Contact RankLocall Live Smoke

Where We Work

Our trucks cover Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Bloomington, and Brooklyn Park. A continental climate with long, dry, very cold winters and warm humid summers. Heating season runs from early October into late April, and the first hard freeze usually lands in the second week of October. That freeze line dictates when chimneys go into service and when mortar stops curing.

We schedule around two calendars. Sweeps and inspections spike from September as households book before the first burn, and again in January when something goes wrong. Masonry runs the other way: mortar will not cure below roughly 40 degrees, so crown rebuilds and tuckpointing are May-to-September work and the book fills by March. Plan accordingly.

How to Schedule

Call during business hours or leave a message with your address and the work you need. We'll confirm the visit, outline what the job involves, and explain any permit requirements. Minnesota adopts the International Mechanical Code through the Minnesota Mechanical Code, Minnesota Rules chapter 1346. Liner installations and structural chimney rebuilds are permitted work almost everywhere in the metro; sweeps and inspections are not.

The configured typical permit fee is $110. The configured permit turnaround is 5 days. We file on your behalf and coordinate the inspection so you don't have to chase the municipality. Most relining and rebuild jobs require a final mechanical inspection before we close out the file.

What We Bring to the Job

Every technician is CSIA certified. We carry cameras for flue inspections, brushes sized to your liner, tarps, and the tools to pull a damper or rebuild a crown. The local climate profile records 45 freeze-thaw cycles. That cycling cracks mortar joints and spalls brick faces, so we check the crown and the chase every visit.

We follow NFPA 211 for clearances, liner sizing, and combustion-air calculations. If the appliance is new or the envelope has been tightened, we measure draft and verify that the flue can still exhaust safely. The local climate profile lists negative pressure in tightened envelopes as a hazard. We won't sign off on a system that can't pull.

Next Steps

Reach out by phone or email with your street address and a brief description of the work. We'll give you a window, a rough estimate, and any permit details up front. No surprises, no upselling. Just the work your chimney actually needs, done to code, and signed off by the municipality if the job requires it.