Chimney Cleaning Before & After in Chicago, IL
We’ve spent over 42 years cleaning, repairing, and restoring chimneys across Chicago. Photos don’t lie. Below you’ll see real transformations from recent jobs in neighborhoods we serve, from Lincoln Park bungalows to Rogers Park two-flats. Each project shows what our technicians found, how we fixed it, and how the chimney looked when we finished.
Recent Transformations
Heavy Creosote Buildup Removal - Hyde Park
The homeowner in Hyde Park smelled smoke in their second-floor bedroom every time they ran their fireplace. Our Level-2 camera inspection showed a quarter-inch glaze of third-stage creosote, hardened by years of Chicago’s freeze-thaw cycles into something a standard brush couldn’t touch. We used a rotary sweeping system with DuraFlex chain whips to break the glaze, then vacuumed every particle. The flue was clean enough to pass inspection, and the smoke smell never came back.
Blocked Chimney Cap & Animal Nesting - Ravenswood
A Ravenswood family called us in late October after their carbon monoxide detector started chirping. We found a squirrel nest packed tight above the damper, blocking airflow and forcing exhaust back into the living room. Our technician removed the nesting material by hand, ran a camera to confirm the flue was clear, and installed a Gelco cap with proper mesh sizing to keep animals out without restricting draft. They lit their first fire of the season that evening.
Water-Damaged Flue & Liner Deterioration - Bridgeport
The brick chimney on this Bridgeport greystone had been shedding flakes into the fireplace for two winters. Water from a cracked crown had saturated the clay liner, causing the tiles to spall and the mortar joints to wash out. We repaired the crown with proper slope and drip edge, then resurfaced the existing liner with HeatShield cerfractory flue sealant rather than tearing out sound structure. The homeowner saved thousands over a full rebuild, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise covers the work in writing.
Fireplace Smoke Staining & Draft Correction - Andersonville
An Andersonville condo owner thought they’d need to repaint their entire living room after black soot kept appearing above the fireplace. The real problem was a combination of a dirty flue, a damper that wouldn’t fully open, and negative air pressure from their new kitchen exhaust fan. We swept the flue, adjusted and lubricated the damper, and ran draft tests with the fan on and off. No more soot. No painting needed.
Chimney Crown Rebuild with Cap Installation - Portage Park
The crown on this Portage Park bungalow had cracked so badly that grass was growing from the mortar below. Water had been entering for years, saturating the brick and accelerating freeze-thaw damage every Chicago winter. We removed the failed crown, poured a new one with proper slope and a drip edge to shed water away from the brick, and topped it with an Olympia Chimney cap sized to the flue. The structure will outlast the next owner.
Level-2 Inspection Reveals Hidden Flue Obstruction - Lincoln Square
A Lincoln Square homeowner scheduled what they thought was a routine sweep before listing their house. Our Level-2 camera inspection found a partial collapse of the original clay liner above the smoke shelf, invisible from below and undetectable without the camera. We installed a DuraFlex stainless steel liner with proper insulation for Chicago’s temperature extremes, connected it to a new connector pipe, and provided the documentation their buyer’s inspector wanted. The sale closed on schedule.
Want Results Like These?
Every project above was completed by background-checked, uniformed technicians using professional-grade materials from DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield. Most jobs finish in a single visit, with no-hassle upfront pricing so the number on the estimate is the number on the invoice. Call (888) 289-6055 and a live person will answer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’ll schedule your Level-2 camera inspection, show you photos you can see, and explain everything in plain English. Done right, and we stand behind it.
Written by the team at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Chicago since 2014.