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 Ontario
A chimney sweep in Ontario, CA typically runs $169 – $289 for a standard fireplace cleaning with a Level 1 inspection, and most homes here need it once a year if the fireplace sees regular winter use, or less often if it’s only occasional. We work throughout Ontario, from the older neighborhoods off Euclid Avenue to the postwar tracts near the 60, and we’re familiar with the mid-century masonry fireplaces that dominate the housing stock. The real issue in Ontario isn’t heavy creosote buildup from constant burning. It’s decades of dust, soot, and the occasional bird or squirrel nest that settles into a flue that sits unused for most of the year. Call us at (877) 516-7159 and we’ll take a look before the first cold snap.
Why San Bernardino Chimney Sweep Is Ontario’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Most chimney companies near Ontario will sweep your flue and hand you a bill. That’s not what we do. We’re Chimney Sweep specialists who find problems and fix them on the spot, because we carry the materials and training to do repair work alongside cleaning. When we find a cracked flue tile or a seized damper, you don’t get a referral to a second company. You get an honest recommendation, a camera image you can see, and a fix we can often complete the same day.
Allen Prescott founded this company with a simple approach: use contractor-grade materials from brands pros actually specify, not whatever’s cheapest on the shelf. That means when an Ontario homeowner needs a new liner or resurfacing, we’re pulling from a lineup that includes DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Copperfield products. No hardware-store substitutes. No guessing games.
We work in Ontario every week. We know the difference between a 1950s tract fireplace near Chaffey High and an older pre-war unit downtown. That local familiarity means we arrive knowing what to look for: uncapped flues near Euclid, shared stacks in attached homes, and dampers that haven’t moved since the Nixon administration.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Sweep Certified in Ontario
Chimney Sweep Certified work in Ontario means we don’t just run a brush through the flue. We remove creosote and soot from the full system, including the smoke chamber and damper assembly, then perform a Level 1 inspection to confirm the flue is sound. For homes in 91764, 91761, and the rest of Ontario, that’s the difference between a cleaning and an actual safety check. A standard sweep with Level 1 inspection for an Ontario home typically runs $169 – $289, depending on flue height, accessibility, and how long it’s been since the last cleaning.
Soot Removal and Creosote Removal
Ontario’s semi-arid climate means fireplaces sit dry and dusty for months. When a light dusting of soot turns into glazed creosote, that’s a different job. We identify which type you’re dealing with and clean accordingly. First-degree creosote brushes out easily. Third-degree requires chemical treatment or rotary cleaning, and we’ll show you photos before and after so you see exactly what came out.
Level 1 and Level 2 Inspection
A Level 1 inspection accompanies every sweep. If you’re buying a house in Ontario, selling one, or we find suspicious flue tile damage, we recommend a Level 2 inspection with camera access. This is standard practice for real estate transactions and after any chimney fire. The camera doesn’t lie, and we show you the footage on the spot.
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in Ontario
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in Ontario involves more than wiping down glass. We clean the burner assembly, check for soot buildup on logs, verify proper venting, and test the pilot assembly. Many Ontario homes have converted original wood-burning fireplaces to gas inserts over the years, especially in the 1950s – 1970s stock, and those conversions can leave old flue liners in questionable shape behind the new insert. A gas fireplace cleaning and inspection in Ontario runs $129 – $229, with the higher end covering full log set removal and deeper burner service.
Creosote Buildup in Gas Units
Gas fireplaces produce less creosote than wood, but they’re not zero-maintenance. Soot accumulates on logs and glass, and if the venting isn’t drawing properly, carbon monoxide becomes a real concern. We always check the vent path when we clean a gas unit in Ontario.
Annual Sweep for Gas Systems
Even a gas fireplace should get an annual sweep of its venting system. It’s fast. It’s inexpensive. It catches vent blockages before they become a problem. If you’ve never had your gas log set serviced in an Ontario home you’ve owned for years, schedule it once and you’ll know what you’re working with.
Trusted Brands We Service in Ontario
We work with and install parts from Famco for caps and dampers, DuraFlex for flexible liner systems, and HeatShield for resurfacing cracked flue liners without a full tear-out. That’s important for Ontario homeowners because so many mid-century flue tiles are now 50+ years old with hairline cracks. Resurfacing with HeatShield extends liner life at a fraction of the cost and disruption of full relining. When we stock parts for these brands on our trucks headed to Ontario, we can often complete the repair the same day we diagnose it.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Ontario Homes
- Shared stacks in attached homes: Many Ontario neighborhoods built in the postwar period have attached or closely spaced homes where a neighbor’s furnace or water heater vents into the same masonry chimney mass. Sweeping only your fireplace flue and skipping the adjacent appliance flue leaves a cross-contamination and backdraft risk unaddressed. We check every flue in the stack.
- Uncapped flues near downtown and the Euclid corridor: Original 1950s fireplaces often have no chimney cap, so birds and squirrels nest in the flue during spring and summer. The first fall cleaning usually turns up a nest, and the fix is straightforward: remove it, sweep the flue, and add a cap so it doesn’t happen again next year.
- Stuck dampers from years of disuse: A fireplace in Ontario might sit unused for 10 or 20 years. When the damper seizes from corrosion and disuse, a homeowner might think the fireplace is simply out of commission. Often it’s just a rusted mechanism we can free, lubricate, and get working again.
- Hairline cracks in original flue tiles: The 1950s – 1970s housing stock across Ontario means flue liners are aging out. We find hairline cracks in clay tiles regularly. Those cracks can let heat and gases into the chimney chase, which is why we camera every questionable flue and recommend HeatShield resurfacing when the damage is repairable.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Ontario, CA
Here’s what we charge in Ontario, with no surprise add-ons at the door:
- Standard chimney sweep with Level 1 inspection: $169 – $289
- Gas fireplace cleaning with vent check: $129 – $229
- Level 2 camera inspection: $199 – $399, depending on flue complexity and access
- Chimney cap supply and installation: $149 – $349, depending on flue size and brand (Famco or Copperfield)
- HeatShield resurfacing of cracked flue liner: Confirmed only after camera inspection, but often 50 – 70% less than a full tear-out reline
Access matters. A tall roof off Euclid with steep pitch costs more than a single-story stucco in a well-spaced tract. Shared stacks in attached homes take longer because we sweep multiple flues. Call (877) 516-7159 for a free phone estimate, and we’ll give you a flat price before booking, not after we arrive.
We Also Serve Cities Near Ontario
Beyond Ontario, we regularly work in Montclair, Upland, Chino, and San Antonio Heights. The same crew, the same brands, the same flat-price honesty. If you’re just outside Ontario in one of these cities, call us at (877) 516-7159 and we’ll schedule you in the same rotation.
Serving Ontario, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Ontario 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 Ontario
Yes, if your homes share a masonry chimney stack or the flues run through the same chase. A neighbor’s furnace or water heater venting next to your fireplace flue can create backdraft or cross-contamination issues, especially in the postwar attached housing common across Ontario. That’s why we sweep every flue in the stack, not just the one connected to your fireplace. Call (877) 516-7159 and we’ll assess the full stack before your first burn.
Yes, and often it’s more important for occasional-use fireplaces than for daily burners. Ontario’s dry, dusty climate lets debris build up in a dormant flue, and 50-year-old clay tiles develop hairline cracks whether you burn or not. A Level 1 inspection catches the stuck damper, the missing cap, and the cracked liner before you light the first fire of the season. Once a year is sufficient for most Ontario homes.
The damper assembly in a 1950s masonry fireplace is bare steel in a damp flue. After decades of disuse, it rusts and seizes, and the handle or chain snaps when you force it. We free seized dampers regularly in Ontario’s mid-century homes, which is why we always test the damper during a sweep. If it’s beyond repair, we can install a top-sealing damper from Famco, which actually works better than the original.
First-degree creosote is powdery soot that brushes out with standard sweeping. Third-degree creosote is a glazed, tar-like coating that has hardened from high heat and requires chemical treatment or rotary cleaning. In Ontario, we see more first-degree and light second-degree creosote because fireplaces sit unused for months, but a slow-burning, smoldering fire of one winter can still produce heavy buildup. We’ll tell you which type you have and show you photos before and after.
If your flue is open, add a cap now, not later. Homes along the Euclid corridor and downtown Ontario with original 1950s fireplaces frequently have no cap, and those open flues collect leaves, rain, and nesting animals every spring. A cap costs $149 – $349 installed and stops the most common reason an Ontario fireplace needs a fall cleaning in the first place. Call (877) 516-7159 to schedule a sweep and cap install in one visit.
Written by Allen Prescott, Owner at San Bernardino Chimney Sweep, serving Ontario since day one.