Chimney Sweep in Arlington Heights, IL
Call (847) 238-9426What Arlington Heights chimneys actually need
Walk the blocks around the downtown Metra station. You see 1920s through 1940s bungalows and frame homes. Full-size masonry chimneys, mostly clay tile liners. Some of the earliest flues were never lined at all. On those, a camera run matters more than a sweep. Mortar joints between tiles open up first. You cannot see that from the firebox.
Head north toward Lake Arlington, or out to the west edge. Different century, different chimney. Those 1980s through 2000s subdivisions use prefab metal flues inside sided chases. The chase cover on top is the weak point. Thin galvanized steel, flat, no slope. Water sits and rusts it through. Then it drips down the chase and rots framing you never see.
The postwar ranch and split-level tracts in between sit somewhere in the middle. Many have been converted to gas logs. That conversion changes what goes wrong. Gas burns cooler and wetter. The moisture attacks old clay tile and the smoke chamber.
Flashing leaks are the other constant in newer stock. Tuckpointing and crown repair dominate the older. A crown with hairline cracks can often be sealed. One that is spalling and shedding chunks needs a rebuild, and we will say so.
Same-day service available in Arlington Heights, IL. Call to check availability.
Call (847) 238-9426Frequently Asked Questions
We have gas logs in the fireplace and haven't burned wood in years. Does the chimney still need to be swept?
Gas conversions are extremely common in Arlington Heights, and they change what the inspection is for rather than eliminating it. There's little or no creosote, but the flue still needs to be checked for blockage, deteriorated clay tile, moisture damage and proper draft. Gas exhaust carries a lot of water vapor, and in older masonry chimneys around the downtown core that moisture works on mortar joints and the crown from the inside out. On the prefab metal systems in the newer subdivisions, we're mainly verifying the liner, the chase cover and the termination are intact. So less sweeping, more inspection — but skipping it entirely is how a cracked tile or a bird nest goes unnoticed for years.
What usually goes wrong with chimneys on the newer north and west side homes?
Almost all of that housing stock uses a factory-built metal chimney inside a framed, sided chase, and the failure point is nearly always the top. Chase covers are often thin galvanized metal that rusts through and starts funneling water straight down into the chase, where it rots framing and stains the ceiling below. The other recurring issue is flashing where the chase meets the roof. Homeowners usually call about a water stain or a smell, not about the chimney itself. The fix is typically a new chase cover and flashing work rather than anything to do with the firebox.
Our house is a 1930s frame home near the Metra line. What should we expect from an inspection?
In that part of town we're looking at a full-size masonry chimney, usually with clay tile liner, though some of the earliest ones were built unlined or have liners that stop short. Common findings are cracked or spalling crown, mortar joints that need tuckpointing after decades of freeze-thaw, and tile that's shifted or cracked. If the flue turns out to be unlined and you want to burn, that's a relining conversation, not a sweeping one. We'll tell you plainly which category yours falls into before anything else gets discussed.
How fast can someone get out here?
Routine sweeps and inspections book out furthest in September through November, when everyone in town decides at once that it's time. Schedule in late spring or summer and you'll get a much shorter wait. Anything involving active water entry, a smell of smoke in the house, or a fireplace you suspect is unsafe gets moved up ahead of routine work. If you're calling in the middle of the first cold snap, expect to wait longer than you would in July.
Why do quotes vary so much between houses on opposite sides of Arlington Heights?
Because the chimneys are fundamentally different. A straightforward sweep and inspection on a prefab metal system in a sided chase is quick and predictable. A tall masonry chimney on an older home near downtown takes longer, especially if there are offsets, multiple flues, or the stack needs to be worked from the roof. Repair work splits the same way: chase covers and flashing on the newer stock price differently than crown rebuilds and tuckpointing on the older masonry, where the amount of deteriorated mortar isn't fully known until someone's up there looking. A steep roof or a two-story stack also adds access time. We go over findings and what each item would involve before you decide on anything.