Level 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.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterChimney Cleaning Before & After in Elmhurst, IL
We’ve cleaned and inspected more than 38,000 chimneys since 2009, and we’ve photographed every one. Below are real conditions we’ve found in Elmhurst homes, what the work looked like, and what the homeowner received when we finished. No stock photos. No staging. Just what Corrine Halstead and our crews actually pulled out of flues and what we left behind.
Recent Transformations
Class III Glazed Creosote Removal, South Elmhurst
The homeowner smelled smoke in the second-floor hallway every time they ran their fireplace. We found Class III glazed creosote, a hardened tar-like deposit that forms when wood burns too cool and creosote vapor condenses on the flue liner walls. It’s the fuel source in most chimney fires. We used mechanical rotary cleaning with chains to fracture the glaze, then swept the flue to bare clay. The camera scan afterward showed an inspectable surface. Written price before we started: $285. Photo record delivered same day.
Smoke Chamber Parging and Firebox Restoration, Near Wilder Park
This 1920s Tudor near Wilder Park had a smoke chamber so rough and eroded that creosote was collecting in the mortar joints, not just the flue. The smoke chamber is the inverted funnel above the firebox that funnels smoke into the flue; when it’s rough or corbelled, it traps combustible deposits and restricts draft. We parged the smoke chamber smooth with Chamber-Tech 2000 refractory mortar, rebuilt the spalled firebox faces with new firebrick, and swept the flue. The camera scan confirmed no obstructions and a continuous draft path. Written scope and price delivered before work: $1,840 for smoke chamber, firebox repair, and full sweep.
Chimney Cap and Crown Replacement with Full Sweep, East Elmhurst
The crown, the concrete slab that tops a masonry chimney, was spalling so badly that water was running directly into the flue every rain. No cap meant squirrels had nested twice. We removed the deteriorated crown, poured a new 4-inch concrete crown with a 2-inch drip edge to shed water away from the brick, and installed a stainless Gelco cap with 5/8-inch mesh to block animals while maintaining draft. We swept the flue and documented the liner condition with camera scan: clay tile intact, no visible cracks, moderate soot deposits removed. Written price before work: $1,175 for crown, cap, and sweep. The squirrel damage to the liner was minor; we told the homeowner it could wait, showed them the photo, and they opted to monitor.
Factory-Built Fireplace Flue Fire Recovery, Elmhurst Near Grand Avenue
A chimney fire had warped the galvanized flue pipe in a factory-built fireplace chase. The homeowner called after the fire department left; we arrived the next morning. We ran a camera scan through the damaged flue and found the pipe had ovalized and the chase cover was rusted through. We installed a new stainless DuraFlex liner sized to the appliance, replaced the chase cover with a galvanized unit with a storm collar, and swept the entire system. The Level 2 inspection documented that the firebox and surrounding framing were undamaged. Written price before work: $2,650. We also delivered the photo record to their insurance adjuster at their request, standard under Clause 4.
Annual Maintenance Sweep with Level 2 Inspection, Central Elmhurst Historic District
This was a routine annual sweep in a home that burns 1.5 cords of oak per season. We found Stage 1 creosote, a light powdery deposit that brushes off easily, and no liner degradation. The camera scan showed all clay tile joints intact, no spalling, no cracks. We swept the flue, inspected the smoke chamber and firebox, and delivered the photo record to the homeowner’s email before we left. Written price before work: $245 for sweep and Level 2 inspection. We told them honestly: same time next year, no additional work needed.
Blocked Flue from Collapsed Clay Tile, Near Berens Park
The homeowner called because smoke was backing up into the living room within five minutes of lighting a fire. We found a collapsed section of clay flue tile at the second joint above the smoke chamber, completely blocking the flue. The cause was thermal shock from a previous chimney fire they hadn’t known about. We installed a new stainless Olympia Chimney liner with a top plate and proper termination, swept the system, and ran the camera scan to confirm continuous passage. Written price before work: $2,950 for liner, top plate, and sweep. We showed them the collapsed tile on camera before we started and the continuous liner after. They had documentation for both.
Want Results Like These?
Every job above started the same way: a phone call to (708) 498-3199, answered by a live person. We schedule a visit, run a camera scan, and deliver a written price before any work starts. You’ll get the photo record when we’re done, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise is stamped on every invoice. Corrine Halstead and our crews have been working in Elmhurst since 2009. Call (708) 498-3199 or book online.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Level Two Chimney Elmhurst, serving Elmhurst since 2009.