Chimney Service in Middlesex County

Middlesex is New Jersey's third most populous county, with 25 municipalities and its county seat at New Brunswick, home of Rutgers. Most of its houses went up after the war: the Census Bureau's 2024 survey puts the median build year at 1975 and only 10 percent of homes before 1940. In Edison, Woodbridge, Piscataway and Old Bridge, a typical house has one brick chimney carrying the fireplace and the furnace flue side by side.

Eighty percent of Middlesex homes heat with utility gas, and only 3 percent with oil. New Brunswick is the older exception, with 26 percent of homes from before 1940. Across the county, the problems we see most are cracked crowns, worn flashing, gas flues that are too big for a new high-efficiency furnace, and fireplaces that haven't been checked in years. A missing cap is another frequent find, and it lets in rain, birds and squirrels.

Freeze-thaw in central Jersey

NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the New Brunswick station count about 110 nights a year at or below freezing, far more than at Newark airport, along with close to 50 inches of precipitation and 29 inches of snow. Water that gets into a crown or mortar joint freezes and widens the crack every time. A new crown typically runs $600 to $2,200 and waterproofing $300 to $800.

Watch out for door-knockers

ABC7 reported in 2015 on homeowners in Piscataway and Caldwell whose chimneys were torn down by a cold-calling company. In 2012, the state Attorney General sued three chimney companies over unregistered and unsafe work. Before agreeing to any chimney job, ask the company for its New Jersey contractor registration number, which starts with 13VH, and ask to see photos of the problem.

Our inspection is free and comes with photos and a written price, so you can compare before deciding.