Chimney Service in Union County

Union is the newest of New Jersey's 21 counties, carved out of Essex in 1857, but its houses are old. The Census Bureau's 2024 survey puts 23 percent of Union homes before 1940 and the median build year at 1957. Westfield has 37 percent of its homes from before 1940 and Summit 33 percent. Cranford and Scotch Plains have plenty of older houses too, many with a brick chimney carrying both the fireplace and the furnace flue.

Union heats with gas more than almost any county: 83 percent of homes use utility gas, and in Elizabeth, the county seat, it is 86 percent. Only 3 percent use oil. So the chimney problems here are mostly gas problems on old masonry: liners corroded or cracked by condensation, flues that are too large for a modern furnace, and mortar crumbling from the inside out. The fireplace flue next to the furnace flue is often older and less looked after.

Westfield and Summit: old fireplaces, new furnaces

When a furnace or water heater is replaced in a Westfield or Summit house, New Jersey's F-370 chimney verification has to be done before the town approves it. A homeowner can't sign it. The old flue is often oversized for a high-efficiency appliance, and a liner sized for the new furnace or water heater typically runs $625 to $2,250.

The fireplace flue beside it is a separate question. If it is unlined and the mortar joints are open, the New Jersey fire code says it shall be repaired or relined. A stainless liner typically runs $1,500 to $5,000.

Elizabeth and Union: flashing and leaks

On attached and closely spaced houses, a lot of the calls are leaks. Water gets in where the chimney meets the roof or through a cracked crown, and the stain shows up on a ceiling or the side of the fireplace. Leak repair typically runs $300 to $2,500 and new flashing $300 to $1,800. We tell you whether the leak is the chimney or the roof.