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 Decatur
A chimney inspection in Decatur typically costs $149 – $329 for a Level 1 or Level 2 assessment, with camera scans adding $99 – $189 depending on flue height and access. Most Decatur inspections take 45 – 90 minutes, and our crews arrive with the equipment needed to spot the problems older masonry chimneys hide. If you own a pre-WWII home in Oakhurst or Winnona Park, or burn wood regularly in a rural property on the edges of Decatur, you need someone who knows what to look for before small issues become chimney fires. Call (762) 356-6423 and we’ll schedule an inspection at a time that works for you.
Why Alcott Chimney Atlanta Is Decatur’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Decatur homeowners deal with a specific set of chimney problems: original brick flues from the 1920s, high humidity that accelerates mortar decay, and wood stoves that get pushed hard all winter in the more rural pockets around town. Our Chimney Inspection team works these issues every week. We have walked hundreds of Decatur rooflines, from the Craftsman bungalows along East Howard Avenue to the Victorians off South Candler Street, and we know which failure points show up block by block.
Ruben Castellano runs Alcott Chimney Sweep, and he built the company around a simple rule: the person we send to your home should be the person you were told to expect. Every technician is background-checked and identity-verified under the Threshold Standard before they ever set foot on your property. You receive the technician’s name and photo before the visit, and that same tech will show a photo ID badge at your door. No exceptions. That matters when you are home alone with young children or when an older family member is answering the door.
We do not ask you to trust a vague promise. We give you a written price before any work starts, a written guarantee on every repair, and a free second visit if that repair fails within the coverage period. The 365-Day Done Right Promise means a full year of accountability on every job we complete in Decatur.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Fire in Decatur
A chimney fire in Decatur is what happens when creosote, the tar-like byproduct of wood combustion, builds up until it ignites inside the flue. Homes in Decatur’s older neighborhoods and the rural properties on the city’s outskirts are particularly vulnerable because wood stoves and open fireplaces often run for months at a time. A standard inspection before burning season costs $149 – $229, and it is the cheapest insurance you can buy against a fire that can crack flue tiles, melt mortar, and spread to your roof structure in minutes.
What We Check During a Fire-Prevention Inspection
We measure creosote thickness at multiple points in the flue, not just at the damper where it is easy to see. On wood stoves, we check the connector pipe, the chimney cap, and the spark arrestor for glaze buildup that signals low-temperature burns.
When Decatur Homeowners Call Us About Fires
Most calls come after a neighbor’s chimney fire or after a homeowner hears a roar like a freight train in the flue. If you have already had a fire, do not burn again until we inspect the structure. Heat over 2,000°F can crack flue liners invisibly, and the next fire may escape into the house.
Level 2 Chimney Inspection in Decatur
A Level 2 Chimney Inspection in Decatur is required whenever you change fuel type, modify the system, or buy or sell a home, and it includes everything in a Level 1 plus a camera scan of the entire flue interior. In Decatur, where real estate transactions involve a lot of 1920s and 1930s homes with original masonry chimneys, this inspection is the standard for closing. Expect to pay $279 – $329 for the full inspection with camera documentation, which we provide as digital photos you can review with us on site.
Camera Scan of Flue Interiors
We run a video scope from the firebox to the chimney crown, recording every foot of the flue. That footage shows spalling mortar, cracked tiles, hidden voids behind corbels, and water staining that a visual-only Level 1 would miss. You keep the footage, and we walk you through what we found before recommending any repair.
Real Estate Inspection Reports
Selling a house in Decatur? Buyers increasingly ask for a Level 2 report before closing. Homeowners order one before listing so there are no surprises during negotiation. We provide a written report with photos, a clear summary of findings, and a prioritized list of what needs attention now versus what can wait.
Trusted Brands We Service in Decatur
When a Decatur chimney needs repair, we install the materials professionals specify, not whatever the box store stocks. We install HeatShield resurfacing systems to restore deteriorated flues without a full rebuild, and we use Olympia Chimney caps and dampers for weather protection on older masonry chimneys. For liner replacement, we carry Famco and Copperfield components so common repair parts are on the truck when we arrive, which means faster turnaround for Decatur homeowners who want the job done right the first time.
See the difference
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AfterCommon Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Decatur Homes
- Spalling bricks and missing mortar joints on original chimneys. Decatur’s humid summers and heavy spring rains saturate old brick, then freeze-thaw cycles in January and February pop the brick faces off. Once the outer face is gone, water gets deeper into the structure every storm.
- Hidden creosote behind decorative brick corbels in Oakhurst. Those corbels are beautiful, but they create ledges and shadowed voids where creosote accumulates out of sight. A standard visual check will miss it. We remove the corbel or scope behind it to see what is actually there.
- Water-damaged smoke chambers in unlined flues. Winnona Park and the MAK District are full of chimneys built before flue liners were code. High humidity accelerates mortar erosion inside the smoke chamber, creating a rough surface that collects creosote faster each burning season.
- Creosote-glazed wood stove flues on rural Decatur properties. Homes that burn wood for primary heat through Georgia’s short but real winter can load a flue with third-degree creosote in a single season if the wood is not seasoned or the burns run low and slow. We see this constantly in the more rural pockets east and south of downtown Decatur.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Decatur, GA
A Level 1 visual Chimney Inspection in Decatur runs $149 – $179. A Level 2 with camera scan runs $279 – $329, and a Level 3 inspection, which involves opening part of the chimney structure to access hidden areas, starts around $600 – $900 depending on what has to be opened and restored. Camera-only flue inspections run $99 – $189. These are honest mid-market Atlanta-metro prices, not lowball hooks. Every inspection comes with a written quote before any work starts, so there is never a surprise at the end. Call (762) 356-6423 for a free estimate on your specific chimney.
We Also Serve Cities Near Decatur
Our crews cover the full corridor around Decatur, including Clarkston, Conley, Redan, and Atlanta. If you are just outside the city line and burn wood as a primary heat source, the same inspection standards and written guarantees apply. We coordinate scheduling from our Atlanta office and dispatch crews to Decatur every day of the week.
Serving Decatur, GA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Decatur 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 Decatur
Oakhurst’s original chimneys often feature decorative brick corbels, projecting ledges that stick out from the chimney face. Those corbels create shadowed recesses where creosote and moisture collect out of sight from the ground or the roof. We inspect behind and beneath each corbel course during our Level 2 camera scans because that is where we have found third-degree tar glaze and hairline cracks that other inspections miss. Call (762) 356-6423 to book an inspection that actually looks behind the brick.
At minimum once per year, before the first sustained burn of the season. If you burn unseasoned wood or run the stove low and slow through January and February, check the flue again mid-winter. We have pulled third-degree creosote out of flues that were clean in October because the burning practice loaded the liner in eight weeks. A mid-season check costs less than a chimney fire.
Decatur gets intense spring downpours that pool on flat chimney crowns and drive water under worn flashing. On older homes, mortar crowns crack and let water into the brick, which then spalls and deteriorates through the following winter. We inspect crowns and flashing every time we do a chimney inspection in Decatur, regardless of what we were called for, because water damage is the root cause of most masonry chimney failures here.
No, not reliably. A Level 1 inspection is a visual check of accessible areas, and the inside of an unlined brick flue is rarely accessible without a camera. Water intrusion shows up as stained walls, eroded mortar, and spalled brick inside the smoke chamber, none of which you can see from the firebox. A Level 2 with camera scan is the right tool for Decatur homes built before flue liners became standard.
Burn seasoned hardwood with a moisture content below 20 percent, and run the stove hot enough to produce a clean burn rather than a smolder. Avoid closing the damper all the way overnight unless your stove is designed for that. Rake out ash before each burn so air circulates through the firebox. These habits keep creosote as dry flaky soot instead of the tar-like glaze that requires chemical or mechanical removal.
Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner at Alcott Chimney Atlanta, serving Decatur since 2002.