Chimney Sweep in Johnson City, NY

Why Johnson City Chimneys Wear Out

A chimney is a brick column standing out in the weather all year, and Johnson City weather is rough on it. The Binghamton area averages about 86 inches of snow and spends roughly 133 days a year below freezing. Water soaks into the brick on a wet afternoon, freezes overnight, swells and pushes the brick apart a little more each time.

That freeze-thaw cycle is why the top six or eight courses of brick on so many village chimneys look chewed. The mortar goes first, then the brick faces start to flake off (masons call it spalling), and then the crown at the very top cracks and lets water straight down beside the flue.

The Square Deal Houses

The Square Deal homes were built fast and built plain. Most chimneys were laid with soft lime mortar and lined with square clay flue tiles. Soft mortar is fine, it's meant to wear before the brick does, but after a century it needs repointing. The clay tiles are the bigger worry: one cracked tile lets heat and smoke reach the wood framing around the chimney.

We also find a lot of chimneys where the coal furnace was swapped for gas decades ago and the old flue was never relined. Gas exhaust is full of water vapor. In an oversized clay flue it condenses, mixes with the old soot and slowly eats the mortar from the inside. A stainless liner sized to the furnace fixes it.

Student Rentals and Landlords

With United Health Services and Binghamton University bringing renters into the village, plenty of Johnson City houses are now two or three apartments with a shared chimney. Landlords call us for a yearly sweep and a written note on the chimney's condition, which is handy to have on file for insurance.

Types of Chimney Service We Offer in Johnson City

Chimney Cleaning and Sweeping

We lay drop cloths, seal the fireplace or stove opening and brush the flue from the top or the bottom, depending on what the chimney allows. A shop vacuum with a fine filter catches the soot. Our single-flue sweeps take 60 to 90 minutes.

Chimney Inspection

Every sweep comes with an inspection once the flue is clean. If you're selling, buying or changing a furnace or stove, a camera inspection of the whole flue is the one to ask for. Details are on our chimney inspection page.

Chimney Liners

A stainless steel liner runs from the appliance to the top of the chimney and replaces a cracked clay lining. We size it to the furnace, water heater, stove or insert it serves.

Caps, Crowns and Brick

A stainless cap with mesh keeps rain and animals out, and it's the cheapest repair on any chimney. A cracked crown can be sealed with a crown coat if the cracks are fine, or rebuilt if the concrete is loose. Worn mortar joints get ground out and repointed with a mortar soft enough for old brick.

Signs a Johnson City Chimney Needs a Look

Most chimney trouble shows up as something small first. Call us if you notice any of these:

• A campfire smell in the house on humid summer days, which usually means creosote in the flue
• Brown water stains on the ceiling or wallpaper beside the chimney
• Bits of tile, mortar or brick in the fireplace or the cleanout at the bottom
• Smoke rolling into the room when you open the stove door
• White salt stains on the outside brick, a sign water is moving through it
• Birds or squirrels chattering inside the chimney in spring

None of these mean the chimney is about to fall down. They mean water, soot or an animal is getting somewhere it shouldn't, and the fix is almost always cheaper the earlier we see it. We've pulled more than one starling nest out of a Johnson City flue that had been blocking a furnace vent all winter.

What Chimney Work Costs in Johnson City

These are our standard prices and the typical ranges for repairs on village homes. We write every repair price down before we start, and we charge the same $250 sweep price here as we do in Binghamton.

The village just west of here has the same shoe-company history and a lot of the same chimneys. Our page on chimney sweep service in Endicott covers it.