Is a chimney sweep different from a chimney cleaning?

No. They are two names for the same job, and they share one page here. A complete sweep and cleaning covers the flue, the smoke chamber, the smoke shelf, the damper area and the firebox, so it is worth checking that a quote includes all of them.

Why is inspection listed separately rather than included?

Because it answers a different question and takes different equipment. Cleaning removes what is in the flue; inspection establishes what condition the flue is in. A clean chimney can be a damaged one. Bundling them tends to mean the survey is a glance with a flashlight rather than a camera run.

Which service covers a chimney leak?

Chimney repair, but the useful first step is finding where water is actually entering. It is almost always the flashing at the roofline, a cracked crown, or an open flue — rarely through sound brick. Establishing the entry point costs less than treating the wrong one.

Do you work on gas and factory-built systems as well as masonry?

Yes, and they are genuinely different work. A factory-built unit is a manufactured appliance with model-specific parts and a finite service life. A gas appliance fails without putting smoke in the room, which changes how it should be maintained. Both have their own pages.

Services

Chimney & Fireplace Services in California

Most people do not arrive knowing whether they need a sweep, a clean or an inspection. Start from what the fireplace is actually doing.

Chimney & Fireplace

Sweeping, inspection and repair

Wood, Gas & Factory-Built

Different systems, different work

Inspection Is Separate

Not bundled into a cleaning

California Service Areas

Find your city

Start here

What is it doing?

The symptom usually points more clearly than the service name does.

Smoke comes back into the room

Chimney Sweep & Cleaning

A smell from the fireplace when it is cold

Chimney Sweep & Cleaning

Water stain on the ceiling near the chimney

Chimney Repair

Cracked or crumbling mortar outside

Chimney Repair

Buying or selling the house

Chimney Inspection

After an earthquake

Chimney Inspection

Gas fireplace will not stay lit

Gas Fireplace Repair

Glass keeps going black

Gas Fireplace Repair

Firebox looks grubby, fire draws fine

Fireplace Cleaning

Something is living in the chimney

Cap & Screening

Dryer takes two cycles

Dryer Vent Cleaning

Nobody has looked at it in years

Chimney Inspection

Core services

Eleven pages covering all twelve services

Chimney Sweep & Cleaning

Chimney sweeping and cleaning: soot, creosote, ash and debris cleared from the flue, smoke chamber, smoke shelf, damper area and firebox.

Chimney Inspection

Assessment of the chimney's condition — liner, structure, venting and clearances — as a service in its own right.

Chimney Repair

Repair work across the chimney structure — masonry, crown, flashing, damper and deteriorated components.

Fireplace Repair

Repair of the fireplace as an appliance — firebox, refractory panels, doors, operation and draft faults.

Fireplace Cleaning

Cleaning of the firebox, grate, hearth, glass and surround rather than the flue above it.

Fireplace Installation

Installation of new fireplaces and replacement of existing units, including venting and clearance requirements.

Chimney Cap Installation

Installation and replacement of chimney caps, including spark arrestor screening where it is required.

Chimney Liner Repair

Repair and replacement of chimney liners, including relining of deteriorated or unlined flues.

Gas Fireplace Repair

Repair of gas fireplaces and inserts — ignition, pilot, burner, venting and glass seal faults.

Wood Stove Services

Servicing, cleaning and installation of wood stoves and inserts, where the appliance is real heat rather than atmosphere.

Dryer Vent Cleaning

Cleaning of dryer ducting from the appliance to the exterior termination, where lint accumulates out of reach.

Full catalog

Everything we cover, by name

Homeowners use dozens of names for work that a handful of services covers. Rather than publishing a near-identical page for each phrase, every variant is listed here and links to the page that actually covers it. 70 of these deliberately have no page of their own.

Chimney Cleaning & Maintenance

Clearing what has accumulated inside the chimney and the fireplace system it serves.

Chimney Inspection & Assessment

Establishing the condition of the chimney rather than clearing what is inside it.

Chimney Repair & Restoration

Structural and component repair, from mortar joints through to the crown and flashing, including lime-mortar work on historic chimneys.

Fireplace Cleaning & Repair

Work on the appliance itself rather than the chimney structure above it.

Fireplace Installation & Design

New installations and replacements, where venting and clearances decide what is viable.

Chimney Parts & Components

The hardware at the top of the system, where exposure is greatest and inspection is rarest.

Dryer Vent Services

A separate system from the chimney, frequently bundled with it and unrelated to it.

Choosing a service — common questions

Start from the symptom rather than the service name. Smoke, smell or poor draw usually points to the flue — sweeping or cleaning. Water, staining or cracked masonry points to repair. If you need the condition established rather than something fixed, that is an inspection. The routing list above covers the common cases.

Not sure which service you need?

Tell us what the chimney or fireplace is actually doing and we will tell you which service applies — including when the answer is that you do not need one yet.

Request an Estimate View Services (213) 789-3721