Level 2 Inspection in Northampton, PA

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Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed

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Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.

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Level 2 Inspection in Northampton, PA

A Level 2 chimney inspection is a complete visual examination of your chimney’s accessible interior and exterior, including camera footage of the flue liner, performed whenever something about your chimney system has changed. In Northampton, PA, Top Hat Chimney charges $199-$349 for a Level 2 inspection depending on flue height and configuration, and the report is delivered in plain English the same day. If you have questions before scheduling, call (484) 859-1367 – a live person picks up, and it may well be Wendell himself.

Wendell Pike started Top Hat Chimney in 1999, and in over two decades of working chimneys across Northampton and the surrounding townships, he has learned that most serious problems – cracked liners, deteriorated mortar joints, hidden creosote glaze that calls for Soot Removal – don’t announce themselves with smoke billowing into your living room. They sit quietly until they don’t. A Level 2 inspection is the tool that finds them before that happens.

If you’ve been getting your chimney swept regularly, that’s the right call. But a sweep alone doesn’t give you a camera inside the flue. That’s the difference between a Level 1 and a Level 2: the camera goes in, the footage is documented, and you get a verdict you can actually act on. You can read more about our full inspection and cleaning approach on our Chimney Cleaning & Sweep in Northampton page.

When You Need a Level 2 Inspection

The National Fire Protection Association standard NFPA 211 is clear: certain events trigger a Level 2, regardless of how recently you last had a sweep. Here’s when one is required – and when it’s simply the smart call:

• You bought or sold a home in Northampton. Real estate transactions require a Level 2. A visual scan from the firebox opening doesn’t tell you what’s happening two-thirds of the way up a 25-foot flue. We regularly find cracked tile liners in older colonials in Northampton Borough that looked fine from below.
• You had a chimney fire. Even a small one. In our experience, a puff fire that “seemed minor” can crack a clay tile liner in two or three places. The liner is your primary barrier between combustion gases and your framing. Don’t assume it survived.
• Your heating appliance changed. Swapped out an oil furnace for a gas insert? Installed a new wood stove? Changed flue configuration? Each change shifts the heat load and exhaust chemistry. What the old appliance’s liner tolerated may not suit the new one.
• You had storm or seismic damage. Northampton County sees its share of freeze-thaw cycles that crack mortar, and the occasional severe thunderstorm that rattles masonry crowns. If a large limb came down near your chimney or you felt the house shake, a Level 2 confirms whether the structure is still intact.
• Your fireplace has been smoking back into the house. Smoky fireplaces in Northampton homes are often blamed on the damper, but just as often the cause is a blockage, a collapsed flue tile, or a liner that has shifted. Camera inspection finds what a mirror and a flashlight cannot.
• It has been more than three years since your last camera inspection. Even if nothing dramatic happened, liners age, mortar erodes, and third-degree creosote can build up in spots the brush skips. Think of it the way you think of a dental x-ray – some problems only show up with the right tool.

Our Level 2 Inspection Process

Here’s exactly what happens when Wendell or one of his background-checked crew members arrives at your Northampton home. No surprises, no upsell at the door. The price you heard on the phone is the price on the invoice.

1. Pre-inspection walkthrough and appliance review. Before the camera comes out, we walk the exterior. We check the chimney crown, the cap, and the visible masonry from ground level. We also look at the firebox, smoke chamber, and damper from inside. This gives us context before the camera confirms or contradicts what we’re seeing by eye. If something looks off at this stage, we tell you right then.
2. Flue camera scan, top to bottom. A video camera goes into the flue and travels its full length. We’re looking at the liner – clay tile, cast-in-place, or flexible stainless (like a DuraFlex system) – for cracks, gaps, deterioration, or debris blockage. The footage is recorded. If we find something, you’re looking at the same image we are. No “trust us, there’s a crack” – you see it.
3. Smoke chamber and firebox documentation. The smoke chamber is one of the most overlooked parts of any chimney system. We examine it for spalling brick, open mortar joints, and poor corbeling – conditions common in mid-century masonry in Northampton neighborhoods like Allen Township and the older streets off Route 329. Documentation is written, not just verbal.
4. Accessible attic and crawlspace check (where applicable). Level 2 standards require inspection of accessible spaces where the chimney passes through the structure. We check for clearances, evidence of heat transfer, and any visible deterioration where the flue passes through floor systems or framing.
5. Plain-English report delivered same day. This part matters more than people expect. You will not receive a printout full of code references and industry jargon that leaves you wondering whether you need to act or not. Wendell or the sweep who ran the camera will tell you: this is what we found, this is what it means, and this is what we think you should do about it – ranked by urgency. The camera footage and a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions.
6. Upfront repair estimate if work is needed. If the inspection reveals a problem – a cracked liner that needs relining, a crown that needs rebuilding, a firebox that needs repointing – we’ll give you a written estimate before we leave. No pressure to book it on the spot. You have the report, you have the footage, and you have our number. Repairs over $200 qualify for $40 off, and seniors and veterans always get 10% off. Every job we do is covered by the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing.

Level 2 Inspection Pricing in Northampton

A Level 2 inspection in Northampton typically costs between $199 and $349. That range is driven by a handful of real variables, not arbitrary price-setting. Here’s what moves the number:

There is no trip charge for calls inside our service county, and there never has been. We don’t charge extra to tell you the truth. If a competing chimney company handed you a written estimate that made you nervous, call us – a second opinion is free, and Wendell will look at whatever they wrote and give you his honest read on it.

If the inspection turns up nothing major, you leave with documented proof that your chimney is in good shape. That piece of paper has real value at resale. If it turns up a problem, you’ll know what it is, what it costs to fix, and exactly how urgent it actually is – not the version designed to scare you into signing something on the spot.

Call (484) 859-1367 for a free estimate. Estimates are free and the price doesn’t change between the phone and the driveway.

What Makes Top Hat Chimney the Right Call in Northampton

There are national franchises that service Northampton. They advertise low introductory prices and then find a lot of things that need fixing once they’re in your house. Wendell has been hearing that story from homeowners in this area since the early 2000s. It’s one of the reasons Top Hat Chimney exists.

When you call Top Hat, you’re calling a company with a real address, a published license number, and an owner whose name is on every job. Wendell has been inside more chimneys in Northampton, Bath, Catasauqua, and the townships running north toward the Lehigh Valley than most sweeps see in a career. He knows which neighborhoods have the older double-wythe masonry that develops liner problems around the 20-year mark. He knows that the clay tile liners in many of the split-levels built out near Kreidersville in the 1970s are now right at the age where cracking is common. That’s not a sales pitch – it’s just what you learn working the same roads for 25-plus years.

Every job at Top Hat Chimney comes with the 90-Day Done Right Promise. If something we did isn’t right, one call brings the crew back at no additional cost. That’s in writing on every invoice, not just a phrase on a website.

We also work with quality liner materials – including DuraFlex stainless liner systems and HeatShield resurfacing products – when repairs come out of an inspection. We’re not going to recommend a fix and then use whatever happened to be cheapest on the truck that morning.

Key Takeaways

• A Level 2 inspection is required by NFPA 211 after a home sale, a chimney fire, or a change in heating appliance – and it’s good practice every three years regardless.
• Top Hat Chimney charges $199-$349 for a Level 2 in Northampton, depending on flue height and configuration. No trip charge inside the service county.
• Camera footage goes in every time. You see what we see.
• You receive a same-day, plain-English written report – not a printout full of jargon.
• Every inspection and repair is backed by the 90-Day Done Right Promise, in writing.
• Seniors and veterans always receive 10% off. Repairs over $200 qualify for $40 off.
• Free second opinion on any competing written estimate – no strings attached.

FAQs – Level 2 Inspection in Northampton

How is a Level 2 inspection different from a regular chimney sweep?

A Level 2 inspection includes a video camera scan of the full flue interior, which a standard sweep does not. A routine Chimney Cleaning & Sweep removes creosote and debris and includes a visual check of accessible areas – it’s a Level 1 inspection paired with cleaning. A Level 2 goes further: the camera documents the liner’s condition along its entire length, and accessible attic or crawlspace areas where the chimney passes through the structure are also checked. If you just want the chimney cleaned and nothing about your system has changed, a sweep with a Level 1 is usually the right call. If you’re buying or selling a home, recovering from a chimney fire, or changing your heating appliance, you need a Level 2. Not sure which applies to your situation? Call (484) 859-1367 and we’ll give you a straight answer.

How much does a Level 2 chimney inspection cost in Northampton, PA?

A Level 2 inspection with Top Hat Chimney costs $199-$349 in Northampton, depending on the number of flues and the height of the chimney. A single-flue system at standard height runs $199-$249. A taller flue or a two-flue chimney – which is common in older Northampton Borough homes that have both a fireplace and a furnace venting through the same chimney – runs up to $349. There’s no trip charge inside our service county, and if you bundle a sweep with the inspection, ask about the combined rate or check How Much Does Chimney Cleaning & Sweep Cost? (2026 Price Guide) - Northampton, PA when you call. Call (484) 859-1367 for your exact quote – it won’t change between the phone and the driveway.

Do I need a Level 2 inspection when I sell my home in Northampton?

Yes. NFPA 211 specifies that a Level 2 inspection is required at the time of a real estate transaction involving a property with a chimney. Buyers’ home inspectors often flag the chimney for follow-up, and some mortgage lenders in Northampton County require documented chimney clearance before closing. Sellers who have a clean Level 2 report in hand before listing avoid last-minute repair negotiations. We work with real estate agents throughout Northampton regularly and can often schedule within a few days of your call. Call (484) 859-1367 to get on the calendar.

What happens if the Level 2 inspection finds a problem?

We tell you exactly what it is, show you the camera footage, and give you a written estimate before we leave the driveway. We rank the findings by urgency so you know the difference between “fix this before you light another fire” and “keep an eye on this at next year’s inspection.” Nothing gets started without your approval, and the price on the estimate is the price on the invoice – no revisions once we’re in the attic. If the repair comes to more than $200, you save $40. Seniors and veterans save an additional 10%. And every repair is covered by the 90-Day Done Right Promise. If it’s not done right, one call brings us back at no charge.

Schedule Your Level 2 Inspection in Northampton

If you’re buying a home, selling one, recovering from a chimney fire, or just haven’t had a camera in your flue in a few years, this is the call to make. Top Hat Chimney has been working chimneys in Northampton and the surrounding townships since 1999 – Wendell knows the houses, the common liner problems by neighborhood, and exactly what a fair price looks like for this market.

Call (484) 859-1367 to schedule or get a free estimate. A live person answers around the clock – no voicemail, no callback queue. If you want to start on the home page and work your way from there, that works too. Whatever gets you the answer fastest, that’s the way to go.

Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Northampton.