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 Smithtown, NY
We’ve been cleaning chimneys in Smithtown since 1984, and we’ve learned that homeowners don’t need another promise. They need to see what a proper sweep actually looks like, what creosote buildup does to a flue over time, and what the difference is between a rushed job and one done right. The photos below are from real jobs across Suffolk County, documented with our level-2 camera so you can see the work for yourself.
Recent Transformations
Heavy Stage-3 Creosote Removal, Smithtown
The homeowner in the Smithtown Woods area had skipped sweeps since 2021. When they finally noticed a smoky smell on cold mornings, we ran the camera and found stage-3 glazed creosote a quarter-inch thick in spots. That’s a chimney fire waiting for a spark. We used rotary whips and poly brushes to break the glaze, then vacuumed every particle with a HEPA system. The after photos show bare liner, full draft restored, and no more smell. We left a written report with the images so they have a baseline for next year.
Blocked Flue From Animal Nesting, Nesconset
A family near Lake Ronkonkoma called in October because their fireplace was drafting backward into the living room. The flue was packed with a squirrel’s summer nest, compacted by rain into something nearly solid. We extracted it by hand and brush, ran the camera to confirm no damage to the clay liner, then installed a Gelco stainless cap with mesh screening. No more tenants, no more smoke in the house. Most of these jobs finish in a single visit, and this one did.
Smoke Chamber Parging, Saint James
The smoke chamber above the firebox in this Saint James colonial was built with corbeled brick, rough and stepped, which created turbulence that pushed smoke into the face of the fireplace every time they burned. We see this constantly in Smithtown homes built in the 1960s and 70s. Our crew applied HeatShield refractory mortar, smoothing the chamber to NFPA standards. The result is a straight shot up the flue, cleaner burns, and no more soot stains on the mantel. Photos before and after are in their file, explained in plain English.
Clay Flue Tile Crack Repair, Hauppauge
During a routine sweep in Hauppauge, the camera caught a vertical crack in a clay flue tile three feet down from the crown. The homeowner couldn’t see it from below, and there were no obvious symptoms yet. Left alone, exhaust gases would eventually seep through that crack into the chimney walls, then into living space. We installed a DuraFlex stainless steel liner, sized precisely to the appliance, with proper top and bottom connections. The after photos show a continuous, sealed flue path. We told them plainly: this wasn’t urgent to the hour, but it shouldn’t wait another burning season.
Crown Rebuild and Cap Installation, Commack
The crown on this Commack ranch had cracked so extensively that water was weeping down the flue every heavy rain, accelerating deterioration inside a liner that was otherwise sound. We removed the failed crown to the shoulder, formed and poured a new concrete crown with proper slope and drip edge, then capped it with a custom fit. The before photos show what happens when a flat crown sits on Long Island for twenty winters. The after photos show water shedding where it belongs. We don’t recommend work without evidence you can see, and here the evidence was unmistakable.
Fireplace Smoke Stain Cleanup, Smithtown
A couple on Edgewater Avenue in Smithtown had lived with blackened fireplace faces for two winters, assuming it was normal for an older home. It isn’t. We found the damper assembly corroded open three inches, killing the draft and letting smoke wash forward. We cleaned the firebox and smoke chamber, adjusted what could be saved, and recommended a replacement damper when they’re ready. The stains came off. The draft pulls properly now. And they have photos showing exactly what was wrong, so no one sells them a liner they don’t need.
Want Results Like These?
Every job we document ends with photos you can see and a plain-English verdict. No work is recommended without camera evidence, and we’ll tell you straight when something can wait. Call (631) 814-2057 anytime, day or night. A live person answers. Estimates are free, pricing is upfront, and everything we do carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Smithtown since 1984.