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Chimney Inspection in Millbrae, CA
Level 1 and Level 2 inspections to CSIA standard, with camera footage and a written report you can hand to an agent or an insurer.
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Chimney Inspection for Millbrae homes
Millbrae is where our shop is, on Broadway, so this is the one city where we are not driving in from somewhere else. The housing here is mostly post-war: single-story ranch homes through Millbrae Meadows and the Highlands, built in the 1940s and 1950s with simple masonry fireplaces, alongside a pocket of older bungalows closer to downtown that predate them by a generation. Almost all of it is unreinforced brick, and a good deal of it has never been relined. Being a short distance from the bay and directly under the approach to the airport, the stacks here take a steady load of damp marine air, and we see the results of that at the crown far more often than we see genuine creosote emergencies. Most Millbrae calls start as a leak and end as a crown or a cap.
Predominantly 1940s-1950s ranch construction with unreinforced brick stacks, plus older bungalows near downtown. Marine air off the bay drives crown and cap deterioration ahead of flue problems. Short, level driving means we can usually offer same-week appointments and come back quickly if something needs a second visit.
Included in every job
- You see what we see
- Written and defensible
- Escrow deadlines met
- Repairs quoted, not guessed
Warning signs
When Millbrae homes need this service
- You are buying or selling a house with a fireplace
- The chimney has been through an earthquake or a heavy storm
- There has been a chimney fire, even a small one
- You are switching fuels or fitting a new stove or insert
- The fireplace has been unused for several years
- You can see cracks, missing mortar or a leaning stack from outside
- Water is getting in, or there are damp patches on the wall around the chimney
Chimney Inspection in Millbrae
Call (209) 447-0752 for same-week availability.
Process
How the visit works
Confirm the right level
Level 1 for an annual check on a system in continued service. Level 2 for a sale, a fuel change, or after an event that could have damaged the flue.
Inspect the readily accessible
Firebox, damper, smoke chamber, hearth, the visible exterior structure and the clearances to combustible material.
Camera the full flue
A camera run of the whole liner, which is what turns a Level 1 into a Level 2 and what finds cracked tiles and open joints.
Check the exterior and roof
Crown, cap, flashing, mortar joints and the condition of the stack above the roofline.
Deliver the report
Findings, photographs, the standard applied and a clear statement of what is safe to use and what is not.
Questions
FAQs
Do you charge a call-out fee in Millbrae?
No. Our shop is on Broadway in Millbrae, so there is no travel cost to build in, and estimates here are free and in writing like everywhere else we work.
My Millbrae house is from the 1950s and has never had the chimney lined. Is that a problem?
It is very common here and it is not automatically unsafe, but it does need looking at. Unlined or single-wythe brick flues from that era often have deteriorated mortar joints inside the flue itself, which a camera inspection will show you in a few minutes.
What is the difference between Level 1 and Level 2?
Level 1 covers the readily accessible parts of a system that is in continued service with no changes. Level 2 adds a camera scan of the full flue and is the standard required when a property is sold, when the fuel or appliance changes, or after an event such as an earthquake or a chimney fire.
I am selling my house and the buyer wants a chimney report.
That is a Level 2 inspection. We schedule around the escrow date, run the camera through the whole flue and send a written report with photographs, usually the same or next day.
Contact Alpine Chimney
Alpine Chimney Company
1080 Broadway
Millbrae, CA 94030
(209) 447-0752
info@alpinechimneycompany.com
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