The short answer
PrimeFlue serves Hunters Point, Queens (11101 and 11109), about 2 miles from our Manhattan office. Our certified technicians handle chimney sweeping, inspection, repair, liners, and dryer vent and air duct cleaning. Book chimney work before the city's heat season starts on October 1.
PrimeFlue Chimney Services works in Hunters Point, Queens, in ZIP codes 11101 and 11109. Our Manhattan office is about 2 miles away, so reaching your home is a short trip. You might own a rowhouse with a working fireplace, manage a pre-war building with a boiler flue, or live in an apartment with a long dryer vent run. In each case, our certified technicians handle sweeping, inspection, repair and vent cleaning. This page covers what we see most often in the neighborhood and how to plan around New York's weather and heat season.
The Homes We Work On in Hunters Point
Hunters Point has a mix of older rowhouses, pre-war apartment buildings and newer multi-unit buildings. Each type puts different demands on its chimney and vents.
Rowhouse chimneys have often seen decades of use, and some fireplaces have sat unused for years. Before you relight one, a sweep and inspection tells you whether the flue is clear, the damper works and the masonry is sound. In pre-war apartment buildings, the main concern is usually the boiler chimney, which carries exhaust from the heating system for the whole building. In newer buildings, most of our work is on dryer vents and air ducts rather than masonry.
Winter Weather, Wet Springs and the Heat Season
New York's climate is hard on masonry. Water soaks into brick and mortar, freezes and expands. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles loosen joints, crack crowns and damage flue tiles, and wind-driven rain adds to the soaking. A chimney cap and chase cover keep rain, debris and animals out of the flue. A breathable waterproofing treatment helps brick shed water without trapping moisture inside.
New York City's heat season runs from October 1 through May 31. During that time, building owners must keep apartments heated to the city's minimum temperatures. A boiler chimney problem found in January is far more disruptive than one found in August. Schedule inspections and repairs in late spring or summer, so there's time to fix what we find before the heat has to come on.
The NFPA 211 standard calls for chimneys, fireplaces and vents to be inspected once a year. A Level 1 inspection fits when nothing has changed. A Level 2 inspection is called for when the system changes, such as a new appliance or a switch of fuel, or when the home is sold. A Level 3 inspection is used when a hidden hazard has to be reached by opening part of the chimney or building.
Converting From Oil to Gas
Many older buildings in Queens have switched their boilers from oil to gas or are planning to. When a New York City building makes that conversion, the chimney has to be evaluated as part of the work. A new liner is often needed because gas exhaust produces acidic condensate that can corrode a masonry flue. We inspect the existing flue, explain whether it can stay as is, and install a properly sized liner when one is needed. A fuel switch is a system change, so it's also the right time for a Level 2 inspection.
Time for your annual chimney check?
Dryer Vents and Air Ducts
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, failure to clean is the leading factor contributing to clothes dryer fires in homes. In apartments and rowhouses, dryer vents often run a long way with several turns before reaching an outside wall, which gives lint more places to collect. Have the vent checked if clothes take longer to dry or the laundry area gets unusually warm.
For air ducts, we follow the U.S. EPA's guidance. Cleaning makes sense when there is substantial visible mold growth, vermin, or excessive dust and debris. The EPA also notes that duct cleaning has not been shown to prevent health problems. It advises researching the process before responding to very cheap advertised offers and urges care with chemical treatments. We'll tell you plainly whether your ducts need cleaning.
Services Available in Hunters Point
Every service below is available to homes and buildings in Hunters Point:
- Chimney Sweep: removes soot and creosote from fireplace and appliance flues
- Chimney Inspection: Level 1, 2 or 3, matched to your situation
- Chimney Repair: mortar joints, crowns, flashing and flue tiles
- Chimney Liner Installation: including liners for oil-to-gas conversions
- Chimney Cap & Chase Cover: keeps rain, debris and animals out
- Chimney Waterproofing: breathable treatments for brick and mortar
- Fireplace & Damper Repair: dampers, fireboxes and smoke chambers
- Chimney Rebuilding: for stacks too damaged to repair
- Dryer Vent Cleaning: full-length cleaning to the outside termination
- Air Duct Cleaning: when mold, vermin or heavy debris call for it
Nearby Neighborhoods We Serve
Along with Hunters Point (11101 and 11109), we work in Queensbridge, Ravenswood and Dutch Kills in Queens, and in East Midtown and Turtle Bay in Manhattan. If you live near any of these neighborhoods, ask us whether your address is in our service area.
ZIP codes we serve
- 11101
- 11109
