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Emberline Chimney Co.
Oak logs burning low in a red brick fireplace with a clean firebox

CSIA-certified . Pittsburgh, PA

Clean flue. Safe fire.

CSIA-certified sweeps, camera inspections and masonry repair for Pittsburgh homes since 2009.

Book an Inspection (412) 555-0147
flues swept
6,412
Google rating, 318 reviews
4.9
inspection standard
NFPA 211
on Pittsburgh rooftops
17 yrs

Pittsburgh burn season opens

22d 00h 00m 00s

Average first frost in Allegheny County lands in mid October. Our October calendar was 91% booked last year.

  • CSIA-certified sweeps
  • NFPA 211 inspections
  • Licensed and insured, PA HIC #PA184327
  • Camera footage on every Level 2
  • Drop cloths door to hearth

Descend the flue

Every part of the chimney, top to bottom

Scroll down the stack. Each stop is a part we inspect, repair or replace.

  1. Crown . 0 ft

    Crown rebuilds and sealing

    A cracked mortar crown lets freeze-thaw water into the stack. We pour a reinforced concrete crown with a 2 inch overhang and a drip edge.

    from $1,140

  2. Cap . 0.5 ft

    Caps and spark arrestors

    Stainless caps sized to the flue tile keep out rain, raccoons and chimney swifts, and stop live embers landing on the roof.

    from $289

  3. Liner . 3 to 26 ft

    Stainless steel relining

    Cracked clay tiles are the most common failure we find. A 316Ti stainless liner restores a sealed, correctly sized flue with a lifetime warranty.

    from $2,870

  4. Smoke chamber . 27 ft

    Smoke chamber parging

    Stepped brick above the damper traps creosote and slows draft. We parge it smooth with a heat-rated ceramic coating.

    from $760

  5. Damper . 28 ft

    Damper repair and top-sealing dampers

    Rusted cast-iron dampers leak heat all winter. We repair them or fit a top-sealing damper that closes the flue at the crown.

    from $395

  6. Firebox . 29 ft

    Sweeping and firebox repair

    A full sweep removes creosote from firebox to crown under negative air. Cracked firebrick and failed mortar joints are rebuilt with refractory mortar.

    from $219

Inspection levels

CSIA Level 1, 2 and 3, and which one you need

01

Level 1

Annual check, no changes to the system

  • Readily accessible chimney interior and exterior
  • Firebox, damper and smoke shelf
  • Clearances to combustibles where visible
  • Creosote stage and sweep recommendation
Price
$219 with sweep
On site
52 min

02

Level 2

Home sale, chimney fire, new stove or insert

  • Everything in Level 1
  • Camera run the full height of the flue
  • Attic, crawlspace and roof accessible areas
  • Written NFPA 211 report with footage
Price
$349
On site
74 min

03

Level 3

Hidden damage suspected after Level 2

  • Everything in Level 2
  • Removal of concealed components
  • Wall or chase access where needed
  • Structural findings with a repair plan
Price
Quoted on site
On site
1 to 2 days

One sweep, one flue

What 3/16" of creosote looks like

Stage 2 creosote, photographed from the smoke shelf in a Dormont rowhouse, then the same tiles after a rotary sweep.

PHOTO . flue tiles coated in glossy creosote
Before . stage 2 creosote
PHOTO . same flue tiles swept back to clay
After . rotary sweep
Chimney sweep on a pitched roof feeding rods and a brush down a brick stack

Reviews

Pittsburgh hearths, in their words

4.9 / 318 reviews

  • "They found a cracked tile two feet above the smoke shelf that the last company missed. Showed me on the camera, quoted the relining on the spot, and the invoice matched to the dollar."

    Dana Kowalczyk
    Homeowner, Mt. Lebanon

  • "Drop cloths from the door to the hearth, shoes off, not a speck of soot on the rug. Our Rumford draws like new."

    Terrence Oduya
    Homeowner, Fox Chapel

  • "New crown and a stainless cap before the first freeze. The water stain on the ceiling has not come back in two winters."

    Marisol Brenneman
    Homeowner, Bethel Park

  • "Booked on a Monday, swept on Thursday. The tech explained the creosote stages in plain English and left me the photos."

    Greg Hanlon
    Homeowner, Cranberry Township

  • "We bought a 1920s house in Sewickley with three flues nobody had looked at in years. Emberline gave us a straight written report for each one."

    Anika Perlmutter
    Homeowner, Sewickley

Service area

Where the trucks go

Seven communities, one crew yard on Brownsville Road. Drive times are from the yard.

  • Pittsburgh All city neighborhoods 0 to 24 min
  • Mt. Lebanon Including Dormont borders 17 min
  • Bethel Park South Hills 21 min
  • Monroeville East suburbs 26 min
  • Fox Chapel Allegheny River north 28 min
  • Sewickley Ohio River valley 33 min
  • Cranberry Township Butler County line 38 min
Red brick chimney stack with a concrete crown against a clear sky
Crown and cap work, South Hills

Chimney questions we hear every week

Short answers from the crew. Call if yours is not here.

The NFPA 211 standard calls for an inspection once a year, and a sweep whenever creosote reaches 1/8 inch. Most wood-burning homes in Allegheny County need one sweep per burn season.

Book before the first cold snap

Request an inspection

Tell us about your chimney and when you last lit it. We reply within one business day, usually the same afternoon.

  • CSIA-certified
  • PA HIC #PA184327
  • NFPA 211 reports
  • $2M liability cover
(412) 555-0147
Call now(412) 555-0147