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.
Trusted Chimney Sweep for San Bernardino Homeowners
A San Bernardino Chimney Sweep typically costs between $189 and $349 for a standard inspection and cleaning, depending on the condition of the flue and how long it’s been since the last service. Most sweeps take 45 to 90 minutes, and you’ll get a written report on what we found and what, if anything, needs attention. If you’re burning wood regularly in San Bernardino, you should have this done at least once per year, ideally before the weather turns cold enough to light the first fire.
At San Bernardino Chimney Sweep, we handle cleaning, repair, and dryer vent work under one roof, which means if our camera inspection finds a cracked flue tile or a deteriorating liner panel, you won’t have to call a second company. We find it and we fix it. Allen Prescott, our owner, built the company around that principle because he kept meeting homeowners who’d paid for a cleaning, been handed a repair list, and then had to start the whole search over again. Call (877) 516-7159 to schedule your sweep, and we’ll walk you through exactly what to expect before we ever set foot inside your home.
Chimney Sweep Services
Chimney Sweep Services at San Bernardino Chimney Sweep are the clean-out and inspection work that keeps your fireplace safe to use. We remove creosote buildup, clear obstructions like bird nests or fallen debris, and run a video inspection up the flue to check for cracks, gaps, or water damage. Most standard sweeps in the San Bernardino area run $189 to $349, with the final number depending on flue condition, roof access, and how long it’s been since the last cleaning.
Creosote Removal That Actually Gets the Flue Clean
Creosote is the tar-like residue wood smoke leaves behind, and it’s the fuel source behind most chimney fires. We use mechanical brushes sized to your flue, followed by a HEPA-filtered vacuum to keep soot out of your living space. If the buildup is glazed and hardened, we’ll tell you before we start what that means for the scope of the job.
Camera Inspection With Every Sweep
Every sweep we do includes a video inspection, because you can’t see a cracked flue tile from the hearth. If we spot damage, our repair crew is the same team, not a referral. We’ll show you the footage and explain your options in plain language.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Cleaning
Chimney cleaning is the physical removal of creosote, soot, and debris from the interior walls of your flue, and it’s the single most effective thing you can do to prevent a chimney fire. We recommend it annually for anyone who burns more than a cord of wood per season, and definitely before the first fire of fall. For a standard single-flue chimney in San Bernardino, you’re looking at $189 to $249 in most cases, and the process takes under two hours from setup to final report.
When Your Chimney Is Overdue
If you can’t remember the last time the flue was cleaned, or you’ve bought a house with an existing fireplace and no service records, treat the chimney as overdue. A thick creosote layer doesn’t just burn; it also restricts draft and pushes smoke back into the room. We’ll assess the buildup during the estimate and tell you if a standard cleaning will handle it.
What We Protect From the Mess
We lay drop cloths from the front door to the hearth and run a negative-air vacuum during the whole process. You won’t find soot on your furniture when we leave. That’s part of doing the job right, not an extra charge.
Fireplace Cleaning
Fireplace cleaning is the hearth-side half of the same job: cleaning the firebox, removing ash and burned-on residue, and checking the damper, grate, and firebrick for wear. It’s part of every standard sweep, and it’s what keeps the room that holds the fire looking and smelling like it should. Expect to pay $189 to $289 for a full fireplace and flue cleaning here in San Bernardino, though the fireplace-only portion is on the lower end if you’ve recently had the flue itself serviced.
Firebox and Damper Care
The damper is the metal door that opens to let smoke up the flue and closes to keep warm air in the house. We clean the damper track, check the seal, and let you know if it’s warped or rusted to the point where it won’t operate smoothly. A sticking damper is a warning sign people miss until a cold night when the fire won’t draw.
Firebrick and Grate Check
We inspect the firebrick lining the firebox for cracks and spalling, which happens when bricks absorb moisture and start to flake. A bad grate will warp under repeated heat and should be replaced before it drops a burning log. We’ll show you what we see, not just tell you it’s fine.
Chimney Services
Chimney services at our company means the full range of work a chimney and ventilation system needs, from annual cleaning to structural repair and relining. Some homeowners only ever need a sweep. Others need a liner replaced, a crown sealed, or a dryer vent cleaned because that’s another fire hazard sitting in the wall. In San Bernardino, a standard cleaning visit runs $189 to $349, while repair work gets priced after we see the camera footage and know exactly what the project involves.
Repair That Doesn’t Require a Second Company
If our inspection finds a damaged flue liner, we can resurface it with HeatShield, a product-backed repair method that restores the liner without tearing out the chimney. That’s a faster, less disruptive alternative to full replacement, and it’s one of the reasons we stock contractor-grade materials instead of grabbing the cheapest option from the supply shelf.
Dryer Vent Work Under the Same Roof
Your dryer vent is a fire risk too, and lint buildup there is a leading cause of residential fires. We clean dryer vents as a core service, not an add-on, because the physics are the same: obstructed airflow, heat buildup, and fuel accumulation. If you haven’t had your dryer vent cleaned in two or more years, mention it when you call.
Chimney Sweep Certified
Chimney Sweep Certified means our team works to industry inspection and cleaning standards, not a generic handyman checklist. We use the same cleaning protocols and inspection points that certified sweep organizations teach, and every job gets a written report with camera findings. You should expect to pay $189 to $349 for a certified standard sweep in San Bernardino, and you should expect the person doing the work to explain what they saw, in terms you can act on.
What the Certification Standards Cover
The standard inspection covers the flue interior, firebox, damper, smoke chamber, cap, crown, and exterior masonry. That’s the full run from firebox to chimney top, not just the section you can see from the hearth. When problems are found, they get documented with photos and video.
Why It Matters When You’re Buying a Home
If you’re purchasing a house in San Bernardino with a fireplace, a certified sweep inspection should be part of your due diligence, especially if the seller can’t produce service records. We’ll give you a straight answer on whether the chimney is usable, what it would cost to make it safe, and whether the fireplace is currently burn-ready.
Gas Fireplace Cleaning
Gas fireplace cleaning is a different job than wood-burning maintenance, but it matters as much. Gas units produce soot on the logs and glass, and they develop clogs in the burner ports that affect combustion and air quality. We clean the burner, the glass, the log set, and the pilot assembly, and we check venting for blockages. In San Bernardino, gas fireplace service runs $149 to $249 for a standard cleaning and inspection.
Glass and Burner Service
Gas fireplace glass builds a white film that won’t come off with standard glass cleaner. We use ceramics-approved cleaners and inspect the gasket around the glass panel, because a leaking gasket lets combustion gases into the room. Burner ports get cleared with compressed air and checked for even flame distribution.
Log Set and Venting Check
Ceramic or refractory log sets crack over repeated heating cycles, and a cracked log can impede the flame and create soot. We’ll check the set for damage and inspect the venting run, whether it’s a direct vent through the wall or a B-vent up through the roof. Gas units don’t produce creosote, but they absolutely still need an annual look.
Chimney Maintenance
Chimney maintenance is the routine care that extends the life of the system between major repairs, and it starts with an annual sweep and inspection. Catching a small crack in the crown before winter rains force water into the masonry keeps a $400 repair from becoming a $4,000 rebuild. Budget $189 to $349 for the annual maintenance visit here in San Bernardino, and treat it as the baseline cost of owning a working fireplace.
What We Check Every Visit
Every maintenance visit includes the chimney cap, the crown, the mortar joints at the top of the flue, the damper, the firebrick, and the interior flue via camera. We’ll tell you what can wait, what can’t, and what will cost more if you put it off another season. You get a written summary the same day.
Catch It Before Burning Season
The worst time to discover a chimney problem is the first cold weekend in November, when every sweep in the Inland Empire is booked solid. Scheduling maintenance in late summer or early fall means you get the time slot you want and the fix done before the rain starts. The repair crew is ours, so the follow-up work doesn’t get bounced to a sub.
Brands We Service
We work with a curated lineup of professional-grade chimney brands, including HeatShield for liner resurfacing, DuraFlex for flexible liner systems, and Famco for chimney caps and termination products. These are the products we use on repair jobs because they’ve held up, tested well, and their engineering matches what the manufacturers recommend for residential flue systems. We’ve installed and serviced enough of them to know their tolerances and failure points.
If your existing system has components from Copperfield, Famco, or another manufacturer, we can typically source matching parts or recommend a compatible upgrade. Contractor-grade materials, not hardware-store substitutes, is the whole point. Whether you have one of these brands already or you need us to spec the right one for a repair, we can help with the selection and the installation.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterSigns You Need a Pro Right Now
- Smoke backing into the room when the fire is lit. This means your draft has failed, which usually points to a blockage, a damaged damper, or creosote buildup choking the flue. Light one fire, and if the room fills with smoke, stop burning until we’ve had a look.
- A sharp, tar-like smell from the fireplace even when it’s cold. That odor is creosote off-gassing, and it intensifies when humidity rises. It’s telling you the flue has significant buildup, and continuing to burn will feed it.
- Soot falling into the firebox or flaking onto your hearth. Flaking soot means the creosote layer is thick enough that pieces are breaking loose. Those pieces are combustible, and they can ignite mid-flue.
- You hear animals in the chimney. Birds, squirrels, and raccoons nest in chimneys when there’s no cap or the existing cap is damaged. A nest blocks airflow and brings in flammable material, and animal droppings create a respiratory hazard.
- Your dryer takes forever to dry clothes, or the laundry room gets hot and humid. That’s a dryer vent problem, not a dryer problem. Restricted exhaust flow traps heat and lint, and that’s the formula for a dryer fire. We clean dryer vents as part of our core service, because your dryer vent is a fire risk too.
Our Process, Step by Step
- 1
Arrival and setup. We protect the work area with drop cloths and a negative-air vacuum system before any brushing starts. You’ll know where we’re working and what we’re bringing in. No surprises.
- 2
Pre-sweep inspection. We check the firebox, damper, and visible upper chimney before we run the brush. If we spot an obstruction or structural concern, we adjust the plan and tell you before proceeding.
- 3
Mechanical sweep. The flue gets brushed with a brush sized to your chimney’s exact dimensions, pushing creosote and soot down into the vacuum containment. The firebox gets cleaned in the same pass.
- 4
Video inspection and report. A camera goes up the full length of the flue. You’ll see what we see, and we’ll walk you through it. You get a written report with the findings and any recommendations.
- 5
Cleanup and walkthrough. We leave the hearth area cleaner than we found it. If a repair is recommended, we quote it on the spot, and you decide when or whether to schedule it. Nothing gets sold to you without footage to back it up.
How Much Does Chimney Sweep Cost in San Bernardino?
A typical chimney sweep in San Bernardino runs $189 to $349 for a standard single-flue cleaning and inspection. A gas fireplace cleaning lands between $149 and $249. If your chimney hasn’t been cleaned in several years and the creosote is heavy or glazed, the work gets more involved and the price moves toward the top of that range. If a repair is needed, like a crown seal or a flue liner patch, we quote that separately after the camera inspection, and you’ll see exactly why the work is recommended.
What moves the price: roof pitch and access difficulty, flue length and size, the type of lining (clay tile, stainless, or cast-in-place), and the severity of creosote buildup. A two-story house with a steep roof takes longer than a single-story with easy access, so the labor reflects that. To avoid overpaying, don’t contract with anyone who quotes a price without seeing the chimney. Our estimates are free, on-site, and include a camera inspection, so the number you get is the number you’ll pay. Call (877) 516-7159 for that exact quote.
Our Service Area Near San Bernardino
We serve homeowners throughout the greater San Bernardino area, including Chimney Sweep in Rubidoux, Chimney Sweep in Colton, Loma Linda, Rialto, Highland, Grand Terrace, Bloomington, Highgrove, Redlands, Muscoy, and Fontana. If you’re within a 25-minute drive of San Bernardino, we can almost certainly get to you. Scheduling is easy through our home page or by calling the number below.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chimney Sweep in San Bernardino
A chimney sweep is the professional cleaning of your fireplace and flue system, removing creosote, soot, and debris that build up from burning wood or gas. A proper sweep in San Bernardino includes the firebox, damper, smoke chamber, flue, and cap area, followed by a camera inspection of the whole run. The goal is to remove fire fuel and catch structural problems before they become dangerous or expensive. We recommend it once a year for wood-burning fireplaces, ideally before you start burning in the fall.
Most standard chimney sweeps take 45 to 90 minutes from setup to final report. If your chimney has heavy creosote buildup or requires roof access with a steep pitch, expect closer to two hours. A camera inspection is included every time, and we’ll walk you through the findings before we leave. Call (877) 516-7159 and we’ll give you a time estimate for your specific system.
A standard chimney sweep in San Bernardino costs $189 to $349 for a single-flue system, with gas fireplace cleaning running $149 to $249. Heavy buildup, steep roofs, and two-story homes push the price to the higher end. Every estimate includes a camera inspection so you’ll know the exact scope before you commit. Call (877) 516-7159 for a free estimate.
Yes, we work with DuraFlex stainless steel flexible liner systems for both repairs and full relining projects. DuraFlex is one of the professional-grade brands we use because it’s designed for high-temperature residential flue applications and holds up under repeated heating cycles. If your existing liner is a different brand, we can inspect it and tell you whether a repair or a replacement makes more sense.
We prioritize homeowners with active chimney hazards, like smoke backing into the house, visible chimney damage after a storm, or a suspected animal blockage. Call (877) 516-7159 and describe what’s happening, and we’ll get you on the schedule as fast as possible. For a chimney fire, evacuate and call 911 first; we’ll assess the damage once the fire department clears the property.
Product-backed repair work, such as HeatShield resurfacing, carries the manufacturer’s warranty on the product itself, and we’ll provide the documentation for it. Our labor is built to last another season, and if something we installed fails under normal use, we’ll come back and make it right. We don’t hide behind fine print, and we’ll explain the warranty in writing before any repair starts.
Clear the area around the fireplace and hearth so the team can set up drop cloths and equipment without moving furniture. If you have pets, keep them in another room during the visit. Don’t use the fireplace for at least 24 hours before we arrive, so everything is cool and safe to work on. We’ll handle the rest, including protecting your floors and running negative-air containment throughout the sweep.
Schedule Your Chimney Sweep Service in San Bernardino Today
If your fireplace hasn’t been swept this year, or you’re not sure, now’s the time to get it on the calendar before the burning season rush. Call (877) 516-7159 for a free, no-obligation estimate from Allen Prescott and the team at San Bernardino Chimney Sweep. We’ll inspect, clean, and if we find a problem, we’ll fix it. Built to last another season.
Written by Allen Prescott, Owner at San Bernardino Chimney Sweep, serving San Bernardino and the surrounding communities.