How Chestnut Chimney Sweep Was Born in Rialto
We started Chestnut Chimney Sweep in 2012, but the decision to do it came from a single afternoon in a house on the north side of Rialto, near the foothills where the wind picks up in October and rattles the chimney caps. A homeowner called us out because another company had swept her chimney, charged her for a new cap, and left her with a fireplace that still smoked into her living room every time she lit a fire.
When we got up on the roof, the cap was there, but it wasn’t sized right. The flue had a creosote buildup that should have been caught on the first visit. The previous company had done the minimum, collected the check, and moved on. That woman had a toddler at home and a fireplace she couldn’t use. We fixed the sizing, cleaned the flue properly, and showed her photos of every inch of the work.
She asked a question that stuck with us: “Why didn’t the first company just do this?” We didn’t have a good answer. So we made a promise that day. If we’re on your roof in Rialto, we do the job as if you’re going to look at every photo afterward. Because you should. Transparency isn’t a feature. It’s the whole point.
Our Founder’s Personal Connection to the Chimney Cleaning Trade
Chimney work wasn’t a career we chose out of a brochure. It started with a stubborn fireplace in a rental house years before we ever thought about starting a business. The landlord said it was fine. The smoke detector said otherwise. So we called a sweep, and the man who showed up was older, quiet, and methodical. He laid down drop cloths before he even opened his tool bag. He worked the brush up and down for what felt like a long time, then held up a mirror and a flashlight and said, “Look.”
We looked. The wall of the flue, which we assumed was supposed to be black, was actually tan clay. The black had been creosote. He showed us what a quarter inch of that stuff looks like when it catches fire. Then he showed us how he could tell, just by listening to the brush, when the flue was actually clean. Not “clean enough.” Clean.
That was the moment. The combination of physical work and honesty, the sound of the brush, the feel of the rod in your hands, the satisfaction of seeing something made right. We started asking questions. We apprenticed. We learned how a chimney works as a system, not just a tube. The draft, the liner, the crown, the flashing. Every piece affects the others.
What keeps us doing this is the moment after we finish a job and the customer stands in front of their fireplace and says, “It’s never looked like that.” That never gets old. If we weren’t doing this, we’d probably be restoring old furniture or working with our hands some other way. But chimneys pulled us in and haven’t let go.
Meet Our Team – The Person Behind Every Job
We’re led by our owner and founder, who has spent more than a decade in the chimney trade. That’s real time on real roofs in Rialto, Bloomington, Fontana, and the surrounding communities. Not time behind a desk. Time spent learning how creosote behaves differently in the dry Inland Empire air, how wind exposure near the foothills affects cap wear, how the older mid-century homes in this area were built and what their chimneys tend to need as they age.
The difference between us and a franchise technician who covers five cities in a day is that we know this area. We know which homes in Rialto have the original clay liners. We know that a chimney on a 1960s ranch in Fontana has a different set of common issues than one on a newer build in Rancho Verde. That local knowledge isn’t a talking point. It’s what we draw on every time we climb a ladder.
We’re thorough to a fault. We double-check our own work. We treat your home like we’d treat a family member’s, because in a community like this, the person whose chimney we clean today might be our kid’s teacher tomorrow. That’s not a slogan. That’s just how it is.
And one thing we’ll say plainly: we stand behind every job. If something isn’t right, we come back and make it right. No phone tag, no excuses.
Our Promise to Rialto Homeowners
We price honestly. Before we do any work, you get a clear written estimate. No surprise charges at the end. If we find something that needs attention, we show you the photos and explain what we’re looking at before we ever recommend a repair. You decide. We advise. That’s the line, and we don’t cross it.
We use quality parts. HeatShield and Olympia Chimney products are in our truck because we’ve seen what holds up in our climate. The dry heat and occasional heavy rain in Rialto mean liners and caps take a beating. Cheap parts fail fast. We don’t install them.
And we stand behind every job. If you’re not comfortable with how something was done, call us. We’ll come back. That’s not a policy in a binder. It’s how we’ve worked since 2012, and it’s why most of our work comes from people who tell their neighbors about us.
Our Credentials
- Licensed: Every pro working under our name is required to hold the license their state requires. We don’t sidestep this, and we’re glad to tell you what applies to your job.
- Insured & Bonded: Insurance is non-negotiable in this work. We carry it so that when we’re working on your roof or inside your home, you’re protected.
- Years of Local Experience: We’ve been serving Rialto and the Inland Empire since 2012. That’s more than a decade of learning what this area’s homes need.
- Strong Local Reputation: We don’t advertise much. We don’t need to. Our customers refer us because they’ve seen the work and the photos and the honesty.
- Free Written Estimates: You’ll always know the price before the work begins.
Here’s why these matter. A license means someone is accountable to a standard. Insurance means you’re not the one left holding the bag if something goes wrong. Local experience means we’ve already seen a hundred chimneys like yours before we ever knock on your door. A reputation built on referrals means the people who recommend us have already bet their own name on our work. That’s the strongest credential there is.
Rooted in Rialto
We’re not a company that parachutes into Rialto for a season. We’re here. We buy our coffee at the same shops, and we grumble about the same traffic on Riverside Avenue. We’ve swept chimneys in Bloomington and Muscoy, worked on fireplaces in Colton and San Bernardino, and helped homeowners in Grand Terrace, Highgrove, and Loma Linda get their first clean bill of health since they bought their homes.
On a clear day, from a roof in the northern part of Rialto, you can see the whole valley open up. We’ve spent a lot of years looking at that view, and it never gets old. This is our home too.
Call Chestnut Chimney Sweep at (855) 360-4975 and talk to a live coordinator who can get you on the schedule. We’ll come out, take a look, and tell you the truth about your chimney. No pressure, just an honest set of eyes from someone who knows this area.
Written by the owner of Chestnut Chimney Sweep, serving Rialto and the surrounding communities since 2012.