All 50 states
Tell us your ZIP code and what is going on. A screened local pro takes it from there, with the price in writing before any work starts.
Your request goes to a screened local company that covers your ZIP code.
They look at the chimney and put the price in writing before starting anything.
You approve the number, or you don't. Either way the visit costs you nothing to arrange.
What you get
The price before the work
A written estimate first, every time. Nothing starts until you have said yes to the number.
You see the reason, not just the price
Anything a pro says needs doing, they show you first: on camera where the job calls for a level 2 scan, in front of you where it does not.
Somewhere to go if it goes wrong
Tell us and it gets recorded and acted on. A company that fails the standard loses its place in the network, and that is a lever we actually hold.
Every company in the network is checked for license and insurance before it joins, and checked again if a complaint comes in. It is a check on the business, not a guarantee about the person who knocks, so ask to see both before work starts.
Brush-and-vacuum sweep with a camera check on the same visit.
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Creosote and soot removal, with the inspection included.
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Level 1, 2 and 3, and which one your situation calls for.
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Crowns, caps, flue tiles and structural masonry.
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Pilots, valves and the annual combustion check.
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The full run cleared, not just the first three feet.
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Rain, animals and downdrafts, solved by one part.
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Stainless or cast-in-place, when the flue has failed.
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Fireboxes, dampers, panels and draft faults.
Learn more →You do not need the right word for it. Find the one closest to what is happening at your house and the page behind it says what usually causes it, whether it can wait, and what fixing it involves.
Water is getting in above and running down inside the structure. Usually the flashing, the crown or a missing cap, and it costs more every season it runs.
What causes chimney leaks →Stop using itThe chimney is not drawing. It can be a blockage in the flue, or the house pulling air the wrong way. Do not light another fire until someone has looked.
What causes a smoking fireplace →CommonCreosote and humid air. The smell is telling you how much is up there, and it gets worse every warm, wet week until the flue is swept.
What causes fireplace smells →Address soonWater soaked into the brick, froze, and pushed the face off. Every winter takes another layer, and once the mortar goes the repair stops being cosmetic.
What causes spalling brick →CommonA fire that sulks, smokes and dies is a draft problem. Blockage, flue size, or a house sealed tight enough that the chimney has nothing to pull.
What causes a weak chimney draft →Do not light itSomething has moved into an uncapped flue. Some species are federally protected and cannot legally be removed until the young have fledged, so the sooner it is identified the better.
What causes animals in the chimney →
01
Pick a service or describe the symptom, add your ZIP code, and choose a time that works. Takes about two minutes.
02
We match you with a screened local pro covering your ZIP code: an independent company, checked for license and insurance before it joined.
03
We confirm the visit, give a clear estimate before work starts, and you approve every step.
Every state has its own hub, written from that state's weather and housing records. Wherever you are the standard is the same: a screened local pro, and an estimate in writing before anything starts.
Most people never see the top of their own chimney. These are the three problems that bring homeowners to us most often, side by side with what a sound one looks like.
The concrete slab on top has split and a corner has broken away. Every rainfall now runs into the brickwork instead of off it.
Recast so it slopes away from the flue, with an edge that throws water clear of the brick. The cheapest repair on this page, and the one that prevents the most.
What this costs and how long it takes →
The dark glaze coating the tiles is stage-three creosote. It is fuel, it is sitting in the path of every fire you light, and no brush will shift it.
Swept back to bare clay so the joints are visible again. Bare tile is also the only state in which the liner can actually be inspected.
What this costs and how long it takes →
The metal has lifted off the brick and the sealant has shrunk back. The stain running down the shingles is the water that has already gone in.
Step flashing tucked back into the mortar course under a continuous counter-flashing line. Most chimney leaks are this, not the chimney.
What this costs and how long it takes →These photographs illustrate the conditions themselves, not any particular customer's job. Nothing on this site is presented as a specific home unless it is one.
Homeowners on VIO
Courteous from the first call to the walkthrough
“Everyone we dealt with was on time and respectful of the house — shoe covers, drop cloths, the whole routine. The technician explained everything in plain English and never tried to sell us something we didn't need. We've already recommended VIO to two neighbors.”
Susan K. Verified
Dryer works like new again
“Our dryer had been taking two cycles for a single load. The technician pulled a startling amount of lint out of the vent run and showed me the airflow difference afterward. Only wish I could have gotten a slot a bit sooner — the work itself was great.”
Derek B. Verified
Straight answers, zero upsell
“I filled out the request form expecting phone tag and got a real appointment window instead. The inspector was patient with all of my questions and left us a simple list of what was fine and what wasn't. Refreshingly straightforward from start to finish.”
Angela P. Verified
Storm-damaged cap replaced without the runaround
“A windstorm knocked our old chimney cap loose and birds had started taking an interest. the company they matched us with fitted a screened stainless cap and pointed out some early crown wear to keep an eye on — with zero pressure to do anything else on the spot.”
Beth C. Verified
Franklin, TN
Thorough, tidy, and honest
“Took a little back-and-forth to land a time that worked, but the visit itself was excellent. The technician showed me the creosote on camera before cleaning and again after, and left zero dust behind. The fireplace draws noticeably better now.”
Travis H. Verified
East Nashville
The inspection our home purchase needed
“We scheduled a Level 2 inspection before closing on a house in Westlake. The camera scan came with a written report in plain English that we handed straight to our agent. No scare tactics — just a clear list of what needed attention and what didn't.”
Dana W. Verified
Westlake, OH
Ethan Miller · Chimney specialist
Ryan Carter · Founder
VIO CHIMNEY was founded by Ryan Carter in 2019, and 7 years later the promise has not moved: a written estimate before any work, a level 2 scan you can watch if the job calls for one, and a pro who explains what they found in plain language.
Every guide and page on this site is reviewed by Ethan Miller, our chimney specialist, so what you read here matches what the work actually involves on a roof, not marketing copy about it.
NationalChimney doctors is a name, not a certification. Learn what they do, which credentials are real, and how VIO matches you with vetted local companies.
guides · 12 min
NationalNeed an on duty chimney company tonight? Learn which chimney problems are real after-hours emergencies and how VIO matches you with local pros.
guides · 12 min
NationalPlanning a custom fireplace? The three tiers, why venting decides the design, and the code rule on mantels. VIO matches you with local pros who look first.
guides · 16 min$170 to $320 across most of the US for one accessible wood-burning flue, with the Level 1 inspection included rather than billed separately. A second flue in the same stack, glazed stage-three creosote, or a blockage that has to come out first each push it higher, and all three are knowable before anyone starts. Anything under about $120 is usually an inspection being sold as a sweep.
NFPA 211 calls for an inspection every year, and cleaning when the inspection finds enough creosote to warrant it. Those are two different things, and the annual one is the inspection. How fast creosote builds depends on how much you burn, what you burn, and how well the chimney draws.
Then they tell you that, and you pay for the visit you booked. A pro who finds nothing and invents something is the reason we take complaints seriously; it is one of the things that gets a company removed from the network. Ask for the findings in writing either way; a company that will not put a clean bill of health on paper is telling you something.
No. We are a national brand that takes your request and connects you with an independent local chimney company that covers your ZIP code. They do the work, set the price and bill you directly. We check them before they join the network and we act on complaints, up to removing them from it.
A sweep done properly is a sealed job: the hearth gets closed off, drop cloths go down, and a vacuum runs the whole time. Soot in the living room means the seal was not done properly, and that is worth saying to the company on the day rather than after they have gone.
Nothing, and it commits you to nothing. You get a written estimate before any work starts and you can say no to it. What you pay for is the visit and the work you approve.
NFPA 211 requires one at the transfer of a property, so this is not a judgement call. It is the level that includes a camera scan of the full flue plus attic, crawl space and roof access: $250 to $500, against a Level 1 visual that is usually included with a sweep. On a house you have not lived in, the flue is the part no survey looks inside.
Tell us your ZIP code and what you need. The pro who covers it quotes the job in writing, and nothing starts until you approve the number.
