Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 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.
Fast, Reliable Chimney Inspection Across University Park
A chimney inspection in University Park typically costs $189 – $389 depending on the level of inspection your chimney needs and its current condition. Most inspections in the area take 45 – 90 minutes on site, and you get a written report with photos before our tech leaves the driveway. If you live in University Park and haven’t had your chimney looked at in the past two years, call (786) 305-7861 and we’ll get you on the schedule.
Our crews know University Park’s housing stock well. Most of the chimneys we inspect here sit on single-story ranch and split-level homes built in the 1960s and 1970s, which means original clay flue liners, masonry that has seen fifty-plus summers of thunderstorms, and metal components that salt air has been working on for decades. We don’t send a generalist. We send a chimney tech who knows what a coastal Miami-Dade chimney looks like when it’s failing.
Why Flint Chimney Co Miami Is University Park’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Homeowners in University Park call us because we put the price in writing before a single tool comes off the truck. That’s the Garrison Standard, the operating code every Garrison Partners location follows. No one from Flint Chimney Co Miami shows up at your door and starts renegotiating. The number you approve is the number on the invoice.
Hank Delano runs our inspection teams, and every tech who walks onto a University Park property is background-checked, uniformed, and carrying the equipment to do the job right the first time. Our phones are answered by a live person 24/7, so if you call at 6 a.m. before work or 10 p.m. after the kids are down, you reach a human being, not a voicemail tree.
Every inspection we perform on a University Park chimney ends with a documented report and photos. If we find a repair that needs doing, the recommendation includes a written scope and a written price. And every repair we complete carries a 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it fails within a full year of the service date, we come back and make it right at no charge. That guarantee is not verbal. It’s on paper.
Our Chimney Inspection team serves the full University Park area, from the ranch homes along SW 104th Street to the split-levels near the university itself. We schedule tightly and arrive inside the window we give you.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Fire in University Park
A chimney fire in University Park usually starts the same way: creosote from burning unseasoned slash pine and local oak builds up on the flue walls until it ignites under high heat. The creep of salt air and humidity in this part of Miami-Dade makes creosote more adhesive, so it doesn’t brush off as easily as the dry, flaky buildup you find inland. If you’re hearing a loud popping or roaring sound from the chimney, or seeing dense smoke and sparks from the cap, get everyone out and call 911 first. When the fire is out, call us at (786) 305-7861.
What a chimney fire does to a flue
Chimney fires in University Park homes frequently crack clay flue liners and warp metal dampers beyond saving. The intense heat can open hairline fractures in the clay that let carbon monoxide and heat reach combustible framing. A chimney fire usually means a Level 2 inspection at minimum, and often a flue relining (replacing the inner liner that channels smoke safely out of the house).
What it costs to put right
A chimney fire response in University Park, including a full Level 2 inspection with camera, typically runs $389 – $650. If the damage requires a HeatShield or DuraFlex reliner, the repair itself generally falls between $2,800 and $5,400 depending on flue length and liner material. We’ll show you the camera footage and a written price before any repair begins.
Level 2 Chimney Inspection in University Park
A Level 2 chimney inspection in University Park is the standard inspection we recommend when a home is being sold, when a chimney fire has occurred, or when something about the chimney’s use has changed, such as a new appliance or a storm that may have caused structural damage. A Level 2 goes beyond the visual check of a Level 1 by adding video camera scanning of the flue interior, which is the only reliable way to see what’s happening inside a 50-year-old clay liner.
The camera doesn’t lie
On a split-level off SW 104th Street, our tech found a Famco damper rusted completely off its hinge, the galvanized flashing showing white zinc bloom and pinholes from salt air, and a crown with a hairline crack that was already letting water reach the clay flue liner. We recommended a stainless steel damper replacement, a HeatShield re-liner, and a custom-fabricated stainless cap, all corrosion-proof upgrades that hold up within a mile of the coast. That’s what a Level 2 inspection is for: finding what you can’t see from the hearth.
When a Level 2 is the right call
In University Park, a Level 2 inspection runs $289 – $389. Real estate transactions, storm damage after a summer lightning event, a change in fuel type, or any sign of water intrusion at the roofline all justify the camera. If you’re buying or selling a home in University Park, a Level 2 with a written photo report gives both parties something real to negotiate from.
Trusted Brands We Service in University Park
We work with professional-grade chimney products from Copperfield, DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield, selected by the job’s requirements rather than by margin. For University Park homes near the coast, that usually means stainless steel components instead of galvanized: stainless caps, stainless dampers, and stainless flashing that resist the salt air better over time. When we find a part that has failed, we can often source the replacement and complete the repair on the same visit or within a few days, depending on what the chimney needs. You’ll never be told to accept a generic part that doesn’t match your chimney’s original design.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Inspection Problems We See in University Park Homes
- Rusted-out steel dampers. The coastal humidity and salt air in University Park eat steel damper assemblies from the top down. We regularly find dampers seized open or dropped into the firebox, which means cold air and rain come straight down the flue year-round.
- Spalling brick at the crown. Intense summer thunderstorms dump rain on chimneys that were built before modern caps were standard. When water soaks into the masonry and then heats up again, the brick face starts to flake and crumble, a failure mode we call spalling.
- Galvanized flashing pinholes. After years of salt spray and thermal movement, galvanized flashing develops tiny holes and lifts away from the roofline. The water that gets in runs down the masonry, damaging the interior walls and ceilings around the fireplace before you ever see a stain.
- Cracked clay flue liners. Fifty-year-old clay liners in University Park’s 1960s-70s chimneys crack from thermal stress and occasional lightning strikes during the storm season. A cracked liner is a carbon monoxide pathway, not just a cosmetic issue.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in University Park, FL
A standard Level 1 chimney inspection in University Park, which is a visual check of the accessible parts of the chimney and fireplace, runs $189 – $249. A Level 2 inspection, which adds a camera scan of the flue interior, runs $289 – $389. A Level 3 inspection, which may involve removing parts of the chimney or surrounding structure to access hidden areas, starts at $650 and is quoted per job.
What affects the price is the condition of the chimney and what you need the inspection to accomplish. A real estate inspection with a written report and photos costs slightly more than a basic maintenance check because of the documentation required. Every quote is written before work begins, and the estimate for your University Park chimney is free. Call (786) 305-7861 for a firm number.
We Also Serve Cities Near University Park
Beyond University Park, our crews cover Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Lakes, and Coral Gables. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our South Florida office, and the same written-price guarantee applies no matter which neighborhood your chimney sits in.
Serving University Park, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the University Park area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Inspection in University Park
Once a year. Even light use in University Park’s humid coastal climate allows creosote and salt corrosion to accumulate on metal components, and the annual inspection is the chance to catch a rusting damper or cracked crown before it becomes a water-damage repair. Call (786) 305-7861 to schedule yours.
The steel damper assembly goes first. Original dampers from that era were made of plain steel, and decades of salt-laden air from the nearby coast corrode them until they seize open or rust off their hinges entirely. The galvanized flashing follows, developing pinholes and lifting from the roofline as the zinc coating breaks down.
Salt air primarily attacks the metal components such as dampers, flashing, and caps. Clay liners are more vulnerable to thermal stress from University Park’s summer storms and to creosote buildup from burning local oak and slash pine. However, water that enters through rusted metal parts accelerates the wear on the clay liner by thermal shock.
Rust flakes almost always come from the damper assembly. Clay flue liners do not rust. If you’re finding rust in the firebox, the damper is likely corroding from salt air exposure and may already be seized or partially dropped. An inspection with a camera will confirm the source and you’ll get a written recommendation before any repair is quoted.
If you live within a mile or two of the coast in University Park, yes. Galvanized caps corrode quickly in salt air, and a stainless steel cap typically lasts two to three times as long. The upgrade cost is small compared to the water damage and liner replacement that follows a failed galvanized cap. Call (786) 305-7861 and we’ll give you a written price for the swap.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner at Flint Chimney Co Miami, serving University Park since 2002.