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 Inglewood
A chimney sweep in Inglewood typically costs $180 to $340 for a standard fireplace with a clean flue, and most sweeps are completed in 60 to 90 minutes. If you have a 1920s bungalow off Crenshaw or a Spanish Revival near Centinela, the condition of your clay-tile flue changes that equation quickly. We service all Inglewood ZIP codes, 90301 through 90305, and we answer the phone when you call (833) 467-7685. Al Vickers runs our crew, and we’ve spent enough time in Inglewood attics and on Inglewood roofs to know what these old chimneys hide.
Why Ontario Chimney Is Inglewood’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Inglewood has one of the densest concentrations of 1920s to 1950s single-family homes in LA County. Those chimneys weren’t built for gas-log inserts and they weren’t built to sit dry for nine months between burn days. We know that because we’ve swept enough of them to recognize a 1940s firebox before we even set up the vacuum. Our Chimney Sweep team works with Al Vickers, who insists on camera evidence for every recommendation. Nothing gets quoted without you seeing the defect on screen.
Homeowners in Morningside Park, Lockhaven, and Arbor Village call us because we don’t upsell. We sweep, inspect, and tell you what’s actually wrong. If the flue needs relining, we’ll show you the cracked tile on a Level 2 camera. If the crown is spalled from Santa Ana heat, you’ll see photos of the crumbling mortar before any repair is priced. That’s how Al built our reputation across Inglewood, and it’s why escrow inspectors and property managers keep our number on file.
Styles & brands we work with
- Sweep & inspection
- Caps & crowns
- Flue relining
- Masonry repair
- Gas fireplace service
Chimney Services in Inglewood
Chimney Services in Inglewood means something different here than it does in newer parts of LA. Your bungalow likely has a clay-tile flue that’s been soaking up dry heat since Eisenhower was in office. A full service visit includes a Level 1 inspection, firebox cleanup, damper check, and a report on the crown and flashing. Our level of detail matters in Inglewood because so many flips skip the chimney entirely, and lenders are now asking for certified chimney reports during escrow.
Level 1 and Level 2 Inspections
A Level 1 inspection is visual, priced between $120 and $180 in Inglewood. We check accessible portions of the flue, the cap, the damper, and the firebox. A Level 2 inspection adds camera work and runs $250 to $450. That second tier is the standard for real estate transfers and for any fireplace that hasn’t been professionally evaluated in years.
Creosote and Soot Removal
Creosote removal in Inglewood runs $90 to $180 as an add-on when the sweep reveals first-degree buildup. Dry heat doesn’t make creosote disappear. It bakes it into a crust that’s harder to brush and more likely to ignite when you finally do light a fire. Soot removal is the lighter cousin of that job, but we treat both with the same attention because old Inglewood flues trap debris fast.
Chimney Sweep Certified in Inglewood
Chimney Sweep Certified work in Inglewood comes down to one thing: we won’t tell you a flue is safe unless we’ve seen it end to end. A standard sweep in Inglewood costs $180 to $340 for a clean flue. If the tile is cracked, if there’s a nest, if the flipper who sold you the house installed a gas log without a liner, the price adjusts and you’ll know exactly why.
Annual Sweep Work
For homes that burn wood in Inglewood, an annual sweep is the baseline. Most homes here don’t. That’s precisely why the gas-log fireplaces get neglected. Our annual sweep package includes the brush-out, a Level 1 inspection, and a written condition summary. In Inglewood’s dry season, that summary is what protects you later, when a lender or an insurance underwriter asks questions.
Fireplace Cleaning for Gas Logs
Gas-log fireplace cleaning in Inglewood runs $110 to $210. The misconception is that gas means no maintenance. The original clay-tile flue was not designed for the heat load a modern insert produces, and without an annual look, hairline cracks go unnoticed until escrow demands a report. We pull the log set, vacuum the firebox, inspect the damper, and check the flue for issues the last flipper definitely didn’t.
Trusted Brands We Service in Inglewood
Inglewood homes get a lot of DuraFlex liners because the original flues are often offset, and rigid liners can’t follow the bend. We install and service DuraFlex stainless steel systems, plus HeatShield ceramic resurfacing when a liner isn’t fully failed but the tile is showing wear. We stock Copperfield and Gelco components locally for Inglewood jobs, which means caps, dampers, and termination fixtures aren’t a two-week special order. When a 1940s chimney on a tight lot needs a cap that fits right, we have it on the truck more often than not.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Inglewood Homes
- Cracked clay-tile flues. Dry Santa Ana heat cycles expand and contract the tile until hairline fractures form. Many Inglewood homeowners have never seen inside their flue, and the first time they do is during a camera inspection we run before escrow.
- Spalling crowns on stucco bungalows. The crown is the mortar slab on top of the chimney. Inglewood’s dry summers chew through it. Missing crown material lets water in, and on an old brick chimney, that water starts working the mortar joints loose.
- Missing or rusted chimney caps. Birds nest in these flues, and a blocked flue on a gas-log fireplace is a carbon monoxide issue. We pull dead nests and rusted cap remains out of Inglewood chimneys every week.
- Gas-log inserts vented into unlined flues. A flipper installs the log set, sells the house, and no one ever checked whether the original single-wythe masonry flue should carry combustion gases. In Inglewood’s 1920s to 1950s stock, that’s a routine finding, not a rarity.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Inglewood, CA
A standard chimney sweep in Inglewood runs $180 to $340. That assumes an accessible flue and no major defects found during the Level 1. A sweeep with a Level 2 camera inspection runs $280 to $550. If creosote removal is heavy, add $90 to $180. Crown repair starts around $350. Relining with HeatShield starts around $2,200, and a DuraFlex stainless liner runs $3,500 to $6,500 depending on height and access. We quote after showing you the camera footage. Our estimates are free, and we don’t charge a trip fee for Inglewood ZIP codes 90301 through 90305. Call (833) 467-7685 and we’ll give you a number before we book anything.
We Also Serve Cities Near Inglewood
Our Chimney Sweep in Inglewood coverage extends into Hawthorne, Del Aire, Lennox, and Alondra Park. Those homes share the same 1940s and 1950s building stock and the same dry-heat stress on clay flues and crowns. We schedule in tight loops across these neighborhoods, so response time stays short without us cutting corners on the inspection.
Serving Inglewood, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We serve Inglewood 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 Inglewood
Yes, and this situation is one of the most common calls we get in Inglewood. The original clay-tile flue in a 1940s bungalow off Market Street was never designed for the heat load a modern gas-log insert produces. A Level 2 camera inspection we ran recently showed a hairline crack running two feet up the flue. The seller had no idea. The buyer’s lender wouldn’t close until we documented the condition and scheduled a repair. A sweep plus Level 2 inspection costs $280 to $550, and the resulting report can be the difference between escrow closing on time or dragging out for weeks. Call (833) 467-7685 to schedule yours.
You don’t, and that’s the problem. These flues are hidden behind brick and stucco, and no amount of looking up from the firebox tells you what’s happening 10 feet higher. In Inglewood, many older homes have single-wythe masonry flues that were never lined, or clay tiles that cracked under decades of Santa Ana heat cycles. The only way to know is a Level 2 camera inspection. We run a camera from the firebox to the termination and show you the footage live. If the flue is cracked, you’ll see it. If it’s sound, you’ll see that too. For Inglewood bungalows in 90303 and 90304, we recommend this inspection before buying, before a first burn, and before any liner work is quoted. Call (833) 467-7685 for pricing.
First-degree creosote is a dry, dusty film that brushes off easily. Third-degree creosote is a hardened, tar-like glaze that requires professional chemical treatment or rotary tools. It’s also the form that ignites most readily. In Inglewood’s climate, the long dry season means many homeowners let their fireplaces sit for nine months. The creosote that formed last winter bakes onto the flue walls, and what started as first-degree becomes a hard crust that a brush alone won’t remove. We see this most often in Morningside Park bungalows where owners burn wood only a few times a year. The $90 to $180 creosote reduction add-on is cheap compared to a flue fire. Call (833) 467-7685 and we’ll tell you exactly what degree of creosote you’re dealing with.
It’s both, and in Inglewood they’re handled together. The crown is the mortar cap on top of the chimney stack. Dry Santa Ana heat spalls the mortar, and once it starts crumbling, water gets into the masonry below. During a sweep, we photograph and document crown condition as part of the inspection. For a 1940s Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow, a crumbled crown often means a crown repair running $350 to $900, done right after the sweep so the flue is clean and the top is sealed. We won’t quote the crown repair until you’ve seen the photos from our inspection. Same goes for flashing around the roofline. Call (833) 467-7685 if you suspect the crown is failing.
Yes, all three. DuraFlex stainless steel liners are common in Inglewood flips because offset flues in 1940s bungalows won’t accommodate rigid liners. We install and repair DuraFlex systems. HeatShield ceramic resurfacing is what we recommend when the clay tile shows wear but hasn’t fully failed, because it’s a code-compliant restoration at about half the cost of a full liner. And Copperfield supplies many of the caps, dampers, and termination components we stock for Inglewood jobs. So when a flipper or a seller installed one of these materials incorrectly, we can usually diagnose it and fix it without ripping the whole stack apart. Call (833) 467-7685 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
Written by Al Vickers, Owner at Ontario Chimney, serving Inglewood since day one.