Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Fast, Reliable Chimney Inspection Across New Braunfels
A chimney inspection in New Braunfels typically costs $189 – $489 depending on the level of inspection, with most standard Level 1 inspections running $189 – $249 and camera-assisted Level 2 inspections running $289 – $489. Most inspections take 45 – 90 minutes, and we schedule within a few days of your call. If you’re buying or selling a home in New Braunfels, or you’ve noticed spalling brick, a smoky fireplace, or animal activity in the flue, call us at (361) 491-3153 and we’ll get a background-checked technician out to you.
We work in New Braunfels every week, from Gruene’s limestone cottages to the newer subdivisions off Highway 46 and FM 306. Our crews know the difference between a 1900s German-influenced masonry chimney and a 2015 prefab unit, and we treat them differently because they fail differently. That local knowledge means our inspections find the problems a generic checklist misses.
Why Kindling Chimney San Antonio Is New Braunfels’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Kindling Chimney San Antonio serves New Braunfels with the same written-price approach we use everywhere: you get a flat price before any inspection begins, and that’s the price you pay. No on-the-spot upsells, no pressure, no surprise add-ons when the technician is already on your roof. Danny Cortes leads our team, and every tech who steps onto a New Braunfels property is background-checked, uniformed, and trained to treat the house like a home, not a job site. Shoe covers and drop cloths go down before we bring tools inside, and we photograph the clean-up before we leave.
Families in New Braunfels call us because we answer honestly. When our camera finds a flue that’s structurally sound with light first-degree creosote, we tell you that. When it finds glazed creosote that a brush can’t safely remove, we show you the footage before we discuss options like HeatShield resurfacing. Every job is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the inspection or any repair isn’t right, we make it right. A live person answers our phones 24/7, so when you call (361) 491-3153 at 8 a.m. or 11 p.m., you reach a human, not a voicemail tree.
Our service area is coordinated from the brand’s San Antonio office, but the crew that inspects your New Braunfels chimney is scheduled locally and arrives on time. New Braunfels homeowners consistently tell us two things: they appreciate the written price before work starts, and they’re relieved we don’t leave soot, debris, or chemical smells behind. With kids and pets in the house, that matters.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Camera Inspection in New Braunfels
Chimney Camera Inspection in New Braunfels is how we see inside your flue liner without guessing. We run a high-resolution camera up the full length of the chimney and record the condition of the liner, mortar joints, and any creosote or damage we find. For homeowners in older New Braunfels neighborhoods, this is the only way to spot hairline cracks or missing mortar joints behind limestone and brick that look fine from the outside. A Chimney Camera Inspection here runs $289 – $489 as part of a Level 2 assessment, and you’ll see the footage yourself, not just hear a summary.
What the Camera Shows Us
In New Braunfels homes, the camera most often reveals creosote staging from oak and mesquite fires, cracked flue tiles from thermal shock during Hill Country freezes, and animal nests that went unnoticed during the off-season. We use the footage to give you an honest read: clean it, repair it, or let it sit. No work is recommended without visual evidence you can review.
When You Need a Camera, Not Just a Visual Check
If you own a rural property outside New Braunfels with a wood stove as your primary heat source, skip the visual check and go straight to camera. Heavy creosote loading is common here, and third-degree creosote glazing is almost impossible to see without a camera until it causes a chimney fire. A camera inspection also catches warped chase covers on prefab chimneys in newer subdivisions like Meyer Ranch, where intense summer heat warps metal covers and lets rainwater into the chase.
Fireplace Inspection in New Braunfels
Fireplace Inspection in New Braunfels covers the firebox, damper, smoke shelf, and the visible portion of the flue, plus a check of the hearth and clearances around the opening. Most standard fireplace inspections in New Braunfels run $189 – $249 for a Level 1. Homeowners in the older sections of town, like the 19th-century stone and brick homes near downtown, often need extra close attention to the firebox, because limestone foundation movement shifts masonry over decades and opens spalling at the mortar joints.
Firebox and Hearth Evaluation
We measure spalled brick, cracked mortar, and gaps around the firebox that could let heat reach combustible framing. In historic New Braunfels homes, we also check for moisture staining that signals water entry through the cap or crown, because leaking water is the slow killer of old masonry fireplaces.
Draft and Smoke Behavior
A smoky fireplace in New Braunfels isn’t always a dirty flue. It can be a damper that’s warped, a flue that’s undersized for the firebox, or a chimney swifts nest blocking the throat. We check all of those during a fireplace inspection, and we’ll tell you plainly if what you need is a sweep rather than a repair.
Trusted Brands We Service in New Braunfels
When a New Braunfels inspection turns up a repair, we install parts and materials we’re willing to stand behind: DuraFlex liners for relining, HeatShield for resurfacing damaged flues, and copper caps from Copperfield for limestone chimneys in Gruene and downtown that need proper rain and bird protection. Because we stock common DuraFlex and Copperfield parts for New Braunfels jobs, most repairs move faster than waiting on a supplier to ship. Our Chimney Inspection team carries what they need to act on findings right away, so you’re not waiting weeks between diagnosis and fix.
See the difference
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After
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AfterCommon Chimney Inspection Problems We See in New Braunfels Homes
- Glazed third-degree creosote in wood stoves. Rural properties around New Braunfels often burn oak and mesquite as primary heat. By the time we’re called, creosote has often glazed the liner, which a brush alone can’t remove safely.
- Missing or damaged chimney caps on limestone chimneys. In Gruene and downtown New Braunfels, many older limestone chimneys never had proper caps installed. Rainwater pools, chimney swifts nest, and spalling begins before anyone notices.
- Warped chase covers on prefab fireplaces. Newer subdivisions like Meyer Ranch have metal chase covers that warp and crack under Hill Country summer heat, letting water drip down inside the chase and into the prefab flue.
- Foundation movement cracking mortar joints. Limestone foundation movement in older New Braunfels homes transfers to the chimney stack. Small mortar cracks open up, then freeze-thaw cycles during cold snaps widen them into visible gaps.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in New Braunfels, TX
Here’s what New Braunfels homeowners can expect to pay for a Kindling Chimney San Antonio inspection:
- Level 1 Inspection (visual check, no camera): $189 – $249
- Level 2 Inspection (includes Chimney Camera Inspection): $289 – $489
- Level 3 Inspection (requires opening walls or chase): quoted after Level 2 findings
What affects cost in New Braunfels: roof pitch and access difficulty on steep Hill Country lots, whether the fireplace is masonry or prefab, and whether you need a real estate inspection with written documentation for a closing. Every quote is a flat number delivered in writing before work begins. Call (361) 491-3153 for a free estimate and we’ll give you the exact price for your house, your chimney, and your situation.
We Also Serve Cities Near New Braunfels
If you’re just outside New Braunfels, our Chimney Inspection in New Braunfels team also covers Universal City, Converse, Bulverde, and the surrounding San Antonio area. We schedule routes regularly through these communities, so you get the same written price, same background-checked technicians, and same 365-Day Done Right Promise whether your chimney is five minutes or twenty-five minutes outside town.
Serving New Braunfels, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the New Braunfels area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Inspection in New Braunfels
Annually, without exception. If you burn oak or mesquite as your main heat source anywhere in rural New Braunfels, the creosote you produce builds heavier and faster than the cleaning interval most homeowners assume they have. We find second- and third-degree creosote glazing on rural wood stoves in this area more often than anywhere else we work. With a primary heat source, a Chimney Camera Inspection every 12 months is the safe interval. Call (361) 491-3153 and we’ll get you on the schedule at the $289 – $489 Level 2 rate.
Because water and birds are doing damage while the fireplace sits unused. Missing caps on limestone chimneys in Gruene and downtown New Braunfels let rainwater saturate mortar joints for months at a time, and chimney swifts nest inside the flue each spring. You don’t need a cap before we inspect, but if inspection shows you’re missing one, a Copperfield cap should be the first fix. It stops the damage we can already see on camera from getting worse.
No. Third-degree creosote in a New Braunfels chimney is a hard, tar-like glaze that has bonded to the flue liner, and a standard brush cannot remove it. Attempting to brush-glazed creosote often just skins over the top, leaving the fire hazard underneath. We use chemical treatments or HeatShield resurfacing depending on the liner’s condition. The camera tells us which one your flue needs, and we only recommend what the footage supports.
Yes. Prefab chimney inspections in Meyer Ranch and similar New Braunfels subdivisions focus less on masonry mortar and more on the metal chase cover, the flue liner inside the pipe, and the framing clearances around the unit. Intense summer heat warps chase covers here, letting water into the chase. Our camera inspection still applies, but we’re specifically checking for corrosion, separated vent pipe sections, and rusted-out covers rather than spalling brick.
Moisture intrusion during the long humid stretch from spring through early fall. In New Braunfels, the hot, humid months are when most fireplaces sit dormant, and that’s when limestone chimneys absorb water, mortar joints soften, and animals move in. By the time the first Hill Country freeze arrives, water trapped in cracks freezes and expands, splitting flue tiles and widening mortar gaps. A spring or summer inspection catches this before the damage compounds. Call (361) 491-3153 to book yours.
Written by Danny Cortes, Owner at Kindling Chimney San Antonio, serving New Braunfels with honest inspections and written pricing.