Chimney Sweep in Greece, NY

What Chimneys in Greece Usually Need

Greece went from about 15,000 people in 1940 to almost 50,000 by 1960, and the building kept going. Ron grew up on one of those streets. The result is a town full of mid-century brick chimneys on ranches, Cape Cods and split-levels, plenty with a fireplace nobody has checked in years.

Mid-Century Ranches and Cape Cods

A 1950s brick chimney usually has clay flue tile inside and a plain concrete crown on top. Think of the crown as an umbrella that has to survive a Rochester winter. After seventy Februarys it cracks and the tile joints open. We clean the firebox, smoke chamber and smoke shelf, run a camera down the flue and photograph every crack, so you see what we see.

Homes Along the Ridge

Ridge Road follows an old lake shoreline about 160 feet above Lake Ontario, and the houses up there catch the wind first. The lake does not care what you planned. Wind drives rain sideways into mortar joints, so we look hardest at the north and west faces.

Lakeside and Charlotte Area Homes

Close to the shore, damp air keeps brick wet longer, and spalling (the face of a brick popping off) shows up sooner than inland. A breathable water repellent can slow it down, but only if the crown and the joints are sound. We will tell you if they are not.

Cobblestone Homes and Older Farmhouses

Masons who built the Erie Canal stayed in Greece and put up cobblestone houses, and three of them still stand in town. Soft lime mortar holds those walls together, so we never repoint with hard modern mix. We use Type N mortar, which is softer than the old brick. Honestly, that one choice decides whether the repair lasts.

How Much Does a Chimney Sweep Cost in Greece, NY?

A chimney sweep in Greece usually costs $200 to $330 for one flue in 2026. A Level 2 camera inspection runs $175 to $400. Wood stoves and inserts sit at the higher end because the pipe comes apart. You get a written 21 point report either way, and the inspection fee is credited toward a sweep.

Those are market ranges for this area, not a quote. Ron or Joe walks your roof first, photos go to your phone, and the price is written down before a tool comes out.

Types of Chimney Services We Offer in Greece

Crown Repair and New Crowns

Ron's rule on crowns: seal what is sound, replace what is not. A hairline crack takes a sealer coat in an afternoon. A crown that has crumbled gets torn off and cast new as a fiber-reinforced crown, and we guarantee both. We did about 140 crown jobs last year, and most were the cheap kind. See chimney crown repair.

Repointing Loose Mortar

Repointing is swapping out the gray lines between bricks. We grind the bad joints back, fill them with fresh mortar and brush the face clean. On Greece ranches the top three feet is where it fails, because that stretch gets the wind, the snow and the sun with nothing to shelter it.

Stainless Steel Liners

Picture a stainless thermos slid inside the brick. That is a liner. It is the usual cure for cracked clay tile or a stove hookup, and ours are insulated and come with a lifetime warranty. We have put in about 85 of them in the past year. Details are on chimney liner installation.

Stainless Chimney Caps

The cap is the cheapest insurance on the house. It stops rain, stops squirrels and stops sparks, and we've seen plenty of Greece chimneys with none at all. We fit Hy-C stainless caps with a lifetime guarantee. About one chimney in five that we open has a cap that is missing or rusted through. A spark arrestor screen comes built in.

Inspections for Home Sales

Selling or buying? Get the Level 2 inspection. A camera runs down the flue and we check the attic around the chimney, which is what lenders and insurers ask for. We think it is the best $175 to $400 you can spend before closing. See chimney inspection.

Waterproofing for Lake Air

Chimney Saver is a water repellent that lets brick breathe, and it carries a 10-year guarantee. It earns its keep near the lake, on brick that is still sound. It will not close a crack in the crown, and we will say that before you pay for it. See chimney waterproofing.

Lake Wind, Snow and Your Flue in Greece

Rochester gets just over 100 inches of snow in an average year, most of it lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario. It packs against the chimney, melts in the afternoon and freezes again overnight. Every freeze-thaw cycle pushes a little more water into any crack.

If you burn wood, stack seasoned hardwood and keep to about two face cords between cleanings of a masonry fireplace. Wet wood leaves creosote, and creosote starts chimney fires.

Put a carbon monoxide detector on every floor, and test it when the clocks change. A blocked flue or a cracked liner can push exhaust into the house with no smell at all.

Heading east along the shore? We also cover Irondequoit, where the post-war boom looked a lot like the one in Greece.