They found a crack in the flue we never knew about. Probably saved our home. CSIA certified crew - truly trustworthy.
Free written estimate before any work begins
Chimney Inspection in San Jose, 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 San Jose homes
San Jose is large enough that the only sensible way to describe the chimney work is neighborhood by neighborhood. Willow Glen, the Rose Garden and Naglee Park hold the city's genuine period housing, with 1920s and 1930s masonry fireplaces that are original to the room and often carry the decorative detail of the era. Almaden Valley, Cambrian and Blossom Valley are post-war and later, with the lighter fireboxes and shorter flues of tract building. Evergreen and the eastern edge are later again and increasingly prefabricated. Across all of it, valley summers are hot and long and winters are short, so systems here typically get used a handful of evenings a year, which makes blockage, corrosion and decayed mortar far more common findings than creosote.
Period 1920s-1930s masonry with decorative detail in Willow Glen, the Rose Garden and Naglee Park; post-war tract fireboxes through Almaden, Cambrian and Blossom Valley; largely prefabricated systems on the newer eastern edge. Long hot summers and short winters mean very low annual usage, shifting findings toward blockage, corrosion and mortar decay rather than creosote.
Included in every job
- You see what we see
- Written and defensible
- Escrow deadlines met
- Repairs quoted, not guessed
Warning signs
When San Jose 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 San Jose
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.
Reviews
From San Jose customers
Questions
FAQs
Do you actually come out to San Jose?
Yes. San Jose is a scheduled part of our week rather than an emergency call, so we book South Bay work into planned days and give you a proper appointment window instead of a vague promise.
Our Willow Glen fireplace has original tile and brick. Will a repair spoil it?
It should not. The period fireplaces in Willow Glen and the Rose Garden are a feature of the house, and matched mortar and careful protection of the surround are part of the job rather than an extra.
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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Fast response. No obligation.