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 Ellicott City, MD
Photos don’t exaggerate. When we pull a creosote-logged brush out of a flue in Ellicott City, the camera shows exactly what we found before we touched it, and exactly what it looked like when we finished. Every project below follows the same pattern: document the problem, do the work, photograph the result. That’s how you know what you paid for.
Recent Transformations
Heavy Creosote Removal in a Dorsey Hall Wood-Burning Fireplace
The flue liner had a quarter-inch of shiny, tar-like Class III creosote, which is the kind that fuels chimney fires once it ignites. We ran a rotary steel brush the full length of the liner, removed the debris through a sealed vacuum system, and camera-scanned the flue afterward. The homeowner left with 14 photos showing the liner from firebox to cap, plus a written report noting one minor mortar joint worth watching.
Full Fireplace and Smoke Chamber Cleaning in Font Hill
Smoke chambers are the part of a fireplace most sweeps in Ellicott City won’t touch properly because they’re hard to reach. This one in Font Hill had half an inch of soot layered on every corbeled brick, slowing draft and pushing smoke back into the room. Our tech brushed each tier by hand, vacuumed the debris, and photographed the chamber from below so the owner could see clean brick instead of buildup.
Chimney Cap Replacement After Squirrel Entry in Turf Valley
We found nesting material scattered down the entire flue, and the cap itself was rusted through along one seam, which is the entry point. After removing the nest and sweeping the flue, we installed a new stainless steel cap with half-inch mesh sides and sealed it to the crown. The before-and-after photos show the gap closed and the flue clear, and the homeowner got the full photo record under Clause 4 of the Haven Standard.
Neglected Oil Furnace Flue Cleaning in an Oella Rowhouse
Oil furnace flues don’t produce the heavy creosote you see in wood-burning chimneys, but they build sulfuric scale that corrodes terracotta liners from the inside. This Oella rowhouse had six years of scale on the liner walls, which we removed with a poly brush sized for that flue. The camera scan afterward showed the liner intact, and we noted in writing that the homeowner was fine for another two seasons before needing another look.
Spalling Crown Repair After a Chimney Sweep in Patapsco Woods
During a routine sweep, our camera caught what was happening above the flue: the crown was spalled, meaning the top layer of concrete was flaking off in chunks, and water had been seeping into the masonry below. We rebuilt the crown with proper slope away from the flue and sealed it. The photo record from this job includes 22 images, starting with the initial sweep and ending with the finished crown work.
Prefab Fireplace Cleaning in a Chatham Gardens Townhouse
Prefab fireplaces in Ellicott City townhouses run through round metal flue pipes that need a specific wire brush size. This Chatham Gardens unit had enough soot and creosote to restrict the draft, and the owner noticed smoke backing up on cold starts. We swept the pipe, verified the joints with the camera, and confirmed the firebox was safe to use. The owner walked away with a written price for the work before we started, as always, and the photo record when we finished.
Want Results Like These?
Every chimney in Ellicott City looks different when the work is done, and yours will too. We will show you the before and after photos, explain what you are seeing in plain terms, and give you a written price before any work starts. Call (443) 363-5262 to schedule your sweep.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Level Two Chimney Ellicott City, serving Ellicott City since 2009.