Home › Service Areas › Des Moines › Chimney Inspection
Chimney Inspection in Des Moines, WA
Camera chimney inspections for Des Moines homebuyers and homeowners, from the Marina bluff to Redondo. Sweep and inspection starting at $299.
- Serving Des Moines & King County
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
Free Chimney Inspection Quote in Des Moines
We'll confirm a time by phone or text.
A lot of Des Moines chimney inspections happen because a house is changing hands. The view homes along Marine View Drive and the streets above the Des Moines Marina are typically 1950s-70s ramblers with brick chimneys that have been patched over the decades, and a general home inspector will usually refer the chimney to a specialist. We are that specialist. We run a camera the full length of the flue, look at every tile joint for cracks and gaps, check the smoke chamber, damper and firebox, then go to the roof for the crown, cap, flashing and the Sound-facing brick. You get photos of everything, plus a written list of what is fine, what should be fixed and what can wait.
Inland Des Moines, from Highline College across Pacific Highway S to the newer plats near Zenith and Woodmont, is typically factory-built chimneys, where the inspection focuses on the chase cover, the pipe joints inside the chase and the firebox refractory panels. Our sweep and inspection starts at $299, and an inspection by itself is a free quote if repairs are needed. Des Moines is about 20 minutes from our Renton office by SR 516 or I-5, so we can usually fit a pre-sale inspection inside a short contingency window. If you are not happy, we are not done.
Symptoms
Signs Des Moines homeowners notice
- You are buying or selling a home and the home inspector did not scope the flue
- You do not know if the chimney is safe to light
- Water stains on the ceiling or wall next to the chimney
- White mineral deposits, flaking brick or loose mortar on the outside of the stack
- You are switching from wood to gas, or adding a stove or insert
- There was a chimney fire, even a small one that burned itself out
Des Moines Conditions
Why this happens in Des Moines
What we look for in Des Moines is driven by the water. The bluff gets wind-driven rain off Puget Sound for most of the wet season, and Sea-Tac's normals put about 29.65 of the year's 40.34 inches between October and March. With winter lows averaging 37-38F and roughly 60 days a year touching freezing, a west-facing brick chimney above the Marina or along Redondo Beach Drive cycles through freeze and thaw while it is soaked. The Brick Industry Association identifies that combination, saturation plus freezing, as the cause of spalling and mortar loss, so we pay extra attention to the windward face, the crown and the flashing on the water side.
Tree cover matters too. Chimneys shaded by the firs around Saltwater State Park and in Woodmont hold moss longer, because Western Washington moss spreads fastest October through April on surfaces that dry slowly, and moss in a mortar joint keeps it wet. Galvanized caps and chase covers in the salt air also typically rust sooner than inland, which is the most common inspection finding on the newer homes.
How It Works
Our chimney inspection process
Tell us why you need it
Annual check, home sale, new appliance, a leak, or a chimney fire. The reason sets the inspection level, which we confirm before we quote.
Interior check
Firebox, damper, smoke chamber, hearth and clearances, plus the accessible flue from below.
Camera scan (Level 2 and up)
We run a recorded camera up the flue so cracked tiles, missing mortar joints, offsets and creosote stage are documented, not guessed at.
Exterior and roofline check
Crown, cap, chase cover, flashing, brick, mortar and any staining or moss. Our crew handles all roof access.
Written report and free quote
A plain-language summary with photos, what needs attention now versus later, and a free written quote for any repair.
Full details, options and pricing factors on the main Chimney Inspection page.
Need chimney inspection in Des Moines?
Call now or request a free quote — we confirm by phone or text.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Inspection in Des Moines — FAQ
I am buying a house on the Des Moines bluff. How fast can you inspect the chimney?
Usually within a day or two, and often the same day. We are 20 minutes away in North Renton. A pre-sale inspection with camera and photos takes about an hour, and you get the written findings the same day so they can go into your inspection response before the contingency expires.
What does a Des Moines chimney inspection cover that a home inspector does not?
The inside of the flue. A home inspector looks at the firebox and the outside of the stack from the ground. We run a camera up the full flue to find cracked tile and open joints, check the smoke chamber and damper, and go on the roof to look at the crown, cap and flashing on the Sound-facing side where bluff chimneys fail first.
How soon can you do chimney inspection in Des Moines?
We confirm a time by phone or text after you request a quote; same-day service is often available for urgent problems in Des Moines and the rest of King County.
Other services in Des Moines
Chimney Inspection nearby