Do I Need a Chimney Sweep? Checker
Eight questions covering the things that actually indicate an overdue chimney — when it was last serviced, how you burn, and what you can see from the firebox. No email, nothing stored, and it will tell you if the answer is probably nothing.
This is a screening tool, not an inspection. It scores how overdue your chimney is likely to be based on your answers — it cannot see your flue, and only a camera scan can confirm whether a chimney is safe to use. If you have had a chimney fire or a carbon monoxide alarm has sounded, stop using the appliance and call a professional regardless of what this says.
What the questions are weighted on
Not every indicator carries equal weight. Time since the last sweep is the heaviest, because it is the one thing that reliably predicts buildup regardless of anything else. Glazed creosote on the damper and debris in the firebox are equally heavy but for a different reason — they are direct evidence rather than probability, and tile fragments in particular mean the liner is already failing. Recent changes (a chimney fire, a new appliance, a house purchase) score high because the standard calls for a Level 2 inspection in each case.
Answering "not sure" counts as half. That is deliberate: on a question like whether the damper has a shiny black coating, uncertainty is itself mildly informative, and forcing a yes or no would distort the result in both directions.
If you want to check it yourself first
Ten minutes with a flashlight gets you further than most people expect. Look at the damper and the top of the firebox for a hard shiny coating — that is glazed creosote, and our guide to what creosote is explains the three stages and what each takes to remove. Then check the firebox floor for soot, flakes, or tile fragments.
From the ground with binoculars, look at the crown, the cap, and the mortar joints. The full list is in signs your chimney needs repair. What none of that reaches is the middle of the flue, which is why the annual inspection exists.
What happens if you do call
An on-site assessment across Syracuse + Onondaga County, NY is free. We inspect to the NFPA 211 scope, run a camera scan where it is warranted, photograph anything worth showing you, and give you a written scope and price before any work starts. If the answer is that you do not need what you thought you did, we will say so — see what a chimney inspection covers.
Not sure what you are dealing with?
A free on-site assessment across Syracuse + Onondaga County, NY answers it properly. No obligation.
Answers
Quiz questions
How accurate is this chimney checker?
It is a screening tool, not an inspection. It weighs the indicators that reliably correlate with an overdue chimney — service history, how you burn, and the physical signs you can see from the firebox — and tells you whether the combination is worth acting on. What it cannot do is see your flue, and the most serious defect of all, a cracked liner, is invisible without a camera.
I scored low but something does not feel right. What now?
Trust that. This quiz only asks about things you can observe, and most of a chimney is unobservable. If the fire draws badly, there is a smell you cannot place, or you have simply never had it looked at, a Level 1 inspection at $125 to $250 settles it — and a low score here is not a reason to skip the annual inspection.
Does the quiz store my answers?
No. It runs entirely in your browser, nothing is submitted anywhere, and nothing is saved. Reloading the page clears it.
Does this tell me whether my chimney is safe?
No, and no questionnaire can. Safety turns on the condition of the flue liner, the clearance to combustible framing, and whether the flue is blocked — none of which are visible from inside the house. A high score means get it inspected; a low score means the annual inspection is probably all you need. Neither is a verdict on safety.
I scored high. What should I do first?
Stop using the fireplace if you have found tile fragments in the firebox or have had a chimney fire — both mean the liner may be compromised, and that is not a wait-and-see situation. Otherwise, book a sweep with an inspection and ask specifically whether a camera scan is warranted. Do not try to burn off heavy buildup; that is how chimney fires start.