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 San Bernardino
We sweep and inspect chimneys in San Bernardino with equipment sized for the two very different flues this city throws at us: heavy-creosote wood burners on the north side and aging unlined brick stacks around downtown. That’s why our San Bernardino techs carry both a rotary brush and a Level 2 inspection camera on every job. Call (877) 516-7159 for a free estimate and we’ll send someone who knows exactly what kind of chimney you’re dealing with.
Why San Bernardino Chimney Sweep Is San Bernardino’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
San Bernardino homeowners hire us because we tell the truth with camera footage before we ever recommend a liner or a repair. Most sweeps who work this city’s older core near the Santa Fe Depot and the Carousel district will glance up a flue with a flashlight and quote a full stainless liner. We don’t work that way. If the clay tile is sound, we say so. If the crown and cap need attention, we show you on screen. Allen Prescott set up the company around a simple rule: nothing gets quoted unless the homeowner can see the reason with their own eyes. That matters in San Bernardino, where the housing stock ranges from 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival bungalows to mid-century tract homes.
We also keep parts and materials on the truck for the common failures we see in San Bernardino every week: rusted dampers, cracked firebox brick, and creosote glaze in flues that burn real mountain firewood all winter. The result is that many sweeps turn into same-day fixes because we found it and we fixed it.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Sweep Certified in San Bernardino
Chimney Sweep Certified work in San Bernardino means more than running a brush. It means pulling the camera, checking the flue liner, inspecting the firebox, and assessing the cap and crown before we call the chimney clean. For a typical San Bernardino home with a fireplace that burns real wood through the fall and winter, we send a technician who can spot third-degree creosote and tell the homeowner what the flue actually needs. A basic sweep in San Bernardino runs $150 – $260 depending on flue size and creosote load. Adding a Level 1 inspection is typically $90 – $150. A Level 2 camera inspection, which we recommend for any home that has not been swept in two or more years, runs $200 – $350.
Creosote Removal and Annual Sweep
Creosote is a byproduct of wood smoke, and it builds up as a sticky glaze or a flaky scale inside the flue. In north San Bernardino and along the Waterman Avenue corridor, we see flues where the creosote has hardened into a dark, crusted layer that a flatland sweep’s brush barely scratches. We use mechanical rotary tools and hand scraping to remove it. Most wood-burning San Bernardino chimneys should be swept once per burn season, or after about one cord of wood.
Level 1 and Level 2 Inspection
A Level 1 inspection is the visual check we do when nothing has changed with the chimney and the homeowner burns regularly. A Level 2 inspection involves sending a camera up the flue. In San Bernardino, we recommend a Level 2 inspection before buying any home with an original masonry fireplace, after any earthquake or Santa Ana wind event that may have shifted the stack, and whenever a chimney has been uncapped and exposed to birds and debris. The camera tells us what the brush cannot.
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in San Bernardino
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in San Bernardino homes is not the same as sweeping a wood-burning flue, and some chimney companies treat it as an afterthought. A gas fireplace still produces soot and mineral deposits on the glass, logs, and burner, and the venting still needs to be checked for blockages and proper draft. For San Bernardino homes with gas log sets and factory-built fireplaces, a cleaning typically runs $120 – $190. If the homeowner also wants the venting inspected with a camera, we quote a Level 2 inspection at $200 – $350.
Soot and Glass Cleaning
Gas fireplace soot is finer than wood creosote, but it accumulates on the ceramic logs, the pilot assembly, and the inside of the glass. We remove the logs carefully, vacuum and wipe the soot from the burner and valve area, and clean the glass with a cleaner that does not etch or cloud the ceramic. The gas pressure and burner pattern are checked as part of the same visit.
Vent Inspection for Factory-Built Units
Factory-built gas fireplaces in San Bernardino’s mid-century tract homes vent through a coaxial pipe that can become clogged with dust, insect nests, or corrosion. We inspect the vent run as far as accessible and check the termination cap outside. If the unit has not been cleaned for years, the camera footage often shows exactly where the problem is, and the fix is usually a cleaning, not a rebuild.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Bernardino
We work with a curated set of chimney supply manufacturers because contractor-grade materials last longer than whatever the hardware store carries. For San Bernardino homes we service Fireplace Xtrordinair and Heatilator gas units, and for repairs and relining we install DuraFlex flexible liners and HeatShield resurfacing systems. We keep common Famco caps and Copperfield dampers on hand for the original masonry stacks around downtown and the Carousel district. When a San Bernardino homeowner needs a part, we usually have it on the first trip. Our Chimney Sweep team also services dryer vents, which is not an afterthought here. Your dryer vent is a fire risk too, and we clean it as a core service on the same visit.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in San Bernardino Homes
- Third-degree creosote in foothill flues. Homeowners along the Waterman Avenue corridor and the north side burn real mountain-sourced firewood all winter. That produces a hard, shiny glaze of third-degree creosote that a light brush pass will not remove. We use mechanical rotary tools and hand scraping to get back to masonry.
- Unlined brick fireplaces around the Santa Fe Depot and Carousel district. Many of these 1920s – 1950s bungalows and Spanish Colonial Revival homes still run original unlined brick flues. We routinely find oversized flues, cracked firebox brick, and rusted dampers in this part of San Bernardino.
- Missing chimney caps and cracked crowns. San Bernardino’s long dry season and occasional Santa Ana winds stress masonry crowns. Uncapped stacks take in birds, debris, and rain, which accelerates spalling brick and mortar decay. A sweep that skips the cap and crown check misses half the problem.
- Rusted dampers in mid-century tract homes. The east and west side tract homes built in the 1950s and 1960s often have original steel dampers that rust shut or warp. The damper is the first thing we check during a sweep because a damper that won’t close lets conditioned air escape all year.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in San Bernardino, CA
A straightforward chimney sweep in San Bernardino costs $150 – $260. A Level 1 inspection adds $90 – $150 when bundled. A Level 2 camera inspection runs $200 – $350 and is the only way we recommend a liner or repair inside an older masonry flue. Gas fireplace cleaning runs $120 – $190. The biggest variable in San Bernardino is creosote level: a north-side wood burner with heavy glaze will cost more than a downtown gas log set. We give a firm price before the brush goes in, and the estimate is free. Call (877) 516-7159 for a quote specific to your chimney.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Bernardino
Our work regularly takes us to Muscoy, Highland, Loma Linda, and Rialto, where we see the same mix of original masonry fireplaces and wood-burning mountain-adjacent homes. If you’re outside San Bernardino proper, we can usually reach you within the same week. We bring the full camera-and-brush setup to every job, no matter the city. See our San Bernardino page for service details across the immediate area.
Serving San Bernardino, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino
Because a flashlight glance cannot tell you whether the clay tile inside your 1930s downtown masonry fireplace is sound or cracked. A camera run shows the exact condition of the flue, the firebox, and the smoke chamber. In San Bernardino, we see too many homeowners told they need a full stainless liner after a tech looked up the stack for ten seconds. Our rule is simple: no liner or repair quote without footage you can see on screen. Call (877) 516-7159 to schedule a Level 2 inspection.
sweep it after every cord of wood, or at least before each burn season. North San Bernardino and Waterman Avenue corridor homes burn mountain-sourced firewood that puts down creosote faster than a flatland gas fireplace ever will. If you burn more than two cords per winter, we recommend a mid-season check. We quote a firm sweep price before starting, and the first estimate is free.
First-degree creosote is a flaky, sooty residue that brushes off easily. Second-degree is thicker and crusted, needing more work. Third-degree is a hard, shiny glaze that is a serious fire risk and cannot be brushed off with a standard wire brush. We see third-degree creosote far more often in San Bernardino’s foothill and Waterman corridor homes than in flatland Inland Empire tracts, simply because real wood burns hotter and longer here. We use mechanical rotary tools to remove it. If your chimney has not been swept in over two years, call (877) 516-7159 and we will put a camera up first.
Because many of those 1920s – 1950s San Bernardino chimneys were built without caps, and the mortar crowns have been drying and cracking through decades of Inland Empire heat and Santa Ana wind. An uncapped stack collects birds, leaves, and rain during the long dry season. The crown cracks allow water into the brick, which spalls and crumbles. We often replace the cap and repoint or rebuild the crown in the same visit as a sweep, using Famco caps and Copperfield dampers kept on the truck. Call (877) 516-7159 for a free estimate on cap and crown work.
No. A gas fireplace needs a different procedure: we remove the logs, clean the burner and pilot assembly, wipe the soot from the glass with a non-etching cleaner, and inspect the vent run for blockages. The flue of a factory-built gas unit is a coaxial pipe, not a masonry flue, so we do not run a rotary brush through it the way we would for a wood burner. Gas fireplace cleaning in San Bernardino runs $120 – $190, and we bundle a vent inspection when needed. Call (877) 516-7159 to book gas fireplace cleaning or a level 2 camera inspection.
Written by Allen Prescott, Owner at San Bernardino Chimney Sweep, serving San Bernardino homes with camera-verified chimney care.