and the first cold snap is when problem chimneys announce themselves. Better to know before you light that first fire.
Fireplace Inspection in Austin
A Fireplace Inspection in Austin covers more than the flue. We check the firebox for cracks, the damper for proper operation, the smoke chamber for creosote buildup, and the exterior brick for spalling. Austin’s extreme temperature swings, from 100-degree summers to sudden winter freezes, put real stress on masonry and mortar. A visual fireplace inspection starts at $149, and it’s the right call if you’ve been using your fireplace regularly or bought a home where the fireplace history is unknown.
What a standard inspection covers
We inspect the firebox refractory panels, the lintel, the throat, the damper assembly, and the visible chimney structure from the ground. We’re looking for gaps, cracks, water staining, and any sign that combustion gases could escape into the living space. If anything looks off, we recommend the camera before we recommend a repair. No upselling, no fear tactics.
Real estate and pre-purchase inspections
Austin’s real estate market moves fast, but a chimney inspection is one box you shouldn’t skip. We regularly inspect chimneys for buyers in Pflugerville, Manor, Round Rock, and Buda, and we provide photo documentation the same day. Sellers appreciate having a clean inspection report before listing. Buyers appreciate knowing whether a $400 repair or a full liner replacement is waiting for them.
Trusted Brands We Service in Austin
When your inspection turns up a problem, the fix should use materials built for the trade, not whatever happened to be in the van. We service and install flue liners, chimney caps, and dampers from brands like Gelco, Olympia Chimney, and Copperfield, including Austin Gelco service options. These are the manufacturers chimney professionals actually specify. They hold up to Austin’s heat and humidity, and sourcing them locally means faster turnaround when your chimney can’t wait. If a liner needs replacement, we’ll tell you exactly what we’re installing and why. You’ll see the brand name on the quote.
See the difference
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After
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AfterCommon Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Austin Homes
- Spalling brick from Austin’s clay-heavy soil. The same soil that causes foundation movement in central Austin also shifts chimneys. Single-wythe brick chimneys in Hyde Park and Travis Heights crack at the mortar joints, let moisture in, and shed brick faces into the flue.
- Hardened creosote from long dormant seasons. Austin’s mild winters mean fireplaces sit unused for months. First-degree creosote hardens into third-degree glaze that a standard brushing can’t remove. We find this constantly in chimneys that “look fine” from the firebox.
- Warped metal flues in Mueller and newer developments. Prefab fireplaces with metal flues warp under prolonged Texas heat. Baffles misalign, gaps open, and a standard visual check misses it. The camera catches it every time.
- Missing or damaged dampers. Older Austin homes often have broken or rusted throat dampers that never fully open or close. That means cold air in, warm air out, and in some cases a path for exhaust gases to backdraft into the home.
We inspected a ranch home in Travis Heights where the original fireclay flue liner had cracked from a sudden cold snap, causing spalling and a dangerous draft reversal. Our Chimney Camera Inspection found third-degree creosote glaze in the smoke chamber, and we recommended a HeatShield resurfacing plus a new chimney cap to keep out Austin’s frequent grackle nests. The homeowner saw every frame of footage before signing anything. That’s the way it should work.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Austin, TX
A Level 1 visual chimney inspection in Austin runs $149 to $199. A Level 2 inspection, which includes the full camera scan of the flue interior, runs $249 to $349. Level 3 inspections, which involve opening up part of the chimney structure, are quoted case by case because the scope varies widely. What affects the price: roof accessibility, chimney height, the presence of caps or screens that need removal, and how many flues the home has. Every Austin customer gets a written price before we start. The number on the invoice matches the number we quoted. Call (254) 274-4486 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
We Also Serve Cities Near Austin
Ashby Chimney Austin handles chimney inspections across the metro. If you’re in Pflugerville, Manor, Round Rock, or Buda, we’ll schedule you the same way we schedule our Austin customers: written price, real arrival window, written guarantee. The drive doesn’t change the standard. We service the whole metro from our Austin office.
Serving Austin, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Austin 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 Austin
Because the failure isn’t from overuse. It’s from moisture and soil movement. Hyde Park homes were mostly built between the 1920s and 1950s with single-wythe brick chimneys, which means one layer of brick separating flue gases from the house. Austin’s clay-heavy soil expands and contracts, shifting those chimneys, cracking the fireclay flue liners inside. A chimney that gets lit three times a year can still be unsafe to operate. If you own a Hyde Park home and haven’t had the flue camera-inspected, call (254) 274-4486 and we’ll show you exactly what’s inside.
It reveals the inside of the flue, which is where almost all serious problems hide. A standard visual check looks at the firebox, the damper, and the exterior masonry. It cannot see cracked flue tiles behind the brick, separated mortar joints, or third-degree creosote glaze fifteen feet up the liner. In Travis Heights, where homes sit on clay soil and chimneys are prone to settlement shifts, the camera is the difference between catching a liner crack early and discovering it through a carbon monoxide leak. We include camera footage in every Level 2 inspection and walk you through it.
Once a year, even if you only light five fires. Austin’s long dormant seasons let creosote harden and let moisture work into masonry. An annual Chimney Inspection catches the problems while they’re small. If you burn more than two cords of wood a season, we recommend a sweep and inspection every year before the first cold snap. The inspection is inexpensive compared to a liner replacement or a chimney fire. Call (254) 274-4486 to get on the schedule.
Mueller homes built in the last 15 years typically have prefab fireplaces with metal flues. Austin’s prolonged summer heat, especially on south-facing roofs, causes those metal flue sections to expand and warp. When they warp, the internal baffles shift out of alignment and gaps form between flue sections. A standard visual check won’t catch this because you can’t see the inside of the flue. The camera will. If you own a home in Mueller, get a camera inspection before you use the fireplace this winter.
Yes, and you should. Third-degree creosote is a hard, glazed tar layer that a routine brushing won’t remove. We can still inspect the chimney structurally because the camera gives us a clear view of the flue walls, and we’ll document where the glaze is thickest. Then we’ll be honest with you about what needs to happen next, which is usually a chemical treatment or mechanical removal by a professional. Creosote is a chimney fire waiting for a spark. Get it assessed by someone who’ll show you the footage. Call (254) 274-4486.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Austin, serving Austin since 2002.