Business ProfileforThe Chimney Clinic

AVOID AVOID AVOID. INCOMPETENT OR FRAUDULENT My father, ******, and I contacted this business in September 2021 to have a chimney inspection performed at a house we had recently purchased. They came, scoped the chimney, and told us that the liner needed a complete replacement. The owner even went so far as to claim there had been a "massive" fire in the chimney and that the lining was cracked. He provided "evidence" of this by showing my father images of the inside of the chimney as he scoped it. Of course, to an untrained eye, anything (a gap between the liner pieces, etc) can look like a catastrophic issue. The Chimney Clinic quoted us $10,113.00 to repair our fireplace, the estimate is included below. I had thought this was high at the time, but decided to trust the "judgement" of the "expert". Given the extremely high cost we decided not to proceed at that point in time. Thinking the fireplace was lost, we paid $600 for an electric insert, $400 to have an outlet run so we could plug the insert in, and $300 to have the old gas insert and plumbing removed. Earlier this month, I had another company come and examine my chimney. Absolutely NOTHING was wrong with the chimney. It didn't even need cleaned. I was shocked, until he informed me of a local company that has been going around town providing inaccurate estimates to unsuspecting consumers. Thinking that this man may be biased or outright wrong, I hired ANOTHER company to come and inspect the chimney. Again, they said there is NOTHING wrong with my chimney. Not only that, they said the quote provided to me was "WAY TOO MUCH for a chimney repair". They performed some small repairs to the firebox and provided me with a certificate of inspection. The Chimney Clinic are either completely incompetent or outright fraudulent. Take your business elsewhere and DO NOT, under any circumstance, trust this firm. I hope one day the owner is held to account for this.

The Chimney Clinic has strict protocols and standards in which it implements for every residential system we service. These protocols are based upon guidelines set forth by the **** fire code 211 which regulates all chimney and venting structures. As well as the *** building code which is the national building code reference. We inspect chimney and venting structures based on these two references using video camera technology and visual inspection.The inspection process itself is for the safety and integrity of each individual system. The chimney flue lining being the primary part. The chimney flue typically is made of terra cotta **** made in two foot sections. These sections are stacked and mortared as a chimney is constructed. Primarily our process centers around the inspection of these liners as **** code 211-14.9 Damaged or deteriorated liners and clearly states "If the flue liner in a chimney has softened, cracked or otherwise deteriorated so that it no longer has the continued ability to contain the products of combustion (i.e., heat, moisture, creosote, and flue gases), the liner shall be either removed and replaced, repaired, or relined with a listed liner system or other approved material that will resist corrosion, softening, or cracking from flue gases at temperatures appropriate to the class of chimney service."Our video camera is sent up the chimney and we methodically look for defects such as cracks in the flue, missing mortar joints or deterioration between the two flue liners at its joint. Any of these defects can cause a system to be unsafe as it allows products of combustion to leak into the chimney itself and possibly the residence.. Unfortunately our trade is not regulated. We have approximately 30 years of experience and attended certification at the **** (Chimney **************** of *******) in ************, *******. Where we studied fire and building code. Unfortunately because the chimney trade does not require licensing or even prior knowledge of chimneys. Any person can create a company and give their opinion of a burning system. So we consider ourselves as one of the best in the area compared to many others who have little to no training. In fact we are often called to testify against other chimney companies in court as insurance companies use us as their expert witness.The system in question simply failed the camera inspection where we deemed it unsafe to use. We offer a non-biased opinion based on our knowledge in the field. What a homeowner chooses to do with that information is completely upon them. In the end it is our liability if something occurs in the home resulting in catastrophic loss, serious injury or even death because of our failure to indicate code violations in a faulty system. We offer those opinions and we also offer solutions to resolve them. The complaint also indicated an inflated cost. Relining a chimney is expensive, since Covid stainless steel costs have tripled. In most estimates the material cost is at least half the cost and typically includes set up in order to access high chimneys. This system also has gas which needs a different alloy stainless or it will be unusable within 5 years if the typical 304 stainless is used. This alloy is also more expensive than a regular liner. In addition the **** liners in the system in question were rectangular and could not accommodate the lesser priced round liner and still achieve the required venting area. The average cost of a fireplace reline is $6,000-8,000.00 if no access set-up is involved and normal alloys and sizes can be used. We take the inspection and safety of every customer very seriously, especially as firefighters in our community. We are saddened to hear that *************** was unhappy with our service, he has been a customer for many years with our servicing a different property location and we've never had a problem until now. We service thousands of chimneys a year and some of them are not safe to use, and some of them are. *************** simply has a system that is not safe to use. We also do not give apologies for safety. If my concern for safety outshines the homeowners own concern or another company's concern I don't feel apologies are in order. Also as a long time customer, I wish **************** would have reached out for explanations as far as findings, protocols and reasons for pricing. However in the end these were our findings within that structure and system. As a free commerce society the homeowner has every right to seek other opinions, have someone else complete the work or choose to do nothing at all. The inspection fee paid by the customer for our service in 2021 was minimal, however the improper diagnosis of a code violation can be costly for all parties in the end.