Masonry repair
Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
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 Fireplace Repair Across Sunnyvale
Fireplace repair in Sunnyvale typically costs between $180 and $1,400 depending on what needs fixing. A simple damper adjustment or pilot light repair runs on the lower end, while a full flue relining or firebox rebuild lands higher. We’re Ashby Chimney San Jose, and our crews work in Sunnyvale weekly, mostly in the ranch homes built between 1950 and 1970 that make up so much of this city. If your fireplace has been acting up, call (669) 266-5073 and we’ll give you a written price before any work starts.
Why Ashby Chimney San Jose Is Sunnyvale’s Preferred Fireplace Repair Company
Since 2002, our Fireplace Repair team has worked inside hundreds of Sunnyvale homes, and the pattern is consistent: post-war masonry chimneys with clay flue liners that are now 55 to 70 years old. Nathan Corliss runs our operation, and he built the company on a simple idea: show the homeowner the damage on camera before recommending anything. You don’t have to take our word for it. You see the cracked tile, the spalled crown, the rusted damper with your own eyes.
Every technician who shows up at a Sunnyvale doorstep is background-checked and uniformed. Calls are answered by a live person around the clock, no voicemail loops. And the Kingswell Guarantee covers every repair in writing: if a covered repair fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it applies to every single job in Sunnyvale.
Styles & brands we work with
Gas Fireplace Installation in Sunnyvale
Gas fireplace installation in Sunnyvale is one of the most common upgrades we handle, especially in the 1960s ranch homes scattered through neighborhoods like Ponderosa Park and Ortega Park. Most homeowners want a gas insert or log set installed in a masonry firebox that originally burned wood. A typical gas fireplace installation in Sunnyvale runs $800 to $2,800 depending on whether the existing flue can be used, whether new venting must be run, and what type of unit you’re installing.
Converting a Wood-Burning Firebox to Gas
Many Sunnyvale homes with original masonry fireplaces have unlined clay flue tiles never designed for gas appliance exhaust. Converting often means lining the flue with a proper stainless liner, usually DuraFlex, so combustion gases vent correctly. We do this work regularly and the written quote covers everything: the liner, the gas line, the unit, and the finish work around the firebox.
What the Installation Includes
Every gas fireplace installation in Sunnyvale ends with a written guarantee, and you’ll see a camera inspection of the finished flue before we call the job done. No surprises, no verbal promises. Nathan Corliss insists on documentation for everything, and that’s how we’ve operated since 2002.
Gas Fireplace Maintenance in Sunnyvale
Gas fireplace maintenance in Sunnyvale should happen at least once every two years, and more often if you use the unit as a primary heat source on damp winter evenings. A standard gas fireplace maintenance visit in Sunnyvale runs $150 to $350 and includes cleaning the glass, inspecting the logs and burner, checking for carbon monoxide leaks, and verifying proper venting.
Carbon Monoxide and Venting Checks
This is not optional. Gas fireplaces produce carbon monoxide, and a blocked or corroded flue vents it back into your living room. In older Sunnyvale homes where gas units were retrofitted into chimneys built for wood, we often find venting issues that a visual-only inspection misses. Our maintenance includes a combustion test and a camera look at the flue path.
Keeping Older Units Running Safely
A 15-year-old gas fireplace in a 1964 ranch off El Camino Real can keep working fine with proper care, but manufacturers’ parts eventually wear out. Thermocouples, pilot assemblies, and gas valves fail in predictable ways. We keep common parts on the truck, and most maintenance visits wrap up in one appointment.
Trusted Brands We Service in Sunnyvale
We repair and service gas fireplaces, inserts, and chimney systems from most major brands, and we install materials from names the trade has respected for years: DuraFlex liners, HeatShield resurfacing, Gelco rain caps, and Olympia Chimney components. Because our crews work in Sunnyvale weekly, we’re able to source the right part quickly rather than making a homeowner wait two weeks for something shipped across the country.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Fireplace Repair Problems We See in Sunnyvale Homes
- Cracked clay flue liners from seismic settling. Minor earthquakes over six decades cause hairline cracks in clay tiles. Heat and gases escape through those cracks into the masonry and, in some cases, toward combustibles behind the wall.
- Missing chimney caps. Many Sunnyvale chimneys built before 1965 never had a rain cap. Water pools on the smoke shelf, rusts the damper, and leaves the firebox smelling musty after every rain.
- Spalled crowns and water intrusion. The crown is the concrete cap at the top of the chimney. After 60 years of wet winters and seismic movement, crowns crack and let water run down into the flue and firebox. Homeowners often only notice the efflorescence streaking the brick.
- Blocked smoke chambers. Mortar joints break down from decades of seasonal fires, and spalled brick pieces fall into the smoke chamber, blocking the draft. Cold morning backdrafting in Sunnyvale’s older ranch homes usually traces back to this.
Pricing for Fireplace Repair in Sunnyvale, CA
Most fireplace repairs in Sunnyvale run between $180 and $1,400. A damper replacement runs $180 to $450, a pilot light repair $120 to $300, a chimney cap install $350 to $700 installed, a HeatShield ceramic resurfacing of a clay flue $3,500 to $5,500, and a full stainless steel liner with DuraFlex runs $4,000 to $7,000. Firebox masonry repair varies most because the damage can be surface-level or structural. Every quote is written and flat-priced before work starts. If a covered repair fails inside the guarantee period, we return at no charge, that’s the Kingswell Guarantee.
For an exact quote, call (669) 266-5073. Estimates are free, and you’ll know the number before you make any decision.
We Also Serve Cities Near Sunnyvale
Our crews serve the entire west valley, so if you’re in Mountain View, Santa Clara, Cupertino, or Los Altos, we’ll cover your fireplace repair the same way we cover Fireplace Repair in Sunnyvale. Same written pricing, same guarantee, same answer-the-phone policy.
Serving Sunnyvale, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Sunnyvale 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 Fireplace Repair in Sunnyvale
Because water is getting in, and in most pre-1965 Sunnyvale chimneys the entry point is a missing rain cap or a cracked crown. Rain pools on the smoke shelf, soaks into the old mortar, and the damp mixes with creosote and old ash to produce that musty smell. The fix is usually a new Gelco rain cap plus a crown repair. Call (669) 266-5073 and we’ll camera-inspect the flue to confirm before quoting anything.
Not always. Surface cracks in refractory panels are often repairable without a full firebox rebuild, but cracks in the structural brick behind the panel are a different story. A camera inspection with a written photo report tells you which situation you have. Nothing gets recommended without evidence you can see.
Yes, in most cases, if the existing flue is in sound condition or can be lined. Since many Sunnyvale homes were built with unlined clay tile flues never designed for gas appliances, a stainless DuraFlex liner is often part of the conversion. The gas fireplace installation process in Sunnyvale typically runs $800 to $2,800 depending on the venting needed.
Cold morning backdrafting in Sunnyvale’s ranch homes is almost always caused by a blocked or narrowed smoke chamber, spalled brick falling into the flue, or a cold column of air sitting in a chimney without a cap. The fix starts with a Level 2 inspection to see what’s actually blocking the draft. Our crews see this exact problem in the older tract homes off Wolfe Road and Mary Avenue.
Look for efflorescence, which is a white chalky mineral streaking on the brick face, or crumbling mortar near the top of the chimney. Water can travel down the flue and into the firebox without ever touching drywall, so the ceiling stays dry while the damper rusts and the firebox smells damp. In Sunnyvale’s 1950s and 60s homes, this is one of the most common hidden problems we find during routine sweeps. A camera inspection gives you the answer in about 20 minutes.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney San Jose, serving Sunnyvale and the surrounding west valley since 2002.