Fireplace Services in Madison Heights - Checked, Photographed, Then Priced

Chimney Cleaning in Madison Heights, MI

Chimney cleaning in Madison Heights typically costs $189 to $349 for a standard sweep with a camera-scan inspection, and most jobs are completed in under two hours. What makes Madison Heights different is the housing: nearly every chimney here sits on a 1950s or 1960s ranch that originally burned oil, then got converted to gas, and the flue was never properly resized or relined for that switch. That single fact drives more of what we find in Madison Heights chimneys than anything else. If you need a sweep or an inspection, call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll give you a written price before any work starts.

Call (980) 580-8641

We’re Emberly Chimney Cleaners, and we’ve inspected and cleaned more than 38,000 chimneys since 2009. Every visit includes a camera-scan inspection under NFPA 211 Level 2 standards and a documented photo record you keep. Our full Chimney Cleaning & Sweep process is described below, along with repair and liner work, Madison Heights pricing, and the neighborhoods we cover.

Why Madison Heights Homes Are Different

Madison Heights was built out almost entirely in the 1950s and 1960s as a post-war inner-ring suburb. Most homes are modest 1,000 to 1,400 square foot ranches and cape cods, and a large share originally heated with oil. When those systems converted to natural gas, the oversized masonry flues stayed. Gas burns cooler and cleaner than oil, which sounds fine, but it produces acidic condensation against a clay tile liner that was never meant for that chemistry. We see the result constantly: tile liners that look flaky and soft on camera, mortar joints eaten back, and second abandoned oil flues sitting alongside an active gas flue, full of decades-old tar nobody ever swept.

Then there’s the weather. Southeast Michigan’s freeze-thaw cycles, with temperatures crossing 32°F dozens of times each winter, are hard on aging brick and mortar crowns. Water gets into hairline cracks during the day’s thaw, freezes and expands at night, and pushes the crown apart a little more each season. In the dense ranch blocks between 11 Mile and 13 Mile Road, our technicians regularly find what we call a ghost flue: an original oil-heat tile liner abandoned since the 1970s gas conversion, caked in old oil soot, sitting directly next to the active flue. It’s a hidden moisture channel and a fire-risk surface no homeowner has looked at in decades. This combination of housing stock and climate is why annual camera-scan inspection matters so much more in Madison Heights than in newer suburbs like Sterling Heights just to the north.

Our Main Madison Heights Services

Beyond sweeping, these two services get the most calls from Madison Heights homeowners.

Fireplace Services in Madison Heights

Most fireplaces in Madison Heights are original wood-burning masonry units built into the same 1950s-era chimney stack. The typical issues we address are poor draft, smoke rollout into the living room, deteriorated firebox brick, and dampers that no longer seal. We inspect the firebox, smoke chamber, damper, and flue liner with a camera so you see exactly what’s happening before you decide on any repair. Fireplace Services in Madison Heights covers the full scope of what we do, from gas log line checks to full firebox rebuilds.

Chimney Cap & Crown in Madison Heights

A cracked or missing crown is the leading cause of water damage in Madison Heights chimneys, and water damage is the leading cause of liner failure. We pour new concrete crowns with proper slope and drip edges, and we install multi-flue caps sized to the chimney. For homes that still have an unused oil flue, a properly sized cap keeps rain from entering a liner that was never built to be wet. Chimney Cap & Crown in Madison Heights walks through the repair and replacement process in detail.

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After

Chimney Cleaning & Sweep in Madison Heights

Chimney cleaning and sweeping in Madison Heights is not just about removing soot. Because so many of the chimneys here are 50 to 70 years old and were converted from oil to gas without a liner swap, every sweep should include a camera-scan inspection to check the actual condition of the tile liner behind the soot. You can’t see liner cracks, spalling, or ghost-flue deterioration from the rooftop with a flashlight, and that’s exactly what we document on every Madison Heights job. Our full Chimney Cleaning & Sweep protocol follows the same standard we’ve used since 2009, with a written price before work starts and a photo record when it’s done.

Level 1 Inspection

Signs you need it

You burn wood occasionally, have never had the chimney inspected since buying your Madison Heights home, and want a baseline on flue condition before the next burning season.

What it costs in Madison Heights

A Level 1 inspection runs $129 to $199 when bundled with a standard sweep, and it includes a visual check of accessible chimney parts.

How we do it

We inspect the firebox, damper, smoke chamber visible from below, and the flue interior with a camera, then we hand you a written report with photos.

Level 2 Inspection

Signs you need it

You just bought or sold a Madison Heights home, the house experienced a chimney fire, or the gas conversion was done before any liner work was documented.

What it costs in Madison Heights

A Level 2 camera-scan inspection runs $229 to $399 in Madison Heights, and it is the standard we include on every first visit.

How we do it

We push a camera down the full flue from the roof, document every face of the tile liner, and give you still photos with a written scope of anything we find.

Creosote Removal

Signs you need it

You see black, shiny, or flaky buildup on the flue walls, or your fires burn hot and the smoke smells acrid rather than clean.

What it costs in Madison Heights

Creosote removal is included in a standard sweep at $189 to $349, but heavy Class III creosote can add $100 to $200 for chemical treatment.

How we do it

We run rotary brushes matched to the flue size, then treat stubborn glaze with a creosote conditioner and re-sweep once it softens.

Annual Sweep

Signs you need it

You burn wood at all, even ten fires a season, and the last sweep was more than twelve months ago on a 1950s or 1960s Madison Heights chimney.

What it costs in Madison Heights

An annual sweep with Level 2 camera inspection runs $189 to $349, and we recommend it every year for active wood-burning fireplaces.

How we do it

We sweep the flue, vacuum the firebox and smoke chamber, check the damper operation, and run the camera before and after so you see the difference.

What Chimney Cleaning & Sweep Costs in Madison Heights

How often should a chimney be swept in Madison Heights?

Every year if you burn wood, even occasionally. The 1950s-era flues here were sized for oil and run dirty with gas, and annual camera inspection catches liner damage before it becomes a liner replacement.

Can you clean a chimney that was converted from oil to gas without a liner?

We can sweep it, but a sweep will not fix an oversized tile liner venting gas. We’ll show you the camera footage and tell you plainly whether a stainless liner is needed or whether cleaning is enough for now.

Chimney Repair in Madison Heights

Chimney repair in Madison Heights usually starts with one visible symptom: a spalling brick face, a rusted flashing line, or white staining on the brick inside the house. What you cannot see is what the freeze-thaw cycles and decades of acidic gas condensation have done inside the flue. Our approach on every repair call is to camera-scan the full chimney first, then give you a written repair scope with photos, so you know exactly what’s wrong and what it costs before anything gets touched. The full Chimney Repair process is documented on our repair hub page.

Mortar Repointing

Signs you need it

You can pick mortar out of the joints with a key, see gaps between bricks, or notice the mortar bed has pulled away from brick edges on your Madison Heights chimney.

What it costs in Madison Heights

Repointing runs $20 to $40 per square foot, and a partial repoint of a single chimney face in Madison Heights typically lands between $600 and $1,800.

How we do it

We grind out the failed joint to a clean depth, then pack in fresh mortar matched to the original color and texture in two lifting layers.

Chimney Waterproofing

Signs you need it

Your chimney brick darkens after rain, shows a white efflorescence bloom, or the interior wall near the chimney feels damp.

What it costs in Madison Heights

Chimney waterproofing in Madison Heights runs $400 to $900 for a full application over cleaned, repointed brick.

How we do it

We clean the brick, repair any failed joints or cracks, then apply a vapor-permeable siloxane water repellent that lets the chimney breathe while blocking rain absorption.

Flashing Repair

Signs you need it

You see water staining on the ceiling or wall where the chimney meets the roofline, or the existing flashing is rusted, lifted, or buried under old roofing tar.

What it costs in Madison Heights

Flashing repair or replacement runs $400 to $1,200 depending on how much of the roof-side flashing needs to be cut back and replaced.

How we do it

We cut new step flashing into the mortar joints, replace the counter-flashing, and seal the intersection so water sheds away from the chimney chase.

What Chimney Repair Costs in Madison Heights

Do I need to repoint my chimney before waterproofing it in Madison Heights?

Yes. Waterproofing over failed mortar traps moisture inside the brick and makes freeze-thaw damage worse. We repoint first, then waterproof, and our written scope shows both steps before we start.

Why does my Madison Heights chimney brick keep flaking off?

That flaking is spalling, and it usually comes from water absorbed into the brick face. Southeast Michigan’s freeze-thaw cycles force the surface to pop off in sheets. The fix is repointing, waterproofing, and sometimes partial rebuilding.

Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Madison Heights

In Madison Heights, liner issues are the rule, not the exception. The gas conversion left thousands of oversized clay tile flues venting modern appliances, and the acidic condensation from that setup has been chewing at tile joints for 30 to 50 years. We pull the camera out of a Madison Heights chimney and often find the same picture: cracked tile faces, eroded mortar, or a full separation where the flue is no longer continuous. The full Chimney Liner & Rebuild scope is laid out on our liner hub page.

Stainless Steel Liner

Signs you need it

Your camera inspection shows fractured or separated clay tiles, or you are venting a gas appliance through an oversized oil-era flue with no liner.

What it costs in Madison Heights

Stainless steel liner installation in Madison Heights typically runs $2,200 to $4,200 depending on flue height, access, and whether the old tile must be broken out first.

How we do it

We size the liner to the exact BTU and appliance type, lower it through the flue, connect it at the appliance and at the top plate, and verify the run with a final camera pass.

Partial Rebuild

Signs you need it

The upper few courses of your chimney are loose, the crown is cracked and separated, or the brick at the roofline has spalled badly.

What it costs in Madison Heights

A partial chimney rebuild from the roofline up runs $1,200 to $3,000 for a typical Madison Heights single-flue chimney.

How we do it

We tear down to sound brick, rebuild the courses with matched brick and mortar, pour a new crown with proper slope, and cap each flue before we finish.

Full Chimney Rebuild

Signs you need it

Your chimney is leaning, the brick is spalling across most of the stack, or interior damage extends below the roofline.

What it costs in Madison Heights

Full chimney rebuilding in Madison Heights starts around $4,500 to $8,000 for an average single-story ranch, but heavily damaged stacks can run higher.

How we do it

We dismantle the entire stack to the firebox, rebuild it with new brick and a new tile or steel liner, install a proper cap and crown, and document the full rebuild with photos.

What Chimney Liner & Rebuild Costs in Madison Heights

Do I really need a new liner if my chimney was just inspected and cleaned?

You might not. Some Madison Heights liners are intact and fine. That’s exactly what the camera footage tells us, and we would rather show you healthy tile than sell you steel you don’t need.

My Madison Heights home has two flues. Why do I need to liner both?

You don’t necessarily, but if the ghost oil flue is deteriorating, it becomes a moisture channel that damages the whole chimney chase. We’ll show you the footage from each flue and quote only the work the evidence supports.

Brands We Service in Madison Heights

We stock and install parts from DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Copperfield, which cover the most common Madison Heights liner, waterproofing, and cap needs without special ordering. Most liner and cap parts arrive from our Detroit dispatch point within two business days. Our brands page lists the full range and what each part is best suited for in a gas-converted 1950s chimney.

Pricing for Chimney Cleaning in Madison Heights, MI

Neighborhoods We Serve in Madison Heights

We cover every block of Madison Heights, from the ranch rows north of 12 Mile down to the older streets near 9 Mile, and east from Stephenson Highway over to Groves High School. Response time for a scheduled sweep is typically one to four business days, with tighter availability in the weeks before burning season.

• Garden Homes
• Lincoln Woods
• Meadowbrook
• The Avenues (between 11 Mile and 13 Mile)
• Madison Park

Service Area - Cities Near Madison Heights

Our crews also serve the surrounding inner-ring suburbs with the same written-price and camera-scan standard. That includes Royal Oak, MI, Sterling Heights, MI, Warren, MI, and Roseville, MI. Each city gets the same documented photo record and the same Haven Standard before any work begins.

FAQs About Chimney Cleaning in Madison Heights