Every sweep and inspection ends with the same checklist we worked from: crown, mortar, flue tiles, damper, smoke shelf, clearances and more, with photos. Keep it for your insurer, your home sale or your own records.
The inspection fee is credited toward a sweep when the flue is dirty, and quotes on crown, brick and liner work are free. See all the details in our offers.
21-point reportThe same checklist the sweep used, left with you.
Photos before pricesYou see the problem on your phone before we quote.
Lifetime-warranty partsStainless caps and liners, a 10-year waterproofing guarantee.
Free written quotesOn every crown, brick and liner job.
Chimney sweep in Rochester, NY
A Chimney Sweep in Rochester Who Shows You the Problem First
Rochester Premier Chimney Sweep cleans, inspects and repairs the chimneys on Rochester's brick colonials, ranches and lake cottages. Fireplace, wood stove or insert, in our experience the flue is the easy part, so we brush it, check every part we can reach and send the pictures to your phone. If the crown is cracked or the mortar is going soft, you see it on the screen before anybody says a price.
The person who answers the phone climbs the roof. Most jobs fit into one morning, the quote comes in writing, and the crew leaves the hearth cleaner than they found it. If your chimney only needs a sweep, the sweep is the whole bill.
21-point report you keep
Inspection fee credited when the flue needs sweeping
Free written quotes on crown, brick and liner work
Stainless caps and liners with lifetime warranties
Monday to Saturday hours, calls returned within a business day
Residential Chimney Sweep, Inspection & Repair in Rochester
Nine jobs fill most of our calendar.
01
Chimney Sweep and Cleaning
Brushes go down from the roof where we can, plastic goes down in front of the fireplace, and a HEPA vacuum (a vacuum with a filter fine enough to trap soot) cleans the firebox and the smoke shelf. We've done about 1,150 of these in the last year, and each takes about an hour. A single-flue sweep runs $200 to $330, and the price stays put whether the flue is clean or caked.
02
Chimney Inspections
Every sweep includes a look at the whole system, and a full inspection adds a camera down the flue. You get a 21-point report with photos, the same checklist we worked from. It runs $175 to $400, and we credit that fee toward the sweep when the flue turns out to be dirty.
03
Chimney Repair
Most repair jobs come down to a cracked crown, tired mortar or a missing cap. From the roof it looks like three different problems, but water causes all of them. We'd rather coat a good crown for a few hundred dollars than sell you a rebuild, and we write down what we found before you decide.
04
Chimney Liner Installation
A cracked clay flue tile lets heat and carbon monoxide reach the wood around your chimney. We replace single tiles when that's enough, and slide in a UL-listed stainless liner (a metal sleeve inside the brick) when it isn't. Stainless carries a lifetime warranty and most liner jobs take a day.
05
Chimney Cap Installation
A cap is the cheapest insurance on the house. We've found one chimney in five with no cap or a rusted one. It's the lid on the growler: it keeps out rain, raccoons, birds and sparks. We fit Hy-C stainless caps, which carry a lifetime guarantee, for $200 to $450 on a single flue. See chimney caps.
06
Chimney Crown Repair
The crown is the concrete slab that sheds water off the top of the brick, and in Rochester it has to survive about 100 inches of lake-effect snow. Hairline cracks get sealed. Wide ones get a new fiber-reinforced crown, guaranteed, from $350 to $2,500.
07
Chimney Repointing
Mortar joints are the grout between the bricks, except they live outdoors in a city that freezes and thaws all winter. We grind out the loose mortar, pack in new mortar mixed to match, and clean the brick. Repointing usually costs $600 to $3,500.
08
Chimney Waterproofing
Brick drinks water like a sponge, and frozen water breaks it. We spray Chimney Saver, a water repellent that lets the brick breathe, and it comes with a ten-year guarantee. It works on sound brick, so we fix the crown and the joints first. Waterproofing runs $350 to $900.
09
Chimney Rebuilds
When bricks are loose, the chimney leans, or the top has gone soft all the way down, a partial rebuild to the roof line is cheaper than waiting. We take it down to solid brick, lay it back up and finish with a new crown. Most rebuilds cost $2,500 to $9,000.
Current Offers from Rochester Premier Chimney Sweep
Get the Chimney Ready Before the First Cold Snap
Book the camera inspection before you light the first fire. If the flue is dirty, the inspection fee comes off the price of the sweep, so you pay for one visit and get both.
FeeCredited
Inspection fee applied to a sweep
21-point report: the checklist we worked from, with photos
Camera down the flue: every tile, not just the first few feet
An open flue lets in the water that cracks your crown and the animals that nest on your smoke shelf. A stainless cap with a screen costs a fraction of what those two do.
GetFree
Written quote with photos on any crown, brick or liner work
Ron Pellegrino was nineteen when he started pointing brick on his uncle's masonry crew in Greece. A winter on the roofs convinced him that the person who quotes the job should be the one who has stood next to the chimney. Twenty-four years later he still goes up on every job he prices, and his brother-in-law Joe Wegman does the same on the masonry.
Two sweeps, two trucks and the two of them. Honestly, we like it small, because nobody on the phone has to ask somebody else what we found. We would rather tell you the chimney is fine and see you next fall than sell a repair you do not need.
Chimney Service for Landlords, Realtors and Small Buildings
Most of our work is single-family homes. These three kinds of buildings call us too, and the job is the same one with more paperwork. See chimney inspections.
Landlords and Rental Houses
Between tenants is the best time for a sweep and a camera inspection. You get one report per flue, photos for the file and a written quote for anything we find, so a repair does not wait on a phone tag.
Realtors and Home Inspectors
A Level 2 inspection answers the question a seller or buyer cannot settle with a flashlight. We send the video, the photos and the report to the agent you name, usually within two days.
Small Apartment Buildings
Two- to six-unit buildings with a shared chimney or a basement boiler flue need an annual look. We schedule the whole building in one visit so tenants are not interrupted twice.
How a Rochester Premier Chimney Sweep Visit Goes
Five steps, the same on a quick sweep as on a rebuild.
1
The phone call
Tell us what burns in it and what you have noticed. Most sweeps get a price over the phone.
2
The roof and the camera
We cover the floor, close the damper, climb up and look at the crown, the joints and the cap. Then the camera goes down.
3
The photos and the price
You see the pictures on your phone first. Any repair gets a free written quote.
4
The work
Sweeps take an hour. Crowns and repointing take a day or two. Plastic down, vacuum running, tools out when we leave.
5
The walk-around
You get the 21-point report and a plain answer on when to call us next.
Chimney costs
How Much Does a Chimney Sweep Cost in Rochester?
A chimney sweep in Rochester costs $200 to $330 for one fireplace flue in 2026, a little more for a wood stove or an insert. A camera inspection runs $175 to $400, and we credit it toward the sweep when the flue is dirty. Repairs are quoted free, in writing, after we have been on your roof.
Smaller jobs that still keep a chimney safe. Each goes on the same written report.
01
Wood Stove Chimney Cleaning
Stovepipe comes down, gets cleaned outside, and goes back up with the seams checked. Then the flue gets brushed and vacuumed. Check the pipe every two months while you burn, and have us sweep it at least once a year.
02
Fireplace Insert Cleaning
An insert sits behind a liner, so we brush the liner with a poly brush, take the insert apart, vacuum it and put it back. If the liner is not the approved kind for your insert, we tell you before we touch anything.
03
Creosote Removal
Creosote is the black tar a wood fire leaves in the flue. The first and second stages brush out. The glazed third stage, which burns hot enough to crack tile, gets Anti-Creo-Soot treatment and a second sweep after a few fires.
04
Top-Mount Damper Replacement
A rusted damper in the throat of the fireplace leaks heat all winter. A top-mount damper (a spring-loaded lid at the top of the flue) seals the chimney and opens with a pull chain. It also comes with a lifetime warranty.
05
Custom Fireplace Panels
Factory-built fireplaces have fire-resistant panels in the back and sides. When a dime fits into a crack, the maker says to replace the panel. We cut new ones to fit and the firebox looks new again.
06
Clean-Out and Ash Dump Doors
The little cast iron door at the base of the chimney rots out after years of ash and damp. A bad one lets hot embers reach wood framing. Replacing it is quick and costs far less than most people expect.
Before you call
Things to Know Before You Call a Chimney Sweep in Rochester
Almost every surprise on a chimney job comes from one of these six. We ask about them on the first call.
01
October to December Books Up First
The first cold week sends half of Rochester to the phone at once. From October to December expect about two weeks. Call in August or September and you will usually get the day you ask for.
02
Lake-Effect Winters Hammer the Top of the Chimney
Rochester gets about 100 inches of snow a year, and water that gets into brick freezes and pushes it apart. The lake doesn't care how old your chimney is. Every time we get on a roof in April, the crown, the mortar and the cap are what gave out first, so we look there first.
03
A Gas Fireplace Still Needs a Look
No creosote does not mean no problem. Gas fireplaces and gas or oil furnaces vent through a chimney too, and a cracked flue tile or a nest in the top can send fumes the wrong way. We inspect the whole system, whatever it burns.
04
Dry Wood Saves You a Sweep
Wet wood makes smoky fires and thick creosote. Burn seasoned hardwood, wood dried six to twelve months, and a masonry fireplace usually goes through about two face cords (a face cord is a short stack of firewood) between sweepings.
05
Buying a House? Ask for a Camera
A flashlight shows the first few feet of a flue and nothing else. A Level 2 inspection sends a camera the whole way up, which is what banks and insurers ask for after a sale. Book it before the closing, not after.
06
Not Every Leak Is the Chimney
A brown stain on the ceiling next to the chimney can be the crown, the mortar joints or the metal seal at the roof. We check the first two and tell you straight when the culprit is the third and a roofer should take it.
Old crown broken out, new fiber-reinforced crown, six cracked bricks replaced
Cost
$1,850
Time
2 days
The homeowner had a brown stain by the chimney that came back every March. Water was running under a crown with a crack you could slide a coin into. Two days later it was dry, and it stayed dry through the next thaw.
$3,150
Stainless Liner and Cap for a Lakeside Wood Stove
Home
Lake cottage with a new wood stove
Area
Greece
Job
Insulated stainless liner, Hy-C stainless cap, stovepipe hooked up and draft checked
Cost
$3,150
Time
1 day
The old clay flue was too wide for the stove, so smoke crawled instead of climbing. The liner fixed the draft. On a recent job like this we left the owner a short card on how to run the stove so the new liner stays clean.
$2,400
Repointing the Top Six Feet
Home
1930s Tudor with a tall chimney
Area
Brighton
Job
Top six feet ground out and repointed, mortar colored to match, then waterproofed
Cost
$2,400
Time
2 days
Last fall we did this one in Brighton: the joints looked fine from the street. On the roof you could push a screwdriver an inch into them. Matching the old mortar color took three samples, which is why it looks like nothing was done.
Our reviews
What Rochester Customers Say
“
We had a brown stain by the chimney every spring and two roofers blamed the shingles. Ron went up, took pictures of the crown and showed me the crack. New crown, dry ceiling, and he mentioned two cracked bricks before I asked.
Karen L.Crown repair · Irondequoit
“
Bought a 1940s house in Brighton and the inspector said the chimney needed a closer look. They sent a camera down the flue the next week and gave us a report the bank wanted. We closed on schedule.
Matt & Priya S.Camera inspection · Brighton
“
Our wood stove would not draw. They fitted a stainless liner and a new cap in one day, showed me how to burn it and haven't left a speck of soot on the carpet. First winter with no smoky smell.
“Judge a crown in February, not July. Anybody's roof looks fine on a dry summer day, and the lake shows up in a few months anyway.”
Ron Pellegrino
Owner, Rochester Premier Chimney Sweep
Ron grew up on the west side of Greece, learned brick on his uncle's crew at nineteen and has been on Rochester roofs ever since. He still writes up most of the estimates himself, with Joe Wegman on the masonry.
Questions we hear
Chimney Sweep FAQs From Rochester Homeowners
How much does a chimney sweep cost in Rochester NY?
A chimney sweep in Rochester costs $200 to $330 for one fireplace flue in 2026, and a bit more for a wood stove or insert. A camera inspection runs $175 to $400. When the flue turns out to be dirty, we credit the inspection fee toward the sweep.
How often should I have my chimney cleaned?
The national fire standard says to inspect every chimney once a year. Sweep it when soot or glaze reaches about an eighth of an inch, usually after two face cords of seasoned hardwood in a masonry fireplace. Stoves burning all winter need it more often.
What is the difference between a Level 1 and a Level 2 inspection?
A Level 1 looks at everything we can reach without tools, for a chimney you use the same way every year. A Level 2 adds a camera down the flue and a look in the attic. You need one after buying a house, a chimney fire or switching fuels.
How do I know my chimney needs repair?
Look for white powder on the brick, crumbling mortar, a crack in the concrete top, rust streaks or a brown stain on the ceiling by the chimney. Falling brick bits in the fireplace are a sign too. Send us a photo and we will tell you what it looks like.
Do I need a liner for my wood stove?
Almost always. A stove needs a flue sized to its outlet, and an old clay flue is usually too wide, which makes smoke slow and creosote thick. An insulated stainless liner fixes the draft and protects the brick. Most of our liner jobs take one day.
How long does a chimney repair take?
A sweep takes about an hour and a cap under an hour. Crown repair and repointing usually take one or two days, a partial rebuild two to six. Rain and freezing temperatures can push masonry work back a day.
Do you fix chimney leaks?
We fix the two most common causes: the concrete crown and the mortar joints, and we waterproof the brick afterward. If the leak turns out to be the metal seal where the chimney meets the roof, that is usually a roofer's job and we will say so.
Which towns do you serve?
We work in Rochester and the suburbs around it: Greece, Irondequoit, Gates, Brighton, Henrietta, Pittsford, Penfield, Webster, Fairport and Chili, plus Spencerport, Hilton and Parma. If you are a bit outside that circle, call and we will tell you straight.
Book online in a minute
Smoke, Smell or a Wet Ceiling by the Chimney? Tell Us.
Leave your name, number and a line about your chimney. We call back within one business day, and often the same afternoon.
$1,850
$3,150
$2,400
