Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Fast, Reliable Chimney Sweep Across Temple City
A chimney sweep in Temple City typically runs $189 – $275 for a standard open-flue sweep, with same-week scheduling available for most homes in the 91780 zip code. If you’re in Temple City and you haven’t had the flue looked at in a decade, that’s the appointment most of our customers need before the first cool evening. We know these streets, we know these houses, and we know what hides inside a mid-century flue that hasn’t been opened since the Carter administration.
Roland Cifuentes started Chestnut Chimney Sweep with a simple rule: never recommend a repair you can’t show the homeowner with a camera. That rule matters more in Temple City than almost anywhere we work, because the housing stock here is full of chimneys that were built oddly, used rarely, and left unexamined for fifty years. Call (855) 360-4975 and we’ll put eyes on your flue before we quote a single dollar.
Why Chestnut Chimney Sweep Is Temple City’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Temple City homeowners call us because we don’t do the generic “sweep and leave” routine. We document everything. Your inspection report includes camera stills of the flue interior, and if we recommend a liner or a repair, you see the photograph that justifies it. That approach matters when the chimney belongs to a house built in 1962 and the last person who looked inside was an inspector with a flashlight in 1998.
Roland’s crews have worked the single-story ranch tracts off Las Tunas Drive, the shaded lots near Temple City High, and the tighter bungalow blocks closer to Rosemead Boulevard. We know that many of these homes share a chimney stack with the neighbor, which changes what a sweep should include. Most companies in the area won’t even check for cross-venting. We check on every inspection.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Sweep Services in Temple City
Chimney Sweep Services in Temple City mean more than running a brush up the flue. On a standard appointment, we pull the damper, set drop cloths, run rotating rods and poly brushes through the flue, vacuum the firebox and the smoke shelf, then run a camera inspection. The sweep is the main event. The camera is what tells us whether you have a liner problem, a cracked crown, or a hidden nest.
In Temple City’s post-WWII ranch and traditional-style homes, most fireplaces are original masonry with clay-tile liners now 50 to 70 years old. Clay tile cannot be cleaned of third-degree creosote safely by brushing alone. If the camera shows glaze or gaps between tiles, we’ll tell you plainly what can wait and what cannot.
Level 2 Inspection
A Level 2 inspection is the standard camera-through-the-flue assessment we recommend for every Temple City house that hasn’t been inspected in over a decade. It catches spalled flue tiles, missing mortar joints, and the unlined sections behind remodeled family rooms that a visual check from the roof would miss.
Creosote Removal
Light creosote brushes out. Glazed, tar-like creosote requires mechanical removal and sometimes chemical treatment before the flue is safe. In a shared Temple City stack, glazed creosote is particularly dangerous because it can ignite and expose the neighbor’s gas venting to temperatures it was never built for.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Chimney Cleaning in Temple City
Chimney Cleaning in Temple City handles the buildup that forms even when you only burn a few times each winter. It includes removing soot, ash, and creosote from the firebox, damper, smoke shelf, and flue walls, followed by a vacuum pass and a short visual report. You’ll pay $189 – $230 for a straightforward cleaning on a single-story ranch with a standard flue.
Temple City’s warm dry summers and mild winters mean most fireplaces sit idle from March through November. Idle flues collect leaves, cobwebs, and animal activity. A chimney that hasn’t been used in eight months is not a clean chimney. It’s a housing project for squirrels.
Fireplace Cleaning
The firebox itself needs attention, not just the flue. We remove accumulated ash, check the grate and firebrick for spalling, and inspect the lintel bar. If the firebrick is cracked or missing, we’ll note it and quote repair using proper refractory material, not hardware-store patch.
Annual Sweep
For Temple City homes that burn wood even five or six times per season, an annual sweep is the right rhythm. Consistent brushing prevents glazed creosote from forming in the first place. It also gives us a dated record of your flue’s condition, which matters if you ever sell the house.
Trusted Brands We Service in Temple City
When a Temple City chimney needs more than a sweep, we specify the parts by name. We install HeatShield liner restoration for homes where the clay tile is deteriorating but the masonry is structurally sound. We use Gelco and Olympia Chimney components for caps, dampers, and chase covers. And we carry Famco venting products for the dryer vent side of the house. You get contractor-grade materials with a traceable manufacturer behind them, not whatever the distributor had on the shelf that week. That’s the whole point of calling a specialist.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Temple City Homes
- Shared stacks between adjacent ranch homes. A single masonry stack often serves both your fireplace and the neighbor’s water heater or gas furnace. If one flue has gaps or an unlined section, exhaust from the other appliance can backdraft into your firebox. We check for this on every inspection using the camera, not by guessing.
- Unlined rear additions and remodeled family rooms. Many mid-century Temple City homes had family rooms added in the 1970s and 1980s, and the chimneys on those additions were often single-wythe brick with no flue tile. A brush sweep feels normal. The camera reveals the absence of any liner at all.
- Squirrel and bird nests in uncapped flues. Long idle seasons and mature tree canopy across Temple City create perfect nesting conditions. We pull nests, check for corroded damper hardware, and recommend a proper cap if the top of the flue is open.
- Third-degree creosote despite light use. Even a handful of smoldering fires in a small, tight firebox can produce glaze on uninsulated clay tile. A Level 1 visual from the top would not catch it. Only a camera inspection shows the difference between light soot and flammable glaze.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Temple City, CA
A standard chimney sweep in Temple City is $189 – $275, depending on flue size, roof access, and how much creosote is present. Add a Level 2 camera inspection and you’re typically at $349 – $450 total. If the camera reveals a failing liner, HeatShield restoration on a single flue in Temple City starts around $2,800 – $4,200, while a full stainless liner replacement runs higher. That’s a real range. We quote the sweep price over the phone before we schedule, so there’s no surprise when the truck arrives.
Call (855) 360-4975 for a free estimate tailored to your exact flue and roofline. Estimates are free, and the camera photos are yours to keep.
We Also Serve Cities Near Temple City
Our Chimney Sweep crews cover Temple City plus the surrounding San Gabriel Valley, including North El Monte, Arcadia, El Monte, and Mayflower Village. If you’re just outside the 91780 boundary, give us a call and we’ll confirm the current route schedule. Many of our Temple City appointments book back-to-back with neighbors on the same block, which keeps the drive time down and the scheduling simple.
Serving Temple City, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Temple City area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Sweep in Temple City
Because the danger in your chimney is not proportional to how often you burn. In Temple City’s warm climate, the flue sits unused for nine months at a time, accumulating nests, debris, and sometimes moisture damage at the crown. A camera inspection also checks for unlined sections on remodeled additions, which a cleaning alone would not reveal. If you can’t remember the last inspection, it’s time. Call (855) 360-4975 to schedule one.
Yes, and we find this routinely in Temple City’s attached or closely spaced ranch homes. Many stacks share flues between adjacent properties, and if a neighbor’s water heater or gas furnace vents into the same stack as your fireplace, any gap or unlined section can cause exhaust to backdraft into your firebox. A Level 2 inspection is the only way to confirm whether cross-venting is happening. We’ll show you the video from inside your flue, so you decide based on evidence, not a sales pitch.
An unlined flue means the rear addition or remodeled family room fireplace was built with brick only, no clay tile or metal liner. Heat and exhaust pass directly against the masonry. It was a common shortcut in Temple City’s mid-century expansions. An unlined flue is a fire safety issue and will not pass a Level 2 inspection. The fix is either a HeatShield liner restoration or a full stainless liner, and we’ll explain which one your situation needs after the camera shows us the full length of the flue.
Most single-story Temple City ranches have a low-pitch roof that’s safe to walk with the right equipment. For tight lots with heavy tree canopy, we usually bring a shorter ladder setup and, where needed, work from a roof ridge anchor. We clear the flue from below first to minimize time on the roof, then finish the crown and cap inspection from above. If access is genuinely dangerous, we’ll tell you and schedule a lift or alternate approach rather than take a risk on your roofline.
Yes, third-degree creosote is a glaze-like tar that forms from low-temperature, smoldering fires and can build in a chimney that’s used only a few weekends each winter. In Temple City, we see it most in small fireboxes in 1960s tract homes where homeowners burn a single quick fire for ambience. Brushing won’t remove glaze. It requires mechanical removal or chemical treatment, and if we find it, we’ll show you the camera image. Call (855) 360-4975 to get an exact quote and schedule a camera inspection.
Written by Roland Cifuentes, Owner at Chestnut Chimney Sweep, serving Temple City and the San Gabriel Valley.