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 Highland
A chimney sweep in Highland, CA typically runs $150 to $280 for a standard open fireplace when no major repairs are needed. Our techs work the foothill streets from Baseline up to the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, and we schedule most Highland sweeps within 3 to 5 business days. Owner Al Vickers built Ontario Chimney around one idea: you should see the same camera footage we see before anyone quotes you a liner or masonry repair. That matters more here than in most Inland Empire cities because Highland’s older chimneys get pitched expensive rebuilds they often don’t need. Call (833) 467-7685 for a free estimate, and we’ll tell you honestly what needs doing now and what can safely wait.
Key Takeaways for Highland Homeowners:
- Standard chimney sweep in Highland runs $150 – $280; Level 1 inspection is usually included in the sweep.
- Santa Ana wind events pack Highland chimney caps with leaf litter and bird nests at a rate flatland cities rarely see.
- Highland’s 1950s – 1970s masonry fireplaces are original construction, not retrofits, so clay-tile flues run aging and cracked.
- Nothing gets recommended without camera evidence you can see yourself. No exceptions.
- We stock professional-grade components, not hardware-store substitutes.
Why Ontario Chimney Is Highland’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
We’re not a pressure-wash crew that added chimney sweeping to the menu. Ontario Chimney does three things: chimney sweeping, dryer vent cleaning, and chimney repair. Same trained techs, same truck, same camera system on every job. That continuity matters when a routine sweep in Highland turns into a flue repair, because the person who cleaned your chimney is the same one who documents what’s wrong and walks you through the fix. You don’t get handed off to a third party or told to “call someone else” for structural work.
Al Vickers runs our operation, and he’s the one who set the rule that no Highland customer gets a repair recommendation without seeing the footage first. Highland homeowners deal with more smoke-backdraft calls during Santa Ana season than most of the Inland Empire, and a lot of those calls end with a blocked cap or compacted creosote, not a failed liner. We’d rather pull a cap, show you the debris, and clear it than sell you a $4,000 relining. Al’s been doing this long enough to know the honest answer usually costs less.
Our Chimney Sweep team works Highland regularly through the 92346 zip code, from East Highland neighborhoods along Greenspot Road to the older pockets near Highland Avenue and Victoria. We carry DuraFlex and Famco components in the truck, so when a Highland crown or cap needs replacement, the part goes on same day without a return trip.
Styles & brands we work with
- Sweep & inspection
- Caps & crowns
- Flue relining
- Masonry repair
- Gas fireplace service
Chimney Services in Highland
Chimney Services in Highland start with a Level 1 inspection as part of every standard sweep: we check the flue interior, the damper, the firebox, the smoke chamber, and the cap. In Highland specifically, we pay extra attention to the cap after wind events because Santa Ana blow-throughs fill caps with leaf litter and bird nesting faster than any other city we serve. A standard sweep here runs $150 to $280, and if you have not burned in a few seasons, expect us to budget time for debris extraction before the brush goes in.
Creosote and Soot Removal
Creosote is the residue left by wood combustion, and it builds differently depending on how you burn. Highland’s winter heating pattern, cool nights with occasional frost, then long stretches where the fireplace sits cold, creates cycles of hot burns followed by damp, sticky creosote layers. We remove it mechanically with brushes sized to your flue and vacuum everything with HEPA filtration at the fireplace opening. For heavier third-degree creosote, chemical treatment and mechanical removal happen in stages across visits.
Annual Sweep and Fireplace Cleaning
An annual sweep in Highland means a clean firebox, clear damper path, and flue walls free of combustible creosote. We also clean the smoke shelf and chamber, areas that hold soot and heat-damaged splatter most homeowners never see. If you burn mostly oak or eucalyptus during Highland’s winter cold snaps, you’ll accumulate more solid soot than someone burning dry pine. We’ll tell you what we found, show you the photos, and give you honest options.
Chimney Sweep Certified in Highland
Chimney Sweep Certified in Highland means the technician who arrives at your door carries current industry certification for inspection and sweeping work, not a generic “training completed” certificate. We own our camera system and use it on every Level 2 inspection, which Highland homeowners should consider when buying a home with a 1950s or 1960s original masonry fireplace. A Level 2 inspection in Highland runs $250 to $450 depending on flue access, and it is the only way to document cracked clay tiles, spalled mortar, or a hidden offset before it becomes a structure fire risk.
Level 1 vs Level 2 Inspection
A Level 1 inspection covers the accessible portions of the chimney: what you can see from the fireplace opening and the cap area. It is the right call for an annual sweep when nothing has changed. A Level 2 inspection goes further with a camera run down the full flue length, and it’s what we recommend for any Highland home purchase, any chimney that has survived a nearby wildland event, or any fireplace showing signs of drafting failure.
Camera Evidence Before Any Repair Quote
Here’s how it works in Highland. If we see cracked clay tiles or spalled mortar on the camera, we show you the footage on a tablet while we’re still at your fireplace. Then we walk through what the film shows, what’s urgent, what’s maintainable, and what can wait. We will not quote a liner replacement from a photograph we took and “interpreted” for you later. You watch the same screen we do, and you decide with real information.
Trusted Brands We Service in Highland
We stock and install DuraFlex stainless steel liner systems, Famco caps and dampers, and we’re certified applicator-level familiar with HeatShield ceramic flue resurfacing. These are professional-grade materials specified by certified chimney professionals, sourced through Copperfield and Olympia Chimney distribution. You won’t find them at a big-box store because they’re not built for the retail DIY shelf. For Highland customers, that means when we reline a flue or replace a wind-damaged cap, the component goes in same visit from our truck stock, and it matches what commercial fireplace contractors specify. Professional-grade materials, not hardware-store substitutes.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Highland Homes
- Wind-packed caps. Santa Ana events drive leaf litter, twigs, and bird nests into chimney caps below the foothill line. On a street near Highland’s eastern edge, our tech pulled a cap packed solid after a single wind event, with first-degree creosote behind it and smoke backdrafting into the living room.
- Cracked clay tile flues. Original 1950s – 1970s masonry fireplaces in Highland were built with clay tile liners that expand and contract through decades of heating cycles. Repeated hot burns followed by cold soak cracks tiles and breaks mortar joints, leaving combustible gases an exit path into framing.
- Deteriorated mortar crowns and joints. Highland’s hot, dry summers bake masonry crowns, and Santa Ana winds erode the joints. Once water enters a crown, it freezes overnight during cold snaps and spalls the mortar face. This happens quietly, behind the cap, before you ever see a crack from the ground.
- Unlined stacks venting modern appliances. Some Highland homes have fireplaces or wood stoves venting into chimneys that were never designed for modern heat loads. An unlined stack lets creosote and heat reach old framing, which is one of the highest-risk conditions we document on camera for homeowners who just bought a 1960s house here.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Highland, CA
A standard chimney sweep in Highland runs $150 to $280 for a single open fireplace with a clay or stainless flue, including the Level 1 inspection. If we’re pulling a debris-packed cap or dealing with heavy creosote, the high end is more realistic. A Level 2 camera inspection runs $250 to $450 depending on access and flue length. HeatShield resurfacing, which repairs cracked clay tiles without a full liner tear-out, typically starts around $1,200 and goes up with flue height and damage extent. A full DuraFlex relining job in Highland usually lands between $2,800 and $4,500 depending on the flue’s offset and length. Free estimates on every job, and we provide the camera footage before any quote.
Call (833) 467-7685 and we’ll walk through what your fireplace needs, what it costs, and what can wait.
We Also Serve Cities Near Highland
From our yard in Ontario, we run routes through Highland and the surrounding foothill communities, including San Bernardino, Muscoy, Redlands, and Loma Linda. If you’re in East Highland, along Baseline, or in the older blocks near Victoria, you’re in our regular service area. Same techs, same camera, same straight answers.
Serving Highland, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We serve Highland and nearby communities. Use the map below to see the area we cover. If you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Sweep in Highland
Highland sits directly below the San Bernardino Mountains, which means Santa Ana wind events dump leaf litter, twigs, and bird nesting into chimney caps at a rate flat inland cities like Redlands or Loma Linda almost never see. The wind channels down the foothill drainages and hits chimney caps dead-on. We recommend a cap pull and flue check after any major wind event, especially if you plan to light the first fire of the season. Call (833) 467-7685 if your last burn smoked into the room.
A camera inspection shows the tile condition inside a 1960s flue, which a visual sweep alone cannot. Highland’s original masonry fireplaces were built with clay tile liners that crack and spall through decades of heating cycles, so a Level 2 inspection is the only way to document whether the tiles are still intact. If you’ve owned the home for years and have never had a camera run, we recommend one before heavy burning season. It costs $250 to $450 and the footage is yours to review with us on-screen.
Because you watch the same camera footage we do. We show you the crack, the spalled mortar, the gap between tiles, and we explain what it means before any quote is written. If the flue is clean and intact, we’ll tell you the sweep is all you need. Al Vickers set that rule, and it applies to every tech on every Highland job. We’d rather keep your chimney on a maintenance schedule than sell a repair that could have waited.
First-degree creosote is a fine dust that brushes out easily. Second-degree is flaky, brittle, and harder to remove, often forming after repeated hot burns followed by cold rest periods. Third-degree is a hard, tar-like glaze that clings to flue walls and is a legitimate chimney fire risk. Highland’s pattern of occasional cold-night fires followed by long idle stretches tends to produce second-degree buildup in unlined clay flues. Call (833) 467-7685 and we’ll assess what’s in your flue and what removal costs.
Expect us to show you the gap between what the stack was built to handle and what your fireplace or wood stove is asking it to do. Older Highland chimneys were often built for open masonry fireplaces, not modern closed-combustion inserts or high-efficiency stoves, and an unlined stack letting heat and creosote reach old framing is a serious condition. We’ll document it on camera, explain the options (HeatShield resurfacing or DuraFlex relining, depending on the flue’s condition and offset), and let you decide with real evidence.
Written by Al Vickers, Owner at Ontario Chimney, serving Highland since the company’s founding.