Chimney Sweep in Santa Monica, CA

Frequently Asked Questions

I only light a fire a few nights a year — do I really need a sweep?

Sweeping for creosote, probably not often. But the inspection half of the visit matters a lot here. In Santa Monica the damage doesn't come from burning, it comes from sitting: marine layer, fog and salt air work on the cap, spark arrestor, chase cover and flashing year-round whether you light a fire or not. Most of what we find on low-use fireplaces in this city is rust and corroded metal, not soot. A flue that's barely used can still be unsafe if the cap has rusted through and water has been running down the chimney for a couple of winters.

What fails most often on Santa Monica chimneys?

Metal components, by a wide margin. Salt air plus near-constant moisture from the marine layer eats galvanized caps and spark arrestors, perforates chase covers on the framed chimneys common in the 1950s–1970s multifamily buildings, and lifts or corrodes flashing where the chimney meets the roof. We also see galvanic corrosion where dissimilar metals were put together during a remodel — a stainless cap screwed to a galvanized chase cover, for example, will corrode at the contact points faster than either would alone. On the older Craftsman and Spanish-style houses, the masonry itself often holds up better than whatever metal was added to it later.

How soon can you get out here?

Scheduling in Santa Monica is usually easier than in colder parts of our service area, because demand here isn't driven by a cold snap. The busy stretch is autumn, when people start thinking about the handful of nights they'll actually use the fireplace, and after a heavy rain when someone finds a water stain on the ceiling near the chimney. Outside those windows we can generally book within a few days. If you're in a multifamily building and need roof access coordinated with an HOA or manager, tell us when you call so we can schedule around that rather than show up and wait.

We put in a gas insert during our remodel. Does that still need servicing?

Yes, and it's a different job from a wood sweep. Gas inserts and sealed units are now the norm in newer Santa Monica installs given the city's air quality rules, and they still vent — so the termination, the liner and the exterior cap are all exposed to the same salt air that corrodes everything else on the roof. We check the venting, the termination cap, the seals, clearances and the firebox interior. A sealed unit can look fine from the living room while its vent cap is rusting out above the roofline.