Choosing a chimney sweep in Nashville is less about price than about credentials, because the work touches life-safety systems that the homeowner rarely sees. NFPA 211, the National Fire Protection Association standard for chimneys, fireplaces, vents, and solid-fuel-burning appliances, sets the technical baseline that every legitimate sweep follows. The same standard defines three inspection tiers: a Level 1 visual check for systems in continuous service with no change in use, a Level 2 inspection that adds video flue scanning and is the norm at any real estate sale or after a chimney fire or seismic event, and a Level 3 inspection that requires removal of building components when a hidden hazard is suspected.
Credential screening narrows the field further. The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), the field’s nonprofit certification body, issues the Certified Chimney Sweep (CCS) and Certified Chimney Reliner credentials by written examination and continuing education, with renewal every three years. The National Fireplace Institute (NFI) overlays this with Wood Specialist and Gas Specialist designations for technicians who install and service appliance-side equipment. The National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG) hosts the trade’s annual technical conference and publishes the code of ethics that members commit to in writing.
What follows is a current snapshot of three Nashville-area chimney specialists that hold CSIA credentials, identify their owners by name, and offer the full service depth that covers sweeping, NFPA 211 Level 1, 2, and 3 inspection, cap and chase cover installation, stainless-steel relining, masonry repair, and fireplace or stove installation.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Ashbusters Chimney Service | Founded 1985 by Mark Stoner, first Master Chimney Sweep certified in Tennessee, CSIA President 2014 to 2017 and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient; every sweep on the truck carries an active CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep credential. | Sweep route with NFPA 211 inspection paperwork on every visit, creosote staging by photo, stainless caps and chase covers, UL 1777 listed HomeSaver reliner kits, plus sales and installation of wood-burning fireplaces, gas log sets, freestanding stoves, and gas coal inserts. |
| Chimney Kleen, Inc. | Founded 1973 by Jim Singleton; longest-running chimney specialist on this list with five decades of continuous service; active CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep credentialing renewed on the three-year cycle; family team includes Carolyn and Greg Singleton. | NFPA 211 Level 1, 2, and 3 inspections, dryer vent cleaning, crown rebuilds, tuckpointing, firebrick replacement, smoke chamber parging, chase cover fabrication, stainless-steel relining, and installation of wood-burning and gas fireplaces, stoves, and gas log sets. |
| Sweeps and Ladders Chimney Service | Opened 2010 by Tommy and Beka Nelms; eight-member CSIA-credentialed roster including a Master Chimney Sweep, Certified Chimney Specialists, Certified Chimney Sweeps, and CDET; Tommy holds the NFI Wood Burning Specialist designation and chairs the CSIA Education Committee. | NFPA 211 Level 1, 2, and 3 inspections with in-house Level 2 video, stainless-steel relining, crown rebuilds, cap and chase cover replacement, full masonry waterproofing, leak investigation, dryer exhaust cleaning, and installation of gas logs, wood-burning fireplaces, and freestanding stoves. |
1. Ashbusters Chimney Service #
Ashbusters Chimney Service was founded in 1985 by Mark Stoner and has served the Middle Tennessee market continuously for four decades from headquarters at 1086 Courier Place in Smyrna, with additional offices in Nashville and Portland. Stoner was the first Master Chimney Sweep certified in Tennessee, served as president of the CSIA from 2014 to 2017, and holds the CSIA Lifetime Achievement Award along with a National Chimney Sweep Guild President’s Award. That governance-level participation in the field’s certifying body sits behind every technician the company sends to a job.
CSIA Technician Bench and Sweep Workflow #
Every Ashbusters sweep on the truck holds an active CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep credential, which the institute renews on a three-year cycle tied to written examination and continuing education hours. Crews carry NFPA 211 inspection paperwork on every visit, document creosote stage (1 glaze, 2 flake, 3 hard glaze) by photo, and route the post-job report through a dispatch system that retains the file for future Level 2 verification at sale.
Cap, Chase Cover, and Stainless Reliner Work #
The company stocks chimney caps, dampers, and chase covers in stainless and copper, and the team installs HomeSaver and similar UL 1777 listed stainless-steel reliner kits for masonry flues that no longer meet code clearance. The reliner work pairs with CSIA Certified Chimney Reliner training, the field’s separate credential for technicians who pull and seat continuous-length stainless inside an existing masonry shaft.
Fireplace, Stove, and Gas Log Installation #
The retail side of the operation sells and installs wood-burning fireplaces, gas log sets, freestanding stoves, and gas coal inserts, with delivery and termination work handled by the same crews that run the sweep route. That combination shortens the path from inspection-found defect to installed fix, because the diagnostic technician and the appliance installer report to the same dispatcher.
Address: 1086 Courier Place, Smyrna, TN 37167
Nashville Office: 992 Davidson Drive, Suite 106, Nashville, TN 37205
Phone: (615) 459-2546
Founder: Mark Stoner (CSIA President 2014 to 2017)
Founded: 1985
Certifications: CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, CSIA Certified Chimney Reliner
2. Chimney Kleen, Inc. #
Chimney Kleen, Inc. is the longest-running chimney specialist on this list, founded by Jim Singleton in 1973 after he left a science-teaching career to enter the trade full-time. Singleton built the practice from Belmont University graduate work into a family operation that now includes Carolyn Singleton as office manager and Greg Singleton as field supervisor, with crews dispatched out of the company’s Nashville 37215 location into Davidson, Williamson, and surrounding counties.
Five-Decade Tenure and CSIA Credentialing #
The shop has run continuous chimney service through five decades of code revision, from the 1970s introduction of stainless-steel reliner systems to the current NFPA 211 inspection tier structure. Singleton and the field technicians hold active Chimney Safety Institute of America certification, which the institute reissues every three years on completion of continuing education hours and a written examination administered through CSIA training centers.
Sweep, Inspection, and Dryer Vent Service #
Routine work runs across the standard NFPA 211 inspection ladder: a Level 1 visual check for unchanged systems in continuous use, a Level 2 video flue scan triggered by real estate sale, chimney fire, or seismic event, and the Level 3 access-required inspection when a concealed hazard is suspected. The crew also runs dryer vent cleaning through the same dispatch route, which lets a single visit close out the two highest residential lint-and-creosote fire risks.
Masonry Repair and Fireplace Installation Range #
On the repair side, the shop handles crown rebuilds, tuckpointing, firebrick replacement, smoke chamber parging, and chase cover fabrication, with stainless-steel relining available when an existing flue no longer holds clearance to combustibles. The retail bench installs wood-burning and gas fireplaces, freestanding stoves, and gas log sets, and the operation lists more than five decades of accumulated work in masonry and venting across the greater Nashville market.
Address: Nashville, TN 37215
Phone: (615) 292-0461
Founder: Jim Singleton
Founded: 1973
Family Team: Carolyn Singleton (office manager), Greg Singleton (field supervisor)
Certifications: CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep
3. Sweeps and Ladders Chimney Service #
Sweeps and Ladders Chimney Service opened in 2010 under owners Tommy and Beka Nelms, with the shop based at 1113 Murfreesboro Road in Franklin and a route map that covers Nashville from Green Hills and Belle Meade through East Nashville and out to Brentwood and Ashland City Highway. Tommy Nelms came to the trade after thirteen years in fire service as a Tennessee Certified Firefighter II, Hazmat Technician, and EMT-IV, and he now holds the CSIA Master Chimney Sweep credential, the field’s senior earned rank, while serving on the CSIA board and chairing the institute’s Education Committee.
Eight-Member CSIA-Credentialed Field Team #
The technician bench carries a deep CSIA-credentialed roster. Tommy Nelms carries the Master Chimney Sweep credential; Tate Paul, Logan Cunningham, and Lane Cunningham hold the Certified Chimney Specialist designation; and Bryce Lay, Luke Cunningham, Austin Criswell, and Cody Sisk hold the Certified Chimney Sweep credential. Tommy also holds the NFI Wood Burning Specialist designation, the National Fireplace Institute’s hearth-appliance certification for solid-fuel work.
Inspection Workflow, Relining, and Crown Repair #
The shop runs Level 1, 2, and 3 inspections to NFPA 211, with the Level 2 video scan handled in-house on real estate transactions and post-fire claims. Repair work covers stainless-steel relining for flues that no longer meet clearance, crown rebuilds, cap and chase cover replacement, and full waterproofing on porous masonry, with leak investigation paired into the same visit when the underlying cause sits in the crown or cap rather than the flashing.
Fireplace, Stove, and Dryer Vent Lines #
Beyond sweep and repair, the operation sells and installs gas logs, wood-burning fireplaces, and freestanding stoves, with the appliance installer credentialed on solid-fuel work through the NFI Wood Burning Specialist track. The team also runs CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician (CDET) work, which adds the second residential lint-and-creosote fire risk to the route on a single dispatch.
Address: 1113 Murfreesboro Road, Suite 106-142, Franklin, TN 37064
Phone: (615) 791-7457
Owners: Tommy and Beka Nelms
Founded: 2010
Certifications: CSIA Master Chimney Sweep, CSIA Certified Chimney Specialist, CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, CSIA CDET, NFI Wood Burning Specialist
Governance: CSIA Board Member, Education Committee Chair
https://www.sweepsandladders.com/
Picking the Right Fit #
For depth of field service across Nashville, Smyrna, Hendersonville, and Murfreesboro along with installed-fireplace retail under one roof, Ashbusters Chimney Service offers the longest continuous Middle Tennessee tenure paired with founder-level participation in the CSIA’s national governance. Chimney Kleen, Inc. fits homeowners who want the longest single-family operating history in the Nashville market, with a five-decade workshop record that runs from the introduction of stainless reliner systems through the current NFPA 211 inspection structure. Sweeps and Ladders Chimney Service is the strongest pick for buyers who weight CSIA roster depth and current institute governance most heavily, with eight credentialed technicians, an NFI Wood Burning Specialist on the appliance bench, and an owner who chairs the CSIA Education Committee.
Each of the three holds active CSIA certification, names its owner publicly, runs NFPA 211 Level 1, 2, and 3 inspection workflows in-house, and backs the sweep route with stainless-steel relining, masonry repair, and fireplace installation work. A Nashville homeowner reviewing those four boxes can spot the difference between an established chimney specialist and the seasonal door-knock outfit the trade has dealt with nationally for decades.
Selection Methodology #
The three firms above were selected from the broader Nashville chimney sweep field using the following filters: minimum documented years in continuous Nashville-area business, verifiable trade-association membership or state license on file, brand-name anchor and address visible on the firm’s own website, and a published service scope that maps to homeowner or business needs without bundled upsells. National rollups, franchise-only operators without local lineage, and firms that publish only a contact form without a verifiable street address were excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: What does an NFPA 211 Level 1, 2, or 3 inspection actually cover?
A: Level 1 is the readily accessible annual sweep and visual inspection for a system in continued service under the same conditions. Level 2 is required after a property sale, a chimney fire, a flue change, or a weather event and adds video scanning of the full flue and accessible attic and crawl runs. Level 3 involves removal of permanent components such as a chimney crown or wall section to access a suspected hazard that Levels 1 and 2 could not resolve.
Q: Will the sweep address creosote glaze and not just stage one soot?
A: A CSIA certified sweep distinguishes stage one fluffy soot, stage two flaky deposit, and stage three glazed creosote, the last of which standard rotary brushing will not remove. Glaze removal requires chemical modifiers such as PCR or ACS applied across multiple burn cycles, or mechanical poly chain rotary heads run by a technician trained to avoid liner damage. Ask whether the bid covers glaze remediation or only standard sweeping.
Q: Should the cap and damper be replaced during the same visit?
A: A failed rain cap admits water that drives masonry spalling and rusts the damper plate, and a worn throat damper leaks conditioned air year round. Most CSIA sweeps stock stainless-steel mesh caps and top-mount damper assemblies on the truck for same-visit replacement, which saves a return trip-charge and lets the technician verify draft on the freshly swept flue before leaving.
Q: Are any of the three firms paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No firm sponsored placement.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.