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How to price chimney sweeping (per flue, by appliance, with a minimum)

A chimney sweep visit is mostly setup, protection and cleanup around a fairly short stretch of actual sweeping, and the time swings with the appliance, the amount of buildup and the access. That makes it a good fit for a per-flue price with a few clear multipliers and add-ons, as long as you're specific about what the base visit includes. Here's how to build each piece from your own visits.

About the numbers here: every figure in the examples is hypothetical and only shows the method. They are not market rates, and this guide doesn't cover safety practices or local code requirements. Check your local market, your own costs and the standards that apply to your work.

Step 1: Write down what the base visit includes

"Chimney sweep" means different things to different customers. Before you price anything, list what your standard visit covers in plain words: for example, protecting the room, sweeping one flue, vacuuming up, and a visual check of the parts you can see, with your findings explained on the spot. Also list what it doesn't include, such as camera work, a written report or repairs.

If you follow a formal inspection standard, use its terms exactly and only for the work you actually do. Otherwise describe your checks in everyday language. The calculator's item label and note are a good place for a one-line version of this scope, so the price and the promise match.

Step 2: Log your next 10 visits

For each visit, note the number of flues, the appliance (open fireplace, wood stove or insert, gas), the buildup level as you grade it, anything unusual about roof access, and minutes on site from arrival to drive-away. Keep travel in a separate column.

Hypothetical log for illustration.
Visit	Flues	Appliance	Buildup	Minutes on site
A	1	Open fireplace	Light	70
B	1	Open fireplace	Moderate	85
C	1	Wood stove	Moderate	100
D	2	Open fireplace (both)	Moderate	135
E	1	Gas fireplace	Light	55

In this made-up log, single-flue open-fireplace visits take 70–85 minutes. Stoves take longer, gas takes less, and a second flue on the same visit adds less time than the first, because setup is shared. Each of those becomes part of the structure below.

Step 3: Turn the base visit into a per-flue range

Use the single-flue open fireplace as the base. Multiply your fastest and slowest base visits by your hourly target (what a billable hour must earn; see the general method), then add consumables such as vacuum filters, drop-cloth wear and brush wear.

Hypothetical example. Hourly target $90. 70 minutes = $105 and 85 minutes = $127.50. Consumables add about $8 a visit, so the base is about $113–$136 per flue, rounded to $115–$135.

Step 4: Appliance type is a multiplier

Depending on how you work, stoves and inserts may take extra steps, and gas appliances may involve different tasks altogether. Compare each type's average time with your base. In the log, the stove visit took 100 minutes against an open-fireplace average of 77.5, so the factor is 100 ÷ 77.5 ≈ 1.3. The gas visit took 55 minutes, for a factor of 55 ÷ 77.5 ≈ 0.7. Use more than one visit per type before you trust a factor. If one appliance type involves genuinely different tasks, a separate service line with its own rate is clearer than a multiplier.

Step 5: Heavy buildup is a multiplier, up to a point

Heavier deposits slow the sweeping itself, so a multiplier fits. Use your own grading and your own times: if your heavy-buildup visits average 120 minutes against 85 for moderate ones, the factor is 120 ÷ 85 ≈ 1.4. When buildup calls for a different removal method or a return visit, don't stretch the multiplier to cover it. Say in the calculator note that it's quoted after inspection.

Step 6: Inspection add-ons and repairs

Camera inspection and written report: price it as a flat add-on from its own time. For example (hypothetical), 30 minutes of camera work plus 20 minutes writing the report is 50 minutes × $90/hour = $75, plus a $15 equipment allowance, so a $90 add-on.
Caps, dampers, crowns, liners and masonry: these depend on what you find. Keep them out of the calculator and say "repairs quoted after inspection," so the range never looks like it includes them.
Steep or hard-to-reach roofs: if access changes your setup time, add a roof-access choice as a multiplier in the builder. If you won't work on a particular roof, say the job is quoted on site.

Step 7: The minimum, and visits with more than one flue

The calculator multiplies the per-flue rate by the number of flues, and the minimum acts as a floor. A second flue on the same visit shares the setup, so it takes less time than the first. You can reflect that by pricing each flue at the multi-flue average and letting the minimum cover single-flue visits.

Hypothetical example. From the log, one flue takes about 77.5 minutes and two take 135, so the second flue adds about 57.5 minutes and setup is roughly 20. A two-flue visit is 135 minutes × $90/hour = $202.50 plus $16 consumables, about $218, or about $109 per flue. A single-flue visit is 77.5 minutes = $116 plus $8, about $124, so set a $125 minimum. One flue then shows $125 (the minimum), and two flues show about $218, which matches both cases.

One catch: the minimum applies after the appliance multiplier. With a $125 minimum, a gas visit (factor 0.7) shows $125 even though it took less time. If that matters for your business, put gas on its own service line with its own rate and lower minimum.

Step 8: Check it against reality

Run three past visits through the calculator with your new numbers. If the ranges cover what you charged and earned, publish. If they come out well below what established local companies charge, your billable-hours assumption is probably too optimistic (drive time, cancellations and paperwork add up), or you're underpriced. Fix the inputs, not the output.

The result, as a customer sees it

This is the chimney-sweep template with sample numbers (not the hypothetical ones above). Open it in the builder to enter your per-flue range, appliance and buildup factors, inspection add-on and minimum, and to describe your base visit in the item label and note.