Frequently Asked Questions

We inspect the flue first, then sweep it, then document what we find. The process runs top to bottom: the chimney cap comes off, a camera goes down the flue to look at the liner, then brushes sized for your flue remove creosote and soot. We scrub the smoke chamber and firebox, remove debris, and vacuum everything out. You get a written report with the footage, the readings, and any recommendations. In Paterson, where many homes still burn wood through NJ winters, this usually removes anywhere from a coffee can to a full bucket of creosote.

Most cleanings in the Paterson area take 60 to 90 minutes from setup to final cleanup. Larger chimneys, heavy creosote glaze, or animals in the flue extend that. If our camera finds structural issues, that adds inspection time but not extra cost. We tell you the window when we book and text when the tech is on the way, so you are not waiting around a half-day. Arriving on schedule is Clause 2 of the Haven Standard.

Yes. Gas fireplaces produce less creosote than wood, but they still accumulate dust, debris, and sometimes soot deposits that affect draft and air quality. Gas flues in Clifton and Fair Lawn homes we service often have not been touched since installation. We clean the flue, check the venting, and run the camera to confirm no blockage. Homeowners with vented gas logs should still expect a cleaning every two to three years depending on use.

It is standard on every job, not an add-on. NFPA 211 defines three inspection levels. A Level 1 is a visual look with a flashlight. A Level 2 puts a camera down the flue and is what a home sale, a chimney fire, or a new appliance actually requires. Most companies charge for Level 1 and call it an inspection. We run Level 2 camera inspection on every chimney we touch in Paterson, and the footage is archived as your documented record. That is why the brand is named Level Two.

No. We lay drop cloths from the entry to the fireplace, run a HEPA-filtered vacuum during the sweep, and seal the firebox opening while we work. Your floors, furniture, and air stay clean. Homes in the Nottingham and Stony Road areas have white carpets and antiques, and we treat those like our own. If anything is left behind, it is dust that wiped off with a dry cloth. Cleanup is part of the flat price, not a courtesy.

We service and install components from Gelco, Olympia Chimney, and Famco, which are common on New Jersey chimneys. That includes caps, dampers, chase covers, and flashing. If your chimney has a discontinued or older component, we source compatible replacements rather than rigging something. Paterson's older housing stock in the area around East Side Park means we deal with a lot of legacy parts. A camera scan tells us exactly what is in there before any decision gets made.

Yes. We regularly install Gelco caps and dampers, and we work with Olympia Chimney and Copperfield products when the flue calls for them. The brand depends on your flue size, exposure, and what is already installed. When we recommend a cap, we show you why on the camera footage first: water staining, animal entry, draft problems. The report you get names the exact part, the brand, and the price in writing before we order it.

Sometimes. A camera scan tells us whether the liner is cracked, separated, or simply dirty. Small cracks in otherwise sound clay tile can often be repaired with a resurfacing product. But if the liner has separated, spalled, or buckled, patching it buys you a season, not a decade. In Paterson's freeze-thaw climate, damaged liners get worse every winter. We will show you the footage and tell you plainly when a repair is reasonable and when replacement is the only safe option. No recommendation without evidence.

Freeze-thaw cycles are the primary culprit in North Jersey. Water seeps into the mortar, freezes, expands, and cracks the clay tile over repeated winters. Paterson sees dozens of those cycles every season. Add in creosote from wood burning, and acidic condensate from gas appliances, and the liner takes a beating. Homes in the Riverside and South Paterson sections near the Passaic River also deal with higher humidity, which accelerates moisture intrusion. A camera-scan inspection shows exactly where the failure is.

This is a local branch of Level Two Chimney Co., a brand that has inspected and cleaned over 38,000 chimneys since 2009. Every pro working under our name is required to hold the license and insurance their state requires, and background checks are mandatory before they enter your home. We are independently owned and operated here in Paterson. The local business is the license, the trucks, and the neighbors. What Haven contributes is the standard they agree to work to, the documentation system that proves it, and the buying power that keeps prices honest.

Yes. Every technician working under the Level Two name goes through a background check before they are cleared for home entry. The crews are verified, and their license information is available on request. That is Clause 3 of the Haven Standard: Verified crews. When a tech arrives at your Paterson door, you will know their name before they arrive and their license status before they start. No anonymous subcontractors showing up unannounced.

We are independently owned and operated in Paterson, New Jersey, working to the Level Two Chimney Co. standard. The local business is the contractor you deal with directly: local trucks, local license, local team. What the brand contributes is the operating standard, the documentation system, and the requirement that every job be quoted in writing before it starts and leave a documented record when it is done. That combination gives you a local crew with a national standard behind it.

Corrine Halstead leads the local Paterson operation. Corrine and the local team know the chimneys in this city: the older masonry in the Eastside, the mid-century construction in Lakeview, the newer builds up toward Totowa. When you call, you speak with a live coordinator who connects you with the local team that understands your neighborhood's housing stock. The work is done by neighbors, not a rotating cast from forty miles away.

Call 911 first if there are flames, smoke, or if you hear a loud roaring sound from the chimney. A chimney fire can reach 2,000 degrees and crack a liner, spread to the framing, and go undetected in the walls. After the fire department clears the scene, call us at (862) 356-5229 for a Level 2 camera inspection before you use the fireplace again. The camera will show exactly what the fire did to the flue. No one should burn another fire until that is documented.

We handle urgent inspections and repairs across Paterson, Elmwood Park, Fair Lawn, Clifton, and the surrounding towns. If you smell smoke inside your home, notice water streaking down the chimney, or see animals around the cap, those are issues that get worse quickly, especially during NJ heating season. Call (862) 356-5229 and a live coordinator will get you scheduled. The phone is answered around the clock. We will be direct about what can wait and what cannot.

Scheduling is based on what our camera finds, not on a stopwatch. When you call with an urgent issue, a live coordinator takes the details and connects you with the local team. We schedule to get eyes on the problem as quickly as the calendar allows, with priority for safety concerns like suspected fires, carbon monoxide alarms, and active water intrusion. You will get a real window, a named tech, and a text when they are on the way. That is Clause 2 of the Haven Standard.

Carbon monoxide is produced when fuel burns without enough ventilation, and a blocked or damaged chimney is a common cause. Flue obstructions, cracked liners, or improper venting can force CO back into your living space instead of up and out. CO is odorless and colorless, so you will not know it is there without a detector. Paterson homes using gas furnaces or water heaters that vent into a shared chimney are the ones we watch most closely. If your CO detector has ever gone off, call us before using the appliance again.

The Haven Standard is the operating promise behind every job: Have it in writing, Arrive on schedule, Verified crews, Evidence on every job, No surprises. Every chimney job is quoted in writing before it starts and leaves a documented record when it is done. That record includes camera footage, photos, and readings of what we actually found. The warranty on any repair or install is written into your quote before you approve it, never after. If work did not meet the standard, we make it right.

Every cleaning includes a documented record and a written report. If you are unhappy with the result and the camera footage does not show a clean flue, we come back and make it right at no charge. The guarantee matters less than the evidence: you will see the before and after footage yourself. That is the whole point of the camera-scan standard. You do not have to take our word for it, because we show you what we found and what we left behind.

You get a written condition report, the camera-scan footage from inside the flue, before-and-after photos, and any moisture or clearance readings we took. Everything is archived so you can access it later, whether that is for a home sale, an insurance claim, or your own records. If you ever need to prove the liner was sound or the flue was clean on a given date, that record exists. Thirty-eight thousand chimneys have been inspected and cleaned this way since 2009. Yours will be the next documented record in the archive.

Yes. The estimate is free, and it is a written number, not a range that shifts after we arrive. We name the price on the page and over the phone. Clause 1 of the Haven Standard is having it in writing: flat price, written scope, written warranty, before anyone starts. If the camera inspection during the cleaning reveals additional work, you get a separate written scope and price before anything else is done. No door upsell, no scope creep, no "while we are in here."

Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Level Two Chimney Paterson, serving Paterson since 2009.