Chimney Service in Toms River, New Jersey

Toms River was formed as Dover Township under a 1768 royal charter and took its current name in 2006. It became the seat of Ocean County in 1850, and the 2020 census counted 95,438 residents, the eighth-largest population of any town in New Jersey. The township covers almost 53 square miles, nearly a quarter of it water. Most of it sits on the mainland along the Toms River and Barnegat Bay, while Ortley Beach, Normandy Beach and the other Dover Beaches sit out on the Barnegat Peninsula, between the bay and the ocean.

The houses here are young by New Jersey standards. Census figures (ACS 2024) put the median Toms River home at 1978, and only 2.6 percent were built before 1940, against 17.4 percent statewide. About 85 percent of occupied homes heat with utility gas. So most chimney work in town isn't old brick. It is gas fireplaces, the flues behind furnaces and water heaters, metal chimneys on factory-built fireplaces, and the brick or framed chases around them, all of it taking shore weather year after year.

Sandy, the beaches and the mainland

Superstorm Sandy hit Toms River hard in October 2012. Silverton and the downtown saw their worst flooding on record, and Huddy Park, the township's oldest park, went under water. NJ Spotlight reported in December 2013 that the township was condemning and demolishing more than 600 badly damaged houses in Ortley Beach and other coastal areas, that many buildings in mainland sections like Silverton and Green Island were still in disrepair, and that nearly half of the property value New Jersey lost to the storm was in Toms River.

So many Toms River chimneys are either new, built on houses that were rebuilt or raised after the storm, or older ones that sat in floodwater. On rebuilt and raised homes we look at how the chimney or vent was tied into the new structure, and at the cap, chase cover and crown. On homes that flooded, we check the base of the chimney, the cleanout and any appliance connection that was under water.

Rain, freezing nights and bay air

NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for the Toms River weather station show about 52 inches of precipitation a year, more than Newark or Atlantic City, and close to 116 nights at or below freezing. Only about 12 days a year stay below freezing all day, so most of those cold nights are followed by a thaw. Water that soaks into a crown or the mortar joints freezes overnight and pushes the masonry apart, a little more each cycle.

That is why we look hardest at the crown, the top courses of brick and the flashing. A new crown typically runs $600 to $2,200, flashing $300 to $1,800, and a breathable water repellent $300 to $800. On the barrier beaches and along the bay we also check caps and chase covers for rust, since a rusted chase cover can hold water and let it into the chase. A new chase cover typically runs $300 to $700.

New furnace or water heater? Plan for the F-370

In a town where most homes heat with gas, the F-370 chimney check matters. New Jersey requires the form when a furnace, boiler or water heater is replaced, and on oil-to-gas conversions, and a homeowner can't sign it. The person who signs confirms the chimney is in good repair, clear of blockage, clean of old residue, and lined and sized for the new appliance. If a new liner goes in, its paperwork has to go in with the permit. No verification is needed when one direct-vent appliance replaces another.

Our free inspection covers the chimney check. If the flue needs a liner sized for the new furnace or water heater, that typically runs $625 to $2,250, and we write the price down before any work.

Where we work in Toms River

Downtown Toms River · Silverton · Gilford Park · Pleasant Plains · West Dover · East Dover · Green Island · Cattus Island · Ortley Beach · Normandy Beach · Chadwick Beach · Ocean Beach