Tier 2 Chimney Inspection With Full Interior Video Documentation
Camera scan of every flue section – report and footage delivered before closing.
What a Tier 2 Chimney Inspection Covers That a Tier 1 Cannot
A Tier 2 chimney inspection is the one that goes inside the flue – not just around it.
A Tier 1 inspection covers everything visible without special equipment: the firebox, the accessible portions of the smoke chamber, the exterior masonry, and the crown. It is a thorough visual check. But the flue liner – the clay tile or stainless channel running from smoke chamber to chimney top – sits in a section of the chimney the eye cannot reach from the firebox opening or the chimney cap.
A Tier 2 chimney inspection includes all of that Tier 1 scope, then adds video flue scanning – the use of a camera mounted on a cable or flexible rod to capture interior flue images. That camera reveals liner cracks, joint offsets, spalling tile, and obstructions that no visual inspection can detect.
That is the difference. Not a judgment on inspection quality – a difference in what each scope can physically access.
The NFPA 211 standard defines three specific triggers that require a Tier 2: a property transfer, a system change, or an event affecting system integrity. If any of those apply to your situation, a Tier 1 is not sufficient.
Why Dallas-Area Transactions Run Into Tier 2 Requests
DFW’s spring real estate market compresses inspection timelines into a 21-to-45-day window.
When a Dallas home goes under contract, the chimney rarely comes up until the inspection report lands. Then the buyer’s inspector flags the fireplace. A Tier 2 inspection gets requested. Suddenly both parties are on a deadline – the seller needs a report fast, the buyer needs it before closing, and neither planned for it.
That time pressure is real in DFW’s market. Appointment availability matters. So does report turnaround.
Tier 2 inspection appointments are available across Dallas and the surrounding real estate corridors – including Plano, Allen, Frisco, and McKinney to the north, where a high volume of property transfers occur year-round. The Chimney Inspection & Sweep has provided Tier 2 inspection reports for real estate transactions across this market since 1991. That is over 33 years of working within the timelines buyers, sellers, and realtors actually face in DFW’s active market. With more than 850 reviews across platforms, the business has an established track record with all three parties in a transaction.
What Happens During a Tier 2 Inspection: A Field Walkthrough
Every Tier 2 inspection starts with the same question: what changed, and when?
A system change – converting a wood-burning fireplace to gas logs, replacing a heating appliance connected to the flue, or modifying the venting configuration – is one of the three NFPA 211 triggers for a Tier 2. The change itself does not mean something went wrong. It means the system is now operating differently than when it was last evaluated, and the flue interior needs to be confirmed as appropriate for the new configuration before use.
Here is what the camera finds in those situations that a Tier 1 cannot. A gas log conversion in a Lake Highlands home looked clean from the firebox – good firebrick, no visible smoke staining. The camera found a different condition. Two clay tile joints had separated three-quarters of the way up the flue. Not cracked – separated. Open gaps, with debris visible in the joint cavity. The previous wood-burning use had concealed the separation because creosote had packed into those gaps over time. Once the liner was cleaned ahead of the gas conversion, the gaps became active.
That finding changed the project scope significantly. A liner repair or full liner installation was on the table before the gas logs went in. The homeowner had that information before any appliance was connected – not after the first fire.
The camera documentation went into the report. The homeowner received footage, not just a verbal summary of what was found.
- The Chimney Inspection & Sweep, Dallas, TX
Your Report Is Documentation, Not Just a Service Record
The Tier 2 inspection report includes the actual video footage – not a summary of what the footage showed.
A common question from homeowners, buyers, and realtors is whether the report will be accepted by an insurance carrier or reviewed by a second party. The answer depends on what the report contains.
The Chimney Inspection & Sweep delivers written findings, camera screenshots keyed to specific flue sections, and the video file itself. The buyer’s agent can share it. The insurance carrier can review it. The seller can submit it with disclosure documentation. A written narrative that says “liner appears intact” does not support those uses the way documented footage does.
The report exists to serve the transaction or the safety record – not just the inspection visit. It is built accordingly.
Our Standards for Every Tier 2 Inspection
Every Tier 2 follows a fixed sequence – Tier 1 visual scope first, camera scan second, report last.
- Full Tier 1 visual inspection of all accessible areas before camera deployment
- Video flue scanning from both directions where flue geometry allows
- Liner condition documented by section – not summarized as a whole-flue pass/fail
- Written findings delivered with footage, not as a separate document
- Report formatted for use by homeowners, realtors, and insurance carriers
- System change triggers noted in the report with the applicable NFPA 211 designation
- Post-inspection follow-up available by phone if the report raises questions before closing
How We Run a Tier 2 Inspection From Start to Report
Scope Established at the Firebox
The inspection begins with the complete Tier 1 visual scope – firebox interior, smoke chamber, damper assembly, exterior masonry, and crown condition. We document the baseline before the camera deploys.
Camera Documentation Through the Flue
The camera deploys from the firebox end and, where the flue configuration allows, from the chimney cap end as well. We capture footage of the liner in sections, noting any crack patterns, joint separations, tile displacement, or obstructions. Debris accumulation and any existing repair materials visible in the flue are also documented.
Report Assembled From Combined Findings
Before the report is issued, we cross-reference the camera footage against the Tier 1 visual findings to confirm that any conditions appearing in one inspection phase are accounted for in the other. The written report is produced from that combined record. You receive the report with footage included, not as a follow-up.
Areas We Serve
We serve Dallas and the full DFW Metroplex for Tier 2 chimney inspections.
Service communities include Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Carrollton, Irving, Garland, Richardson, Addison, Arlington, and surrounding areas. North Dallas real estate corridors receive priority scheduling during DFW’s active spring and fall transaction seasons.
Schedule Your Tier 2 Chimney Inspection
A Tier 2 inspection delivers what a Tier 1 cannot – interior video documentation of your flue liner, in a report that supports your transaction, your safety record, or your repair decision.
Call The Chimney Inspection & Sweep at 972-884-5553 or email info@theonechimneysweep.com to schedule. Tell us your closing date if this is for a real estate transaction – we will confirm availability for your timeline.
Chimney repair is one of our main services.
We also offer a free home fire safety check at every service appointment.
Information
Service Areas
- Dallas
- Plano
- Carrollton
- Irving
- McKinney
- Frisco
- Allen
- Garland
- Richardson
- Addison
- Arlington