The short answer
Expert Chimney Sweep provides chimney sweeping, inspections, repairs, liner installation, waterproofing, and dryer vent and air duct cleaning in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (11201). We're about a mile away in Clinton Hill and work with the neighborhood's brownstones, rowhouses and pre-war buildings.
Boerum Hill's brownstones, rowhouses and pre-war apartment buildings were built around masonry chimneys. Many of those flues have since served coal, oil, gas and wood fires. Expert Chimney Sweep works throughout Boerum Hill and the 11201 ZIP code, about a mile from our office in Clinton Hill. Our certified technicians clean, inspect and repair chimneys, fireplaces and the vents that carry exhaust out of your home, including dryer vents and air ducts. Whether you light a fireplace on winter weekends or simply need your boiler flue to work all heating season, we can help you understand what your chimney needs and why.
Chimneys in Older Boerum Hill Homes
Most homes in Boerum Hill are attached masonry buildings, so a chimney often shares walls with the house next door and runs through several floors before reaching the roof. Over the decades, many of these flues were relined, partly blocked off, or converted from one fuel to another. Others were never relined at all. Because those changes aren't always documented, you can't tell from the outside what condition a flue is in.
A sweep and inspection shows how your chimney is actually built today. That includes the condition of the liner, the mortar joints, the crown and the damper, and whether anything is blocking the flue, such as debris, fallen brick or animal nests. On a shared roofline, we also look at how your chimney meets the roof and the walls around it, because that is where water usually gets in.
Brooklyn Weather and Your Masonry
New York winters are hard on brick. Water soaks into porous masonry and mortar, freezes, expands and then thaws, often many times in a single season. Each cycle widens small cracks. Wind-driven rain from coastal storms and humid summers adds more moisture. Over time this shows up as spalling brick, crumbling crowns, rusted dampers and water stains on ceilings or walls near the chimney.
Our repair and waterproofing work is aimed at keeping water out before it does structural damage:
- Chimney caps and chase covers to keep rain, snow and animals out of the flue
- Crown repair and repointing of deteriorated mortar joints
- Vapor-permeable waterproofing that lets masonry dry while shedding rain
- Fireplace and damper repair for rusted or stuck dampers
- Partial or full chimney rebuilding when masonry is beyond repair
Boilers, Heat Season and Liners
Many Boerum Hill buildings are heated by a boiler that vents through the chimney. New York City's heat season runs from October 1 through May 31, and owners must keep apartments heated to the city's minimum temperatures during that time. That makes a working flue a practical necessity, not just a fireplace concern. Late summer and early fall are good times to schedule an inspection, before the boiler runs every day.
If your building converts its boiler from oil to gas, the chimney has to be evaluated as part of the job. A new liner is often needed, because gas exhaust produces acidic condensate that can corrode an unlined or poorly lined masonry flue. We inspect the existing flue and install a properly sized liner when one is needed.
Time for your annual chimney check?
Inspections and What Level You Need
The NFPA 211 standard calls for chimneys, fireplaces and vents to be inspected once a year. A Level 1 inspection fits when nothing about the system has changed. A Level 2 inspection applies when something changes, such as a new appliance or a switch of fuel, and when a home is sold. That second case is common here, since many Boerum Hill brownstones and rowhouses change hands. A Level 3 inspection is reserved for cases where a hidden hazard has to be reached by opening part of the chimney or building.
Dryer Vents and Air Ducts
In attached homes and apartments, dryer vents often run a long way to reach an outside wall. That gives lint more places to collect. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, failure to clean is the leading factor contributing to clothes dryer fires in homes. Signs that a vent needs cleaning include clothes taking longer to dry, a hot laundry area, or a burning smell.
For air ducts, we follow the U.S. EPA's guidance. Cleaning makes sense when there is substantial visible mold growth, vermin, or excessive dust and debris. The EPA notes that duct cleaning has not been shown to prevent health problems, so we'll tell you honestly whether your system needs it. We also explain any chemical treatment before it is used.
ZIP codes we serve
- 11201
Services in Boerum Hill
- Chimney Sweep in Boerum Hill
- Chimney Inspection in Boerum Hill
- Chimney Repair in Boerum Hill
- Air Duct Cleaning in Boerum Hill
- Chimney Liner Installation in Boerum Hill
