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.
Gelco Chimney Cleaning in North Hollywood, CA | Glendale Chimney Sweep
We provide independent Gelco chimney cleaning and gas fireplace service across North Hollywood, including the 91601, 91602, 91605, and 91606 ZIP codes. The thing that sets our Gelco work here apart is that we understand the two completely different North Hollywood housing stocks: the 1920s – 1950s bungalows with original brick chimneys, and the newer townhome and mid-rise infill along the NoHo Arts District with factory-built Gelco direct-vent units. If your Gelco fireplace isn’t burning right, call us at (833) 467-6493 and we’ll tell you what’s actually going on.
Why North Hollywood Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
We’ve serviced Gelco fireplace systems across the East Valley for years as an independent provider, pulling our own parts, reading Gelco’s own install and clearance documentation, and diagnosing the brand’s specific quirks rather than guessing at them. We are not affiliated with, authorized by, or sponsored by Gelco, so our only allegiance is to getting your fireplace safe and working. Noel Tarkanian, our owner, grew up in Montrose where his family’s 1950s craftsman had a fireplace that needed attention every single winter, which is where his interest in how chimneys actually work started. He picked up the trade formally through the HVAC and sheet metal program at Glendale Community College before transitioning exclusively into chimney work, and he’s spent well over a decade cleaning and inspecting chimneys throughout the Glendale area and into North Hollywood. When we quote a Gelco sales & service job, the price includes the specific materials we’ll use, by name.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in North Hollywood
- Standing-pilot millivolt systems that won’t stay lit. Older Gelco inserts in North Hollywood townhomes often have millivolt standing-pilot assemblies where the thermocouple or thermopile wears out. The pilot drops out on cool winter evenings, and homeowners assume it’s a gas supply problem. It’s almost always a worn thermocouple, not the gas line.
- Direct-vent terminal corrosion and blockage. Gelco direct-vent units in NoHo mid-rise and townhome infill have vent terminals that corrode or get blocked by debris. On windy Santa Ana days, that blockage causes pilot outage, sooting, or spillage back into the living space. We replace vent caps and terminals with OEM Gelco parts.
- Clogged gas log burner orifices. In the older bungalows around Magnolia Blvd and Lankershim Blvd, Gelco vented gas log sets sit unused for months at a time. Dust and spider webbing pack the burner orifices, producing a lazy, yellow flame and an odor when the logs finally run. We pull the log set, clean the orifices, and check the ember media.
- Cracked refractory panels behind the surround. Gelco inserts set into original brick fireboxes in Spanish Revival homes can develop cracked refractory panels that only a Level 2 camera inspection catches. The cracks hide behind the decorative surround, and homeowners don’t know until we shove a camera up there.
- Hairline cracks from old seismic movement. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, many original brick chimneys in North Hollywood developed hairline cracks above the roofline. A Gelco gas log set can work fine while the chimney itself is compromised, which is why we always inspect the masonry, not just the gas components.
Gelco Service in North Hollywood: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District and transit-corridor infill brought a wave of factory-built gas fireplaces with metal flues into a neighborhood otherwise dominated by 1920s – 1950s brick chimneys. On one street we’ll camera a clay-tile liner in a 1940s Spanish Revival; on the next we’re servicing a Gelco direct-vent with a corroded vent cap. It’s two completely different jobs, and we approach them that way. The dry climate and occasional Santa Ana winds accelerate mortar and stucco cracking on exposed chimney crowns, especially in the older bungalows off Magnolia Blvd. If you own a Gelco service in Studio City insert set into an original brick firebox, the brick chimney is still the structural lungs of the system, and it needs inspection just as much as the gas valve does. That’s the part a generic chimney sweep page won’t tell you.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in North Hollywood
We work on Gelco in Universal City gas fireplace inserts, including the standing-pilot millivolt units common in North Hollywood townhome and mid-rise infill. We service Gelco direct-vent and B-vent factory-built gas fireplaces with metal flues, Gelco vented gas log sets installed in older bungalow and Spanish Revival fireboxes, and Gelco decorative gas firebox and burner assemblies in conversion applications. For safety-critical components like thermocouples, thermopiles, pilot assemblies, vent caps, and refractory panels, we stock or source OEM Gelco parts. We use quality aftermarket only for non-critical trim and hardware. If your Gelco insert is 25-plus years old and the firebox and gas train need a full rebuild, we’ll say so plainly and tell you when a modern replacement costs less than repairing the old unit. We won’t push a swap when a thermopile and a proper cleaning will do.
See the difference
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After
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AfterGelco Service Pricing in North Hollywood
Gelco chimney cleaning and gas fireplace service in North Hollywood typically starts at $189 for a standard cleaning and inspection on a vented gas log set or factory-built direct-vent unit. Level 2 camera inspections run $249 – $399 depending on the system and access. Replacing a thermocouple or thermopile adds $75 – $150 in parts, using OEM Gelco components. Vent cap replacement runs $120 – $180 for the part. Refractory panel replacement starts around $385. Every estimate includes the specific materials by name, so you know exactly what you’re paying for before we start. Call (833) 467-6493 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
Serving North Hollywood, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the North Hollywood area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Gelco Chimney Cleaning in North Hollywood
It’s almost never the gas line. In our experience, a Gelco insert that won’t stay lit in a North Hollywood townhome is almost always a worn thermocouple or thermopile in the millivolt standing-pilot assembly. These components fatigue over time, especially in units that cycle on and off during cool winter evenings. We diagnose it by testing the millivolt output, not by guessing. If the thermopile’s weak, we replace it with an OEM Gelco part. Call (833) 467-6493 and we’ll sort it out.
Yes, completely differently. A Gelco direct-vent unit in a newer NoHo townhome is a factory-built metal system with a sealed combustion path, so we inspect the vent terminal, gaskets, and gas train per Gelco’s own documentation. An old brick bungalow fireplace with a Gelco in Burbank gas log set still has a clay-tile liner and a masonry crown that need camera inspection and repointing. We do both, and we don’t apply one checklist to the other.
Yes. That’s a standard job for us in the older North Hollywood neighborhoods off Magnolia Blvd and Lankershim Blvd. We pull the Gelco service in Valley Glen insert or log set, inspect the original brick firebox for cracks and mortar degradation, run a Level 2 camera up the clay-tile liner, and check the gas components. The brick chimney is still doing the structural work, so it gets as much attention as the gas valve.
Possibly. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, many original brick chimneys in North Hollywood’s older bungalows developed hairline cracks above the roofline that homeowners never noticed. The dry climate and Santa Ana winds have made those cracks worse over the years. A standard sweeping won’t catch all of them, but a Level 2 camera inspection will. If we find cracks, we’ll show you the footage and tell you plainly whether they need repointing or can wait.
Yes. We install and replace vent caps on Gelco direct-vent and B-vent terminations throughout North Hollywood. Corroded or blocked caps are a common cause of pilot outage and spillage on windy Santa Ana days, especially in the mid-rise and townhome infill along the NoHo Arts District. We stock OEM Gelco caps and can usually replace one on the same visit. Call (833) 467-6493 for a free estimate.
Service Areas Near North Hollywood
We provide Gelco chimney cleaning and gas fireplace service across North Hollywood and the surrounding East Valley. Our North Hollywood service area covers the 1920s bungalows and newer infill equally. We also serve Glendale, Silver Lake, Burbank, Echo Park, Hollywood, and La Cañada Flintridge. For neighbors to the east, see our Gelco service in Altadena and Gelco service in Tujunga pages.
Book Your Gelco Service in North Hollywood Today
We service Gelco gas fireplaces, inserts, and log sets across North Hollywood with OEM parts and camera-backed inspections. Call (833) 467-6493 for a free estimate and we’ll get you on the schedule. A clean chimney isn’t a luxury, it’s just basic fire safety.
Written by Noel Tarkanian, Owner at Glendale Chimney Sweep, serving North Hollywood and the East Valley.