Level 2 chimney inspection
Also called: level 2 inspection, chimney camera inspection, chimney scan, flue camera inspection, NFPA 211 inspection, chimney inspection levels, level 1 chimney inspection, level 3 chimney inspection
The middle of three inspection levels defined by NFPA 211: a Level 1 visual check plus a video camera scan of the entire flue and access to the attic, crawl space and roof. Required at a sale, after a fire, storm or leak, or when the fuel changes; $200–$500, and the only way to see the liner.
The National Fire Protection Association’s standard for chimneys, NFPA 211, defines three inspections. Level 1 is what a sweep does on an annual cleaning: a look at the readily accessible parts of the chimney and flue with a flashlight, checking for obstructions and obvious damage. Level 2 adds a video camera run the length of the flue and an inspection of every accessible part of the chimney’s exterior and interior, including attics, crawl spaces and basements, with a written report and photos. Level 3 is a Level 2 plus removing parts of the chimney or the house — a wall, the crown, a chase cover — when a hidden hazard is suspected; it’s rare and expensive.
Level 2 is the one that matters for repair. The flue liner — clay tile in most masonry chimneys, stainless steel in relined ones — is the part that keeps heat and combustion gases out of the framing, and it can be cracked, spalled, missing sections, or coated in glazed creosote without any sign on the outside. A camera finds that; nothing else does. NFPA 211 requires a Level 2 whenever the chimney changes hands (a home inspector’s look up the flue isn’t one), after any chimney fire, lightning strike, earthquake or storm damage, after a leak, and whenever the appliance or fuel connected to it changes. Most sweeps also recommend one on any chimney that’s never had one.
For a homeowner deciding on a repair, it’s step one: the report says whether the $1,100 repoint is the whole job or whether there’s a $3,000 liner under it, and it’s the document to hand to the mason and the roofer. A CSIA-certified sweep does it in an hour or two for $200–$500, ideally one who isn’t also bidding the big repair. The cost page lists it as the first add-on, and the hiring guide says to get it before the quotes.