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 Waltham, MA
We’ve cleaned and inspected more than 38,000 chimneys since 2009. Every job gets a photo record under Haven Standard Clause 4. This gallery shows what we actually find in Waltham flues, and what documented results look like when we’re done. No staging, no stock photography. These are the conditions our technicians encounter in neighborhoods from Cedarwood to the Highlands.
Recent Transformations
Class III Glazed Creosote Removal, Waltham Highlands
The homeowner in Waltham Highlands smelled smoke in the second-floor bedroom during shoulder-season fires. Our camera scan showed Class III glazed creosote, a hardened, tar-like deposit that forms when wood burns slowly and vapors condense on cool flue walls, reducing the liner diameter by roughly 40 percent and raising the risk of a chimney fire. We applied a creosote modifier, mechanically removed the glazed layer with rotary chains, and finished with a poly brush sweep. The after photos show bare terracotta flue tiles with full cross-section restored. Written scope, written price, written warranty delivered before we started, per Haven Standard Clause 1.
Spalling Firebox Rebuild with Smoke Chamber Parging, South Side
A South Side Waltham call came in after the homeowner noticed spalling, surface flaking of the firebrick caused by repeated thermal cycling and moisture penetration. The smoke chamber, the transition area above the damper that funnels smoke into the flue, had never been parged and showed corbelled brick with gaps that trapped creosote and created turbulence. We replaced deteriorated refractory panels, applied HeatShield cerfractory foam to the smoke chamber for a smooth, sloped surface, and swept the flue. The camera scan after shows a continuous path from firebox to cap with no ledges or obstructions. Photos and readings archived under Clause 4.
Blocked Flue from Failed Chimney Cap, Cedarwood
The Cedarwood homeowner had smoke backing up into the living room on windy days. No cap had been on the flue for years. We found a partially collapsed bird nest, leaf debris, and a Class II creosote layer underneath. The nest was removed manually, the flue swept, and a Gelco stainless steel cap with mesh screening installed to prevent re-entry. The after photos show an open, unobstructed flue with the new cap seated on a rebuilt crown, the concrete slab that tops the chimney and sheds water. We documented the crown integrity with photos and noted no cracks wider than one-sixteenth inch, so full crown rebuild was not recommended at this time.
Factory-Built Metal Chimney Restoration, Warrendale
This Warrendale home had a factory-built metal chimney, common in 1980s and 1990s construction, with a corroded outer jacket and a storm collar that had separated from the flue pipe, allowing water to run down into the chase. The inner liner was intact but the outer shell was rusting through at the roofline. We replaced the storm collar, installed new counter-flashing, applied high-temp sealant, and fitted a new Famco termination cap. The flue itself was swept and camera-scanned; the inner stainless steel liner showed no breaches or deformation. The homeowner received before and after photos of both the exterior chase condition and the internal liner scan, plus the written scope showing exactly what was replaced versus what was serviceable.
Historic Masonry Flue Liner Repair, Downtown Waltham
A downtown Waltham Victorian had an unlined masonry flue with deteriorated clay flue tiles, the individual terra cotta sections that form the chimney’s inner passage. Several tiles were cracked at the mortar joints, creating gaps where combustion gases could leak into the brick mass, a genuine carbon monoxide risk in an occupied home. We installed a DuraFlex stainless steel liner, poured vermiculite insulation around it to maintain flue temperature and reduce condensation, and connected it to the appliance with a proper thimble entry. The camera scan after shows a continuous, sealed path from appliance to termination. Because this was a liner installation, not a sweep, we still provided the full photo record and written warranty under Clause 4 and the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Smoke Stain Diagnosis and Damper Replacement, Piety Corner
Piety Corner homeowner had black stains creeping up the wall above the fireplace every winter. The throat damper, the metal plate just above the firebox that closes when the fireplace isn’t in use, was rusted open three-quarters of an inch and warped from years of heat cycling. Smoke was escaping at the top of the firebox opening, drawn by negative pressure in the house, rather than rising fully into the flue. We installed a top-sealing damper at the flue termination, which seals more tightly and improves updraft by keeping the flue column warmer, and parged minor smoke chamber irregularities. The stains haven’t returned. The photo record shows the rusted throat damper before, the new top-sealing assembly after, and the smoke chamber camera scan confirming laminar flow, not turbulence, at the transition.
Want Results Like These?
Every job starts with a written price, written scope, and written warranty, delivered before work begins, per Haven Standard Clause 1. Camera inspection and photo record included, per Clause 4. If you’ve got a written estimate from another company, we’ll give you a Free Second Opinion. Call (781) 649-9326 any time, day or night. A live person answers. Corrine Halstead, Owner, Level Two Chimney Waltham.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Level Two Chimney Waltham, serving Waltham since 2009.