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 Plantation
A chimney inspection in Plantation typically runs $189 to $425 for most homes, depending on what level of inspection your fireplace or flue actually needs. We book inspections across Plantation Monday through Saturday, with crews familiar with everything from 1960s ranch-style fireplaces in Plantation Acres to prefabricated metal chimneys in the newer gated communities off Nob Hill Road. Our Chimney Inspection team answers the phone live, 24/7, and we show up in the window we give you. Call (754) 354-1451 and you’ll speak to a person, not a call center. Nathan Corliss runs our operation, and he built it on one simple rule: written price before we start, written guarantee when we finish.
Why Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale Is Plantation’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Plantation homeowners call us for a simple reason. We tell them what the inspection costs before we step through the door, and we don’t change that number halfway through the job. Every inspection gets a written price first. Every repair recommendation gets camera evidence you can see with your own eyes. If we tell you a liner needs replacing, you’ll watch the footage that proves it. Nathan Corliss has run Ashby Chimney Sweep since 2002, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise means exactly what it says: if the work isn’t done right, we come back and make it right. No argument, no re-quote.
We serve all of Plantation, from the tree-lined streets of Plantation Isles to the larger lots and custom builds out in Plantation Acres. Our techs are background-checked and uniformed, so you know exactly who’s walking into your house. And when you call about a smoky fireplace on a cold January evening when the whole city finally fires up a chimney that’s been idle since spring, you get a live person, not voicemail.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Flue Inspection in Plantation
A Chimney Flue Inspection in Plantation is the specific check of the clay or steel tube that carries combustion gases out of your home, and it’s the part of a full chimney inspection that catches the problems you can’t see from the hearth. The flue is where creosote glazes, where moisture condenses, and where cracked clay tiles hide behind years of soot. In Plantation’s muggy climate, a rarely used flue can look fine on a quick visual pass while the inside is quietly rusting or spalling.
What We Check in the Flue
Our flue inspection checks for cracks, separation, creosote thickness, obstructions, and signs of moisture intrusion. We run a camera through the full length of the flue, from firebox to crown. In older Plantation homes we look closely at the clay tiles. In 1990s and 2000s builds, we’re checking the metal pipe for rust at the seams.
When Plantation Homeowners Need It
If your home has a fireplace you don’t use often, you need a flue inspection before you light the first fire of the season. Humid summers followed by a sudden cold front are the exact conditions that cause condensation inside idle flues. That condensation breaks down creosote into a glossy tar that a standard sweep won’t remove without a camera first telling us it’s there. A flue-specific inspection in Plantation typically runs $189 to $325, and if we find something we show you the footage before discussing next steps.
Chimney Fire in Plantation
A Chimney Fire in Plantation is what happens when creosote inside the flue reaches ignition temperature, and the reason it catches so many people off guard is that a fireplace can look fine and burn clean while the flue is coated with fuel. In Plantation, we see a particular pattern: homes that almost never burn wood, then fire up the fireplace hard during a rare cold snap. The flue is coated with third-degree creosote from years of small, smoldering fires mixed with humid, sticky air. The first hot, fast fire of winter flashes it.
Signs a Fire Has Already Happened
Homeowners often miss the indicators. Puffy or honeycombed creosote inside the flue, cracked or missing flue tiles, a warped damper, discolored masonry, or roofing material that shows heat damage near the chimney. If you’ve ever heard a loud rushing sound like a freight train in your chimney during a fire, that was a chimney fire. Even a small one. A Level 2 camera inspection after any odd chimney sound costs between $249 and $425 in Plantation, and it’s the only way to know whether the flue can still safely vent.
What We Recommend Afterward
If a fire has damaged the flue, we don’t guess. We scope it, show you the footage, and if the liner is compromised we’ll recommend HeatShield resurfacing or a stainless steel liner from Copperfield or Olympia Chimney. Some repairs are eligible for the Kingswell Guarantee, which covers the work in writing. If a covered repair fails inside the guarantee period, we return and correct it at no charge.
Trusted Brands We Service in Plantation
We service and repair chimneys built with components from Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Copperfield, and the other major chimney-trade manufacturers found in Plantation homes. We stock common replacement parts locally, which means less waiting when a damper, cap, or chase cover needs replacing. When a 1990s prefabricated chimney in a community off Pine Island Road needs a new chase top, we usually have the part on the truck or available same week. No special-order delays dragging out for a month.
Common Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Plantation Homes
- Third-degree creosote glazing in decorative fireplaces. Plantation has a lot of fireplaces that were built for looks and rarely used. That means creosote sits, absorbs humidity, and transforms into a hard, glossy tar that only a camera inspection reveals.
- Rusted metal chimneys in gated communities. The prefabricated metal chimneys common in Plantation’s 1990s and 2000s communities rust at the chase top and flashing points. Moisture gets in, leaks into the attic, and the homeowner sees a water stain before they ever consider the chimney.
- Chimney swift and rat nests in unused flues. Florida’s chimney swifts nest in open, uncapped flues during humid summers. By the time December arrives, the nest blocks the draft and forces carbon monoxide back into the living room on the first cool evening.
- Cracked clay flue tiles in 1960s-70s ranches. The masonry chimneys on older Plantation homes, especially in Plantation Acres, have been absorbing subtropical moisture for five decades. Clay tiles crack, spall, and separate, and the homeowner doesn’t find out until smoke backs up or a level 2 inspection scopes the damage.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterPricing for Chimney Inspection in Plantation, FL
We Also Serve Cities Near Plantation
Beyond Plantation, our crews regularly inspect chimneys in Fort Lauderdale, Margate, Pompano Beach, and Hollywood. If you live in one of those areas, you can learn more about our local service at our Chimney Inspection in Plantation page. Same written-price policy, same guarantee, same live answer when you call.
Serving Plantation, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Plantation 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 Plantation
Every two years is the longest we recommend, even for a never-used decorative chimney. An uncapped or poorly capped chimney in Plantation Acres still traps humidity, still collects debris, and still corrodes internally. You’ll never know until a camera goes up. That said, if it’s purely ornamental and properly capped, an inspection every three to five years may suffice. Annual is better if it’s connected to a fireplace you use even once a season. Call (754) 354-1451 and we’ll help you figure out the right interval for your home.
Rust forms at the chase top and flashing, not inside the flue itself in most cases. Plantation’s humid subtropical air condenses on the metal surfaces, especially where the chase cover meets the pipe. Once a pinhole opens, water follows the pipe into the attic, and the rust spreads. A Level 2 inspection identifies it before the ceiling stain appears. We inspect rusted metal chimneys all over the gated communities off Broward Boulevard, and the fix is usually a chase cover replacement and reseal, not a full rebuild.
Yes. A Level 2 camera inspection is the only reliable way to detect third-degree creosote glazing without brushing the flue first. Brushing removes creosote and hides evidence. We use the camera to see the glossy tar layer before any brushing happens. In Plantation’s humid conditions, second-degree creosote can turn into third-degree glazing much faster than it does in drier parts of Florida, which is exactly why we recommend a camera inspection rather than a simple sweep-and-visual check for any fireplace that’s been dormant for two or more seasons.
Smoke backing up into the room in a 1960s or 1970s Plantation ranch usually means one of three things: a blocked flue, a damper that isn’t fully opening, or a chimney that’s too short or too cold to draft properly on a warm Florida evening. We’ve found everything from raccoon nests to collapsed clay tiles. The first step is always a camera inspection to see what’s actually blocking the draft before we start taking things apart. Call (754) 354-1451 and describe what you’re seeing; we’ll tell you if it’s urgent or if it can wait a week.
Yes. If the chimney has never been swept and you’re not sure when it was last inspected, you need a full Level 2 camera inspection rather than a Level 1 visual check. Reason being, we don’t know what’s inside, and sweeping without knowing can make a bad flue worse. In older Plantation homes, the first inspection often uncovers years of hidden damage because the flue was never actually out of sight, just out of mind. Call us at (754) 354-1451 and we’ll schedule a date that works for you, written quote before anything starts.
Call Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale for Your Plantation Chimney Inspection
If you live in Plantation and haven’t had your chimney inspected in the last two years, or if you just bought a home here and don’t know the history of the fireplace, call Nathan Corliss and the team at Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale. We’ll schedule a real arrival window, give you a written price before any work begins, and back every recommendation with camera footage you can see for yourself. Call (754) 354-1451 for a free estimate. If a repair is covered and fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s in writing every single time.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale.