Chimney sweep in New York, NY

Chimney care in the 212 area

Long heating seasons and repeated freeze-thaw cycles are hard on masonry around New York. Water that soaks into a cracked crown or open mortar joint freezes, expands and breaks brick apart (spalling), and nor'easter rain drives water in at the flashing. An annual inspection before the first cold snap catches crown cracks and creosote build-up from a winter of wood burning.

The Census Bureau counts about 909,000 homes and apartments in the 212 territory. 78.9% were built before 1980 and 42.9% before 1940, close to the New York figure of 75.4% built before 1980. The median home here dates from the 1950s, and 1.1% of homes are single-family detached houses.

48.4% of occupied homes heat mainly with utility gas and 26.6% with electricity. Wood is the main heating fuel in 0.1% of homes, lower than the national rate of 1.5%, and 16.3% heat with fuel oil, whose furnaces and boilers also vent through a chimney flue.

With 42.9% of homes built before 1940, many chimneys here are older masonry. Older flues can be unlined or have clay tile liners that have cracked over the years, which a camera inspection of the flue will show.

Under the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, the territory is in climate zone 4A (mixed, humid).

The 212 territory (with overlays 917, 646 and 332) is home to roughly 1,619,000 people across 146 ZIP codes in New York County.

Services in New York

• Chimney inspection in New York: Level 1, 2 and 3 to NFPA 211
• Chimney cleaning in New York: creosote and soot removal
• Dryer vent cleaning in New York: full vent run to the outside hood
• Chimney repairs, chimney relining and wood stove installs: ask your local company whether they offer them

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2018–2022 5-year estimates (tables B25034, B25040, B25024) for the ZIP codes in this territory; climate zones from PNNL, Guide to Determining Climate Zone by County (2022). Population from our ZIP code data.