How Much Does a Chimney Sweep Cost in St. Louis?

Most chimney companies will not give you a number until someone is standing in your living room. We would rather tell you now.

These are the prices AirPlease Missouri Chimney Services charges across the St. Louis area. They are the same numbers listed on each service page, gathered here in one place.

• Chimney Sweep & Cleaning Routine cleaning of a reasonably accessible system from $199
• Level I Chimney Inspection Visual evaluation of accessible components, with written findings $69
• Level II Chimney Inspection Internal camera scan of the accessible flue, documented for property sales $149
• Gas Fireplace Inspection A separate diagnostic service for gas appliances $69

The inspection fee is waived with any completed job. If you book an inspection and go ahead with the work we recommend, you are not paying for the inspection on top of it.

Why Sweeping Starts at $199 Rather Than Costing $199

A sweep is $199 when the chimney has been used normally, the buildup is ordinary soot, and the system can be reached without unusual work. That covers a great many of the fireplaces we clean.

Some chimneys are not in that condition, and the honest thing is to say so rather than quote a low number and revise it once we are on the roof. These are the things that raise the price:

• Glazed creosote. Hardened, tar-like deposits do not brush off. They take a different process and considerably more time.
• Heavy buildup. A chimney that has gone many years without cleaning holds far more material than one swept last season.
• Blockages and nesting material. Birds, squirrels and debris have to be removed before anything can be cleaned.
• Difficult access. Steep roofs, tall stacks and hard-to-reach terminations take longer and require more equipment.
• Multiple flues. A chimney serving more than one appliance is more than one job.

You are told what the chimney actually looks like, and what it will cost, before that work starts.

The Setup Before Any Brushing Starts

The largest difference between a cheap sweep and a proper one is not the brushing. It is everything that happens before the brushing.

The fireplace opening is sealed with a containment barrier taped to the brick, and the hearth and floor are covered with heavy quilted blankets running several feet out into the room. The clear panel in the middle of the barrier lets the work be watched while the system stays closed. Vacuum equipment runs throughout.

That setup takes time and materials before any billable brushing happens, and it is the reason the soot leaves with us instead of settling on your mantel. It is also, plainly, where a cheaper quote usually finds its savings.

What the Cleaning Actually Removes

Same fireplace, same visit. This is what the $199 buys when the chimney is in ordinary condition.

Why Repair Work Has No Price on This Page

Relining, crown repair, tuckpointing, firebox rebuilding and chimney restoration are not listed above, and we are not going to invent a number for them.

A crown repair depends on the size and condition of the crown. A reline depends on the flue, its height and what the appliance requires. Quoting those over the phone would mean guessing, and a guess either overcharges you or gets revised upward later. Neither is how we want to work.

What we do instead: inspect the system, show you photographs of what was found, and price the actual work. The inspection fee is waived if you go ahead with it. You can see finished repair jobs, with the photos taken along the way, on our projects page.

Frequently Asked Questions