Monee homeowner who swept every year but never inspected: what the first camera scan found
A Monee homeowner had the chimney swept faithfully for years but had never had it inspected — and assumed a clean sweep meant a sound chimney. The first camera scan showed otherwise.
Swept is not the same as inspected
A sweep removes soot and creosote. An inspection tells you whether the chimney is safe to use. They are different jobs, and a brush cannot see a cracked flue tile, a gap at a joint, or a liner that has pulled apart — it just cleans past them. This Monee homeowner, in one of the older homes near the original town center, had been getting a thorough sweep for years and never once had a camera put up the flue.
When we did, we found two cracked tiles and a mortar joint that had opened. Nothing a brush would ever reveal, and exactly the kind of flaw that lets heat and gases reach the framing around the chimney.
What a Level 1 inspection actually covers
A Level 1 inspection is the annual baseline for a chimney in regular use with no changes to the system. We check the readily accessible parts — the firebox, damper, smoke chamber, the visible flue, the crown, the cap, and the exterior masonry — and we run a camera the full length of the flue to look at the liner condition the eye cannot reach. We check clearances and the overall structure against the NFPA 211 standard.
If we find damage, a change of fuel or appliance, or we are inspecting for a sale, that moves it to a Level 2 with a deeper scan. The point of the annual Level 1 is to catch the small cracks while they are still small.
Why it belongs on the calendar every year
Flue tiles crack from heat cycling, from a small chimney fire the homeowner never knew happened, or simply from age. Masonry chimneys in our area take a hard freeze-thaw beating every winter, and water in a cracked crown or open joint speeds everything up. [Observed] A fair share of the cracked tiles we document are in chimneys that were being swept regularly but never scanned.
Pair the inspection with the sweep and you get both — a clean flue and a documented picture of its condition. Our inspection pricing is published, and we are insured and bonded. We answer the phone seven days a week, 7am to 9pm.
If this sounds like your house: we handle chimney inspection across Kankakee County, and our Monee page covers what we usually find there. Call (815) 449-4264, 7am to 9pm, any day.
Quick questions
If my chimney is swept every year, do I still need it inspected?
Yes. A sweep cleans; it doesn’t reveal cracked tiles, open joints, or a failed liner. Only a camera inspection shows whether the flue is sound. Sweeping and inspecting are two different jobs.
What is a Level 1 chimney inspection?
It’s the annual baseline for a chimney in regular use with no changes: a check of all readily accessible parts plus a camera scan of the full flue, measured against the NFPA 211 standard.
How often should I have a chimney inspection?
Every year, ideally with your annual sweep. Flue tiles crack from heat, age, and our freeze-thaw winters, and the damage is invisible without a camera.
When do I need a Level 2 inspection instead?
After a chimney fire, a change of appliance or fuel, a property sale, or when a Level 1 finds damage. A Level 2 adds a more detailed camera scan of the entire system.
Published November 10, 2026 · By Jacob Dove, Friendship Chimney Sweep, Bourbonnais IL