American Chimney Sweeps runs a chimney business and a stove showroom out of 61 Pulaski Street in Peabody. Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration 128463 is verified active with the state registry, held under the company's own name. The company says it was founded in 1978, was one of the first members of the National Chimney Sweep Guild, was certified in 1979, and holds Chimney Safety Institute of America certifications and Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild membership. Google shows 3.8 from 35 ratings — a lower number than most chimney companies here, and the reason is worth understanding before you decide.
When the job is complicated, the reviews are very good, and the same two people run through them: Jay on the technical side and Nicole in the office. A 2025 customer who bought a 1600s North Shore colonial with six fireplaces said Jay was a wealth of information on period homes and had the chimney repointed. A 2024 customer with a three-flue chimney needed a liner to bring a wood stove into compliance, which meant removing the original clay tiles first; they had used the company before over the years and called the work skilled and patient. Another 2024 customer had a full reline after shoddy work by their home's previous owners. A 2024 homeowner who had a chimney fire said Jay explained the damage and their needs specifically and looked out for them. A 2024 customer ordered a stove in early September expecting the months-long waits they had heard about and had it within a week.
Building permits back this up: 23 jobs on record from 2016 to 2025 across Peabody, Danvers, Marblehead, Beverly, Topsfield, Newbury, West Newbury, Groveland, Malden and Brookline, almost all wood stove installations, stainless steel liners, gas fireplace inserts and one thermocrete chimney coating.
The complaints are consistent and they are about money at the front of the job. Three separate reviewers — in August 2022, September 2022 and January 2026 — object to a $175 inspection or estimate fee. One says the $175 bought a ten-minute look up the chimney with photos and is not credited against the job if you hire them, and that the resulting quote was far higher than the local company they chose, which inspected free. The January 2026 reviewer was quoted over $8,000 for a wood insert job, more than double what another bidder charged, and says the only follow-up was collecting the $175. The September 2022 reviewer was told the chimney did not need cleaning, felt pushed toward a liner and masonry work they did not need, and was charged $175 — though they then updated the review to say the company called, apologised and cleaned the chimney free of charge, and that the problem was resolved. A February 2023 reviewer who paid $399 for an hour's pellet stove service says they were later told the replacement gasket rope would cost $53 plus a second $200 service call. The most serious account is from November 2021: a reviewer says a 450-pound stove was dropped down their front stairs, demolishing the stairs, tile floor and wall, and that the owner declined to file an insurance claim and disputed replacing tiles he deemed old.
So the honest read is a genuinely skilled chimney company — the liner, reline and period-masonry work is as good as anything in this trade locally — whose front end has repeatedly frustrated people. Ask before booking whether the inspection fee is credited toward the work, get the quote in writing alongside at least one other, and confirm what a return visit costs.