Frequently Asked Questions

You call (240) 220-9412, our live coordinator answers, and we schedule a real arrival window. On the day of the job, you'll get a text when your named technician is on the way. When they arrive, they lay down drop cloths around the hearth, set up a high-efficiency vacuum, and run a brush through the flue from top to bottom or bottom to top, depending on the setup. Then they do the camera scan, check the damper and cap, clean up any dust, and walk you through the written report with photos. The whole process for a standard single-flue chimney takes about an hour to an hour and a half.

Most single-fireplace sweeps in Ashburn take between 60 and 90 minutes from the moment our tech arrives to the moment they leave. A two-flue home or a house with a wood stove adds another 30 to 45 minutes. If we find damage that needs repair, the repair is scheduled separately, so the sweep itself doesn't stretch into a half-day project. We book a real window, not a "sometime between 8 and 4" situation. Your technician's name and a text when they're on the way are part of the process, per Clause 2 of the Haven Standard: arrive on schedule.

Not much. We ask that you not light a fire for 24 hours before the appointment so the firebox and flue are cool. Beyond that, we handle everything: moving furniture near the hearth if needed, laying drop cloths, running the vacuum, and cleaning up at the end. If you have pets, we'll ask you to keep them in another room while we work. If your chimney is on a steep roof and requires roof access, our team handles that safely, but we'll let you know during scheduling if the roof pitch or height is a concern. Ashburn has plenty of two-story colonials with steep pitches in neighborhoods like One Loudoun and Brambleton; we know how to work around them.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 211) says chimneys should be swept when there's 1/8 inch or more of creosote buildup, and inspected at least once a year. In practice, if you burn wood regularly through a Loudoun County winter, you'll want a sweep once per year, ideally in the late summer or early fall before burning season starts. If you burn primarily gas logs, every two to three years is usually sufficient for an inspection, though gas fireplaces still need periodic checks for venting and carbon monoxide safety. Homes that burn unseasoned wood or use the fireplace as a primary heat source may need twice-a-year attention.

Creosote, a sticky byproduct of wood combustion, builds up inside the flue and hardens into a glaze. Once hardened, it becomes a serious fire hazard because it ignites at around 2,000°F and burns hot enough to crack clay tile liners. A chimney fire often stays contained to the flue, and homeowners sometimes don't know it happened until an inspection reveals the damage. That's the dangerous part: a compromised liner can then allow heat and gases to reach combustible framing. We've inspected homes in Sterling and Reston where a past chimney fire went completely undetected. The fix after a chimney fire is almost always more expensive than the sweep that would have prevented it.

Same-day availability depends on the season and our schedule that day. During the late summer and fall rush, we book out a week or two. In the spring and early summer, same-week appointments are common. What we won't do is squeeze you in with a rushed crew or cut the camera inspection to hit a time target. Call (240) 220-9412, and our coordinator will tell you exactly when we can be there. If it's urgent, like a chimney fire concern or smoke backup into the house, we'll prioritize you appropriately and give you real guidance on what to do in the meantime.

Both. Gas fireplace flues get a different kind of buildup than wood flues, mostly soot and mineral deposits, but they still need periodic inspection and cleaning. Gas logs and gas inserts venting into an existing masonry chimney also need a check on the liner and the condition of the chimney itself, because the venting requirements are different. We service both throughout Ashburn, from the original gas-log fireplaces in Ashburn Farm to the newer direct-vent gas units in Willowsford and beyond. The camera inspection is just as important on a gas flue as it is on a wood-burning one.

We install and recommend Olympia Chimney stainless steel liners, Copperfield chimney caps and dampers, and DuraFlex flexible liner systems for relining work. These brands have proven track records in the mid-Atlantic climate, where freeze-thaw cycles and high humidity punish cheap components. We don't push a specific brand just because we have a deal with the manufacturer. We recommend what holds up in Northern Virginia's conditions and what carries a warranty we're confident about. When we quote a repair, the brand name goes on the written estimate, so you know exactly what you're paying for before you agree.

A camera inspection is the only way to know for sure, and the camera footage is the evidence we show you. Cracked clay tiles, gaps between tiles, and significant creosote glaze that won't clean off are the usual signs a liner is compromised. In Ashburn's older neighborhoods, original liners from the 1990s are reaching the end of their useful life, particularly in homes where the previous owners burned a lot of wood. If we recommend a new liner, we'll show you the video of the old one, and we'll quote the replacement in writing. You'll never hear "your liner is shot, we need $8,000 and we can start today" without seeing footage proving it.

A Level 1 inspection is a visual check of the readily accessible portions of the chimney, essentially what a tech can see with a flashlight from the hearth and the roof. A Level 2 inspection adds a camera scan of the entire flue interior, plus checks of the attic and crawlspace areas where the chimney passes through. NFPA 211 says a Level 2 is required when a property changes hands, after a chimney fire, or when a new appliance is installed. It's the camera that gives you the actual condition of the liner, not just the parts you can see from the top and bottom. Our name comes from this standard. We work to it.

Yes. A chimney cap keeps rain, snow, leaves, and animals out of the flue, and in Loudoun County, we see a lot of damage from raccoons and squirrels that made a home in an uncapped chimney. A top-sealing damper, which replaces a worn-out throat damper, can also make a real difference in your heating and cooling bills by sealing the flue when the fireplace isn't in use. We stock and install Copperfield caps and dampers, and we'll quote the part and labor in one number on your written estimate. No separate "parts charge" surprises.

Yes. Every professional working under our name in Virginia is required to hold the license and insurance the state requires, and our local operation in Ashburn carries the appropriate liability coverage. Our crews are verified, insured, and background-checked, per Clause 3 of the Haven Standard. If you'd like to see documentation before we start work, just ask when you call (240) 220-9412. We'll provide what you need. We understand why this matters: you're hiring strangers to work inside your home and on your roof, and you have every right to see proof before they set foot on your property.

Our Ashburn technicians come to the team with chimney and fireplace experience, and then they work to the Haven Standard's documentation requirements before they're sent to jobs alone. That means every tech knows how to run a camera inspection properly, how to photograph and document what they find, and how to present findings in a way a homeowner can actually understand. We hold our people to the standard that got this company its name: the inspection that actually looks inside. You'll never get a tech who just runs a brush and disappears. You'll get a report with photos and readings of what we actually found.

We're an independently owned and operated local business in Ashburn, Virginia, built on a brand standard from Level Two Chimney Co.. The standards, the guarantee, and the inspection documentation system come from the parent brand. The people on your roof, the trucks in your driveway, and the license on the job are all local to this operation. We're your neighbors in the same way any local service business is: someone from this community, answering the phone and showing up at your door, working to a set of written standards you can hold them to.

Call 911 first. A chimney fire is a house fire risk, and you should treat it that way. Get everyone out of the house and let the fire department determine when it's safe to go back in. After the fire department clears the scene, call us for a Level 2 camera inspection before you use the fireplace again. A chimney fire can crack the flue liner even when the house itself is fine, and a cracked liner is a hidden hazard for the next fire you light. We serve the entire Ashburn area and can document the damage and quote the repair in writing. Do not assume "it sounded scary but everything's fine" without a camera look.

Yes, and that's a call we take seriously. Smoke backup usually means either a blocked flue (animal nest, creosote buildup, a collapsed liner segment) or a draft problem. If you're getting smoke into the house when you light a fire, stop using the fireplace and call us at (240) 220-9412. We'll schedule a camera inspection to find out what's actually happening. In the meantime, open a window in the room and make sure the damper is fully open, but don't keep burning if smoke is entering your living space. Carbon monoxide and smoke are not things to push through. The fireplace is designed to draft up, not into your family room.

We can cap and screen chimneys to keep animals out, which is the long-term solution. For live animal removal, we'll refer you to a wildlife removal specialist before we do any cleaning or repair work. Ashburn has a real raccoon and squirrel problem in uncapped flues, especially in the spring when animals are nesting. A stainless steel chimney cap with proper screening is the fix, and we'll install it once the animal situation is resolved. We routinely see flues in Broadlands and Ashburn Farm where animals have nested, and the damage from those nests ranges from a routine sweep to a liner replacement.

Absolutely, and we do a lot of these. A real estate transaction in Virginia calls for a Level 2 inspection when the home has a wood-burning or gas fireplace. We'll do the camera scan, document everything with photos, and produce a written report suitable for your closing documents. If we find issues, we'll quote the repair in writing so you can negotiate with the seller with real numbers in hand, not guesswork. Homebuyers in Ashburn's hot market are often tempted to skip the chimney inspection to speed up the closing. Don't. A $249 camera inspection has saved more than one buyer from inheriting a $6,000 liner replacement.

Yes. Every chimney job under the Haven Standard is quoted in writing before it starts and leaves a documented record when we finish. That record includes photos of the work, the readings from the inspection, and a written summary of what was done and what we found. The guarantee is this: you get a price in writing before we start, and you get evidence of the work when we're done. If a repair we install fails due to a defect in materials or workmanship, we'll make it right. The written warranty on parts like liners and caps comes from the manufacturer, and we honor it.

The Haven Standard is the written code our team works to. Five clauses: have it in writing; arrive on schedule with a real window and a text; verified, insured, background-checked crews; evidence on every job with photos and readings; and no surprises, no door upsell, no scope creep. It matters because chimney work is easy to fake. A sweep can claim they cleaned your flue, and you'd never know without a camera. A repair quote can be inflated, and you'd have no way to check. The Haven Standard is about documentation: what we found, what we did, and what it cost, all in writing. That's the point of the name. We work to Level 2, the inspection that actually looks inside.

Call us at (240) 220-9412 and tell us what's wrong. We'll send a technician back to make it right at no charge. That's part of the documentation promise: if the work didn't meet the standard we quoted, we have the record to see it, and we'll fix it. Our reputation in Ashburn depends on homeowners trusting that what we said we did is actually what happened, and the written report is your leverage. If you believe a sweep wasn't done properly, we'll re-sweep and re-inspect. This is the accountability that comes with keeping records on every job, and it's why we've kept that practice since 2009.

Yes, repair and replacement estimates are free. Call (240) 220-9412, and we'll schedule a time to look at the work, assess it with a camera where needed, and put a written quote in your hands. The quote lists the scope, the materials and brands we'll use, and the flat price. You don't pay for that. What you'll get is a number you can plan around, with no obligation and no pressure to book. That's Clause 1 of the Haven Standard in action: nobody works on your chimney until the whole thing is in writing and you've said yes.

Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Level Two Chimney Ashburn, serving Ashburn and surrounding Northern Virginia communities.