Chimney services in Kent
- Chimney InspectionA close look at the flue, firebox, masonry and roof flashing, with photos you keep and a plain account of what’s urgent, what can wait and what can be left alone.
- Chimney Sweeping & CleaningCreosote, soot and debris cleared from the flue, smoke chamber and firebox, with before-and-after photos and a plain account of what the cleaning turned up.
- Chimney Crown RepairSealing, resurfacing or recasting the slab on top of your chimney, with a real overhang, a drip edge and a flexible joint around the flue.
- Chimney Leak & Flashing RepairTracing where water really gets in around your chimney, then repairing the flashing, crown, cap or masonry responsible, with a written scope before any work.
- Gas Fireplace Service & RepairService and repair for gas fireplaces and gas inserts: pilot and ignition trouble, sooty glass, odd flames, odors, and the vent or chimney the unit uses.
- Chimney Cap InstallationChimney caps measured to your flue, single or multi-flue, to help keep rain, animals, debris and embers out, with the crown checked before anything is fitted.
Mostly built after 1960
Census estimates put the median Kent home’s construction year at 1985. Only about 8 percent of homes predate 1960, while roughly 30 percent went up in the 1960s and 1970s and about 22 percent in 2000 or later.
About 40 percent of households heat mainly with utility gas, and fewer than 1 in 100 mainly with wood. For many Kent homes, then, the fireplace is a gas unit or an occasional wood fire rather than the main source of heat. That shifts what is worth checking: a masonry chimney from the 1960s or 1970s may be due for a look at its crown and joints, while a gas appliance still vents through a flue whose cap, termination and seals are part of servicing it.
The valley gauge runs colder than the airport
NOAA’s long-term station in Kent sits on the valley floor, about 30 feet above sea level and roughly 2.5 miles from the city’s center. Its 1991–2020 normals record about 39 nights a year at or below freezing. The Sea-Tac airport station, about 370 feet up and a few miles west, records about 25. Rainfall is close to 40 inches a year at both.
More freezing nights mean more chances for water held in a crown crack or a porous brick face to freeze and expand. Small cracks and open joints are worth assessing while they are still small, through crown repair or masonry repair, rather than after they have let water into the stack.
Manufactured homes and landmark properties
If you live in a mobile or manufactured home, Kent’s permit pages say wood pellet and gas stove installations there are permitted and inspected by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, not by the city. Check with L&I before a stove goes in or is replaced.
Designated landmarks are another special case. The King County Landmarks Commission acts for Kent, and it decides certificates of appropriateness for alterations to landmark properties in the city. Most Kent houses are not landmarks, but if yours is, raise any exterior chimney work with the city’s planning staff before it is scoped.
Burn bans in King County
Kent falls under the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, which calls air quality burn bans for King County, mostly in fall and winter. Stage 1 bars wood-burning fireplaces and any wood stove or insert that does not meet emission standards. Stage 2 adds every other wood stove, insert and pellet stove. The one exception is a no-other-adequate-heat exemption, which the agency must approve in advance.
Permits for chimney and fireplace work in Kent
Inside Kent city limits, building and mechanical permits come from the City of Kent’s Economic and Community Development department, and applications go through the city’s online permit portal. The city says a permit is needed for most construction, alteration or repair work, including adding, repairing or removing any gas or mechanical system.
Kent’s residential mechanical permit covers heating systems, gas piping and other mechanical systems. Electrical permits are handled by Labor & Industries rather than the city, which can matter when a gas fireplace job involves wiring. Whether a given masonry or liner repair needs a permit is for the Permit Center to decide, so describe the job to them before it is scheduled.
What you can tell us about
You do not need to know the cause. These are things homeowners describe when they get in touch — each one is something to assess on site, not a diagnosis.
Water where it should not be
Drips in the firebox, stains on a ceiling or wall beside the chimney, or a damp smell after rain.
Leak & flashing repairLoose mortar or damaged brick
Crumbling joints, brick faces flaking off, or bits of masonry on the roof or in the gutter.
Masonry repairA missing or damaged cap
No cap on the flue, a bent or rusted one, or signs that birds or animals have been getting in.
Cap installationSmoke or draft trouble
Smoke rolling into the room, a fire that is hard to keep going, or odors when the fireplace is not in use.
Chimney inspectionBuildup and a sweep that is overdue
You cannot remember the last cleaning, or you have bought a house and do not know the chimney's history.
Chimney sweepingA gas fireplace that will not light
A pilot that will not stay lit, ignition trouble, or soot on the glass. If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.
Gas fireplace service
How a visit works
- 1Send the short form or call. Say what you have noticed; photos you took are welcome when we talk.
- 2We arrange a time with you, look at the chimney, and photograph what we find.
- 3You hear plainly what is urgent, what can wait, and what does not need doing.
- 4Repair work comes with a written scope and price. Nothing starts until you approve it.
- 5We photograph the finished work from the same angles, and the photos are yours to keep.
What affects the price
Prices come after the chimney has been seen, in writing. These are the things that move them:
- Condition
- What the inspection finds, and whether the cause of the damage is still active.
- Access
- Roof pitch, height, how many stories up the chimney sits, and whether staging is needed.
- Chimney size
- Height above the roof, width, and how many flues the stack carries.
- Materials
- Brick and mortar matched to what is there, crown and cap materials, liner type.
- Scope
- One targeted repair, several at once, or rebuilding part of the stack.
- Permits
- Whether the work needs a permit from the city or county that has jurisdiction at the address.
Kent chimney questions
Who issues permits for chimney work in Kent?
For most homes, the City of Kent’s Permit Center, through its online portal. Two exceptions are worth knowing: electrical permits come from Labor & Industries, and so do wood pellet and gas stove installations in mobile and manufactured homes.
Can I use my wood fireplace during a burn ban in Kent?
No. A wood-burning fireplace must stay unlit under both Stage 1 and Stage 2 bans unless the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has approved a no-other-heat exemption for your household. The agency’s burn ban status page shows the current stage for King County.
My house was built in the 1970s. Where should I start with the chimney?
With an inspection. A chimney that age may be fine, or it may have a worn crown, tired flashing or a flue that needs attention — the only way to know is to look. You get photos and a plain account of what is urgent, what can wait and what needs nothing.
Does a gas fireplace need any upkeep?
Yes. Gas fireplaces have pilots, igniters, valves and a vent that all need to work together, and gas fireplace service looks at those parts. A gas smell is different: get everyone out of the house first, then call 911 or the gas utility.
Useful local links
- Permit Center — City of Kent (opens in a new tab)
- Residential Building Permits — City of Kent (opens in a new tab)
- Air Quality Burn Ban Status — Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (opens in a new tab)
- Climate Normals 1991–2020, Kent station — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Kent, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)