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
AfterChimney Cleaning Before & After in Southampton, NY
We’ve been up in flues across Southampton for over 42 years. You can tell someone what creosote buildup looks like, or you can show them. These jobs are the real work we’ve done - the kind of problems we find when a homeowner finally decides to look up that chimney, and what it looks like when we’re done.
Recent Transformations
Heavy Creosote Glaze Removal - Southampton Estate
The flue in this 1980s Water Mill home hadn’t been swept in six years. What started as soft soot had baked into a quarter-inch glaze of stage-three creosote, the kind that ignites at the drop of a spark. We ran rotary chains and polypropylene whips to break the glaze loose, then vacuumed every ounce out with a HEPA system. The after photos show bare terracotta flue tile, clean enough to run a white glove down. The homeowner told us the fireplace had been smoking into the room for two winters; it drafts clean now.
Blocked Chimney Cap & Animal Nesting - North Sea Property
A family in North Sea called in October because they smelled something burning that wasn’t wood. We found a squirrel nest packed three feet down from a missing chimney cap, plus years of compacted debris the animal had tracked in. We extracted the nesting material, ran a level-2 camera inspection to check for liner damage from urine corrosion, and installed a Gelco stainless cap with mesh screening. The flue was swept and the draft tested. No more visitors, no more smell, and the cap’s guaranteed for life against rust-through.
Smoke Stain & Soot Blowback - Southampton Village Fireplace
This 1920s Southampton Village fireplace had blackened the mantel and surrounding plaster every time the owner lit a fire. The throat damper was seized open, and the smoke chamber was parged with cracked, sloped mortar that sent gases into the room instead of up the flue. We dismantled and rebuilt the smoke chamber with proper corbeling, replaced the damper with a new cast-iron unit, and swept the flue. The white marble surround cleaned up with mild abrasive - no replacement needed. First fire after our work, the smoke went where it was supposed to.
Cracked Flue Tile & HeatShield Relining - Shinnecock Hills
A Shinnecock Hills homeowner had their home inspection flagged for vertical cracks in the flue tile before a sale. Replacement would have meant breaking into the chimney breast inside the house. Instead we used HeatShield’s cerfractory foam system - pumped and smoothed to fill the cracks and create a new, continuous combustion surface rated to 2900 degrees. The camera inspection afterward shows a glossy, joint-free cylinder where there had been fractures. Sale went through, no demolition, and the new liner carries a lifetime warranty.
Spalling Crown & Water Intrusion - Sagaponack Chimney
The crown on this Sagaponack chimney had deteriorated to exposed aggregate, letting water straight down into the masonry every time it rained. Freeze-thaw cycles had opened hairline cracks into finger-width gaps. We formed and poured a new four-inch-thick concrete crown with proper two-inch overhang and drip edge, sealed it with silane-based waterproofing, and swept the flue of the mud and organic debris the leaks had caused. The before photo shows concrete you could crumble with your thumb; the after shows a surface that’ll outlast the next roof.
Prefabricated Fireplace Factory Reset - Hampton Bays
The homeowner in Hampton Bays thought their prefabricated fireplace was broken because it wouldn’t stay lit. What we found was a firebox packed with ash to the grate rails, a blower clogged with dust and pet hair, and a termination cap half-blocked with lint from a nearby dryer vent. We disassembled the firebox to factory clearances, cleaned the blower and tested amperage, swept the metal flue, and cleared the cap. The unit fired and held temperature per spec. No parts needed - just a reset to how it was designed to run.
Want Results Like These?
Every job starts with a level-2 camera inspection, photos you can see, and a plain-English verdict. No work gets recommended without evidence you can hold in your hand. Call (516) 619-2915 - a live person answers, day or night. We’ll book a sweep, show you what’s up there, and if it needs fixing, you’ll know exactly why and exactly what it costs before we start. Done right, and we stand behind it.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Southampton since 1984.