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 Crestline
A chimney sweep in Crestline typically costs between $189 and $329 for a standard wood-burning fireplace, and most sweeps take under two hours once we’re on site. We keep our calendar structured around the mountain seasons, which means fall and early winter fill up first. If you’re calling from Crestline, we can usually get a truck up the hill within 3 to 5 business days, and if you tell us the stove has been smoking or you’ve seen birds near the cap, we’ll move you up the queue. Call (833) 467-6493 and we’ll give you a real price before we book anything.
Why Glendale Chimney Sweep Is Crestline’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Most of the work we do in Crestline involves chimneys that other companies either won’t climb or won’t inspect properly. Steep lots, metal roofs, and flues that run up three stories from a walkout basement are normal here, and our technicians arrive expecting them. We carry the ladders, ridge hooks, and roof protection gear needed for the pitch you’ve got, not the pitch that’s convenient.
Crestline homeowners call us because we show them what we find. Every sweep includes a camera pass, and if there’s damage, you see the footage before we quote a repair. That matters in a town where a lot of chimneys are original to cabins built between the 1920s and 1970s. Noel Tarkanian built the company around that standard: documentation first, recommendation second, work third.
Our Chimney Sweep team handles the full scope, from basic creosote removal to Level 2 inspections with written reports. No subcontracted crews, no day-labor sweepers. The same technician who inspects your flue is the one who tells you whether it needs work.
We also understand how Crestline works as a community. People here trade contractor names at the hardware store and the post office, and a bad recommendation travels faster than a good one. We’ve earned our place on those lists by showing up when we said we would and by never recommending a liner, a cap, or a rebuild without camera evidence behind it.
Styles & brands we work with
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in Crestline
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in Crestline runs $129 to $219 depending on whether the unit is a direct-vent insert, a vented log set, or a freestanding gas stove, and the job takes about an hour from setup to cleanup. Gas fireplaces collect dust, pet hair, and soot film on the glass and burner ports, and in a mountain house that’s closed up for weeks at a time, that buildup can cause delayed ignition or a lazy orange flame that produces excess carbon monoxide. We remove the logs and ember media, clean the burner assembly, vacuum the firebox, and check the venting. If the unit shares a flue with a wood-burning past, we inspect that too.
What to Expect During the Visit
We lay down drop cloths before we touch the hearth, and we use a HEPA vacuum rather than a shop floor broom. The glass comes off, the logs get brushed, and the pilot assembly gets inspected for corrosion. You’ll get a straight answer on whether the unit is safe to run before the first cold night.
When Crestline Homeowners Should Schedule
Most gas fireplace cleaning in Crestline happens between late September and early November, right before the burn season starts. But if you’ve been running the fireplace through the winter, a mid-season cleaning in January or February clears the film that builds up and keeps the flame blue and clean. Vacation homes that sat all summer often need a cleaning before the first use, especially if the vent cap has collected pine needles.
Chimney Maintenance in Crestline
Chimney Maintenance in Crestline is the work that prevents a $4,000 liner replacement from sneaking up on you, and it typically runs $189 to $289 per visit depending on whether we’re also checking the cap, flashing, and smoke chamber. Maintenance here isn’t the same as maintenance in a flatland suburb, because Crestline’s freeze-thaw cycles put real stress on mortar joints and clay tiles. A chimney that was fine in September can show spalling by March if water got into a hairline crack and froze. We recommend an annual sweep plus a camera check, and we’ll tell you honestly if the chimney can safely wait another season.
Annual Sweep and Visual Check
The sweep removes creosote and soot from the flue walls, smoke shelf, damper, and firebox. Afterward, we run the camera and look for cracks, gaps, or animal activity. You get a written summary of what we found and what, if anything, needs attention.
Chimney Maintenance for Rental Cabins
If you own a short-term rental in Crestline, maintenance is a liability issue as much as a comfort issue. A guest who lights a fire and gets smoke rolling back into the living room leaves a bad review and maybe files a claim. We work with several rental owners on a fall maintenance schedule that includes a sweep, a visual inspection, and a dated record of the work.
Trusted Brands We Service in Crestline
We spec and install brands that the professional chimney industry actually uses: HeatShield for flue resurfacing, Olympia Chimney for caps, dampers, and chase covers, and Famco for venting components. When a Crestline customer needs a liner resurfaced rather than replaced, HeatShield gives us a way to seal cracked clay tiles without tearing out the original flue, which matters in cabins where the chimney is buried in the framing and a full reline would mean major demolition. Because we stock these materials or can have them at our shop in a day or two, Crestline jobs don’t stall waiting on generic parts from a big-box store. We name the brands on the quote because we want you to check them out yourself.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Crestline Homes
- Third-degree creosote glaze in cabins that burn a lot of pine. Crestline sits in a forest, and pine burns cooler and dirtier than hardwood. That creosote pellets into a hard, shiny glaze that a standard brush won’t remove, and it’s the kind of fuel that makes a chimney fire burn hot enough to crack tiles.
- Unlined or clay-tile flues in pre-1970s cabins. These flues predate modern wood stove clearances and venting standards. The mortar joints erode, the tiles crack, and creosote seeps through gaps into framing. A Level 2 camera inspection is the only way to see it before it becomes a chimney fire.
- Squirrel and bird nests in vacation-home chimneys. A Crestline cabin that sits empty from May to October is an invitation. We pull nests, birds, and squirrel debris from behind dampers on a routine basis. That’s a blockage, not a cosmetic issue. Left in place, it pushes smoke and carbon monoxide back into the room.
- Steep-roof chimneys swept inadequately from the ground. Some outfits run a rope brush up from the firebox and call it done. That leaves the smoke chamber, the upper flue, and the crown untouched. On a three-story Crestline cabin with a 12/12 roof pitch, getting to the top is the actual job.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Crestline, CA
A standard wood-burning fireplace sweep in Crestline runs $189 to $249. A full inspection with the camera adds $89 to $139 when booked with the sweep. Gas fireplace cleaning runs $129 to $219, and a Level 2 inspection as a standalone service runs $249 to $349. What moves the price: roof pitch and access, the height of the flue, whether we’re pulling animal debris, and whether the creosote is third-degree glaze that requires chemical treatment or rotary cleaning. Vacation rentals with a documented maintenance history sometimes qualify for a modest multi-unit rate. Call (833) 467-6493 and we’ll give you a firm quote based on your address and what you’re burning.
We Also Serve Cities Near Crestline
We work throughout the San Bernardino Mountains and the valley below. Most of our Crestline customers come from the 92325 ZIP, but we also run routes through Lake Arrowhead, Muscoy, San Bernardino, and Highland. If you’re up in Chimney Sweep in Crestline territory or down the hill, the same camera standard and pricing structure applies.
Serving Crestline, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Crestline 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 About Chimney Sweep in Crestline
Yes, but with caveats. An unlined flue can be swept, but it must be inspected first. The act of brushing can dislodge loose mortar and reveal cracks that were already there. We do a camera pass before we put a brush in the flue so you know whether sweeping is safe or whether the chimney needs resurfacing before it’s used. A 1950s unlined flue venting a modern wood stove is a risk, and the camera will show you exactly why. Call (833) 467-6493 and we’ll schedule the inspection and sweep together.
The industry standard is once per year, same as a full-time home. But a Crestline rental that sits empty for months will accumulate nests, debris, and condensation damage faster than a house that’s used daily. We recommend an annual inspection during the fall shoulder season, before the first paying guests arrive. Some rental owners add a second check in spring after the burn season ends. It’s cheaper than a smoke backup complaint lodged at 9 p.m. on a Saturday night.
First-degree creosote is a fine, flaky soot that brushes away easily. Third-degree is a hard, glossy glaze that forms when creosote bakes repeatedly under high heat, and it’s extremely flammable. In Crestline, where mountain cabins burn pine and run stoves hard through a long winter, third-degree glaze builds faster than in a flatland city. It requires chemical treatment or rotary cleaning to remove properly, and it’s the stuff that causes chimney fires. The camera tells us which you have before we touch it.
Yes. We clean direct-vent and vented gas fireplaces, inspect the burner and pilot, and check the venting from the unit to the termination point. Many of Crestline’s older cabins have had gas inserts retrofitted into wood-burning fireplaces, and the original flue wasn’t always configured correctly. We inspect that junction carefully, because a gas insert vented into an oversized, deteriorating chimney creates its own set of problems. Gas fireplace cleaning in Crestline runs $129 to $219.
Usually, yes. We carry ridge ladders, roof ladders with wheels, and foam pads designed for steep metal and comp shingle roofs. On a 12/12 pitch, we set up from the ridge when possible, or use a ladder standoff when the access requires it. We don’t walk the roof unless we have to, and we don’t drag equipment across the shingles. If we can’t access the chimney safely without risking damage to the roof or our crew, we’ll tell you and we’ll walk away from the job before we hack it together.
Ready for a documented chimney sweep in Crestline? Call (833) 467-6493 for a same-day quote and a real appointment window. We’ll inspect, sweep, and show you the camera footage before anyone recommends a single repair.
Written by Noel Tarkanian, Owner at Glendale Chimney Sweep, serving Crestline and the San Bernardino Mountains.