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 Jose Homeowners
In San Jose, a chimney sweep typically costs between $189 and $259 for a standard open fireplace, and the whole visit usually takes 45 to 90 minutes. That price includes a full Level 1 inspection of the flue and firebox, which is what catches the problems that turn into chimney fires or carbon monoxide leaks. Ashby Chimney San Jose has been doing this work since 2002 under the Kingswell Guarantee, and we put every price and every promise in writing before we touch anything. For a full breakdown of what to expect, see our Chimney Sweep Maintenance Checklist for San Jose Homeowners.
Nathan Corliss runs our Chimney Sweep in San Jose, and the way we operate is simple: a live person answers the phone 24/7, we show up in the window we gave you, and the price we quoted is the price on the invoice. Call (669) 266-5073 and you’ll get a straight answer about what your chimney needs and what it costs. We don’t do high-pressure upsells. We show you what we see, on camera, before we recommend anything.
Chimney Sweep Services
Chimney Sweep Services cover the mechanical removal of creosote and soot from your flue liner, smoke chamber, damper, and firebox. We use rotary brushes, flexible rods, and commercial vacuums to pull debris out without letting dust into your living room, and every sweep includes a Level 1 inspection with photos. In San Jose, where homes in areas like Willow Glen, Almaden Valley, and Rose Garden run fireplaces November through March, we recommend a sweep every 40 to 60 fires or annually, whichever comes first. We also provide Chimney Sweep in Santa Clara for nearby homeowners with similar needs.
Wood-Burning Fireplace Sweeps
Most of our sweeps in San Jose are for wood-burning fireplaces built between the 1950s and 1980s. Those flues are usually terra cotta clay, and by now most have spalling or cracked tiles, which is something we document with photos every visit. A standard sweep starts at $189 and goes up based on creosote volume and flue height.
Wood Stove and Insert Sweeps
Wood stoves and inserts burn hotter and build creosote faster, especially when San Jose homeowners burn oak or almond from local orchards. These sweeps require removal of the baffle and secondary burn tubes, which takes longer and runs between $220 and $300 depending on the unit.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Cleaning
Chimney Cleaning is the physical process of removing the creosote, soot, and blockages that accumulate inside a flue with every fire you burn. In the San Jose climate, mild winters mean fires often burn at lower temperatures, which produces more creosote, not less. Every cleaning we do includes a camera check of the liner, because cleaning without looking is how problems get missed for years.
Creosote Removal and Glazing Treatment
Stage 2 and Stage 3 creosote, the tar-like or hard-glazed deposits, can’t be removed by standard brushing alone. We use chemical treatments from Gelco that break down glazed creosote so it can be brushed out safely. This adds roughly $75 to $150 to a standard sweep depending on the flue size and severity.
Animal and Debris Removal
Squirrels, birds, and raccoons are common in San Jose’s older neighborhoods, and we regularly find nests stacked on top of dampers. Removing a nest and sanitizing the area adds about $125 to $250, and we’ll always show you photos of what we pulled out before we consider the job done.
Fireplace Cleaning
Fireplace Cleaning addresses the firebox itself, the visible area where the fire actually burns, not just the hidden flue above it. Ash, soot, and partially burned wood collect there every season, and in San Jose homes where the fireplace doubles as a focal point for holiday gatherings, that buildup creates dust and odor plus a real fire risk from embers sitting in old ash.
Firebox Ash and Soot Removal
We scrape and vacuum the firebox floor and walls, removing years of compacted ash that can hold moisture against the masonry. This is included with a full chimney sweep, and as a standalone service it runs between $85 and $140 depending on the size of the firebox and how long it’s been since the last cleaning.
Glass Doors and Screen Restoration
The glass on a fireplace door is ceramic, not standard window glass, and it requires a specific cleaner plus non-abrasive technique to remove baked-on soot film without scratching. We clean and reseat glass doors, polish brass trim, and replace worn screen mesh as part of a full fireplace cleaning for an added $60 to $100 in most San Jose homes.
Chimney Services
Chimney Services beyond sweeping include inspections, minor masonry work, damper repair, and maintenance of the full venting system from firebox to crown. At Ashby Chimney San Jose, we treat every job as a chance to verify the entire system is safe, not just clean. We perform Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 inspections to CSIA standards and document everything with a camera.
Level 1 and Level 2 Inspections
A Level 1 inspection comes standard with every sweep and covers the readily accessible parts of the chimney. A Level 2 inspection is more thorough, done with a camera, and runs $199 to $300. We recommend a Level 2 when you buy a home, after any earthquake, or when a chimney fire has occurred, all of which are more common in San Jose than most homeowners expect.
Minor Masonry and Damper Repair
Missing mortar joints and a stuck damper are the two most common issues we find beyond creosote. We repoint with the correct mortar matching the original, and repair or replace dampers using Famco and Olympia Chimney hardware. Small masonry patches start around $150; damper replacement jobs typically run $400 to $900 installed.
Chimney Sweep Certified
Chimney Sweep Certified means the technician showing up at your home has passed training through the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and follows the NFPA 211 standard for chimney inspection and maintenance. It’s not a marketing label; it’s an active credential requiring continuing education and adherence to a code of ethics. Our San Jose team carries that certification, and so does the work: every job includes written documentation of what was cleaned, what was inspected, and what we recommend.
CSIA Certification and Standards
Our sweeps follow the same procedures every time: inspect first, clean second, report third. The CSIA standard requires camera verification of the flue after cleaning whenever conditions allow, and we’ve been doing that on every job in San Jose for years. You’ll get a written report with photos, so there’s no mystery about what our work uncovered.
Background-Checked and Uniformed
Every technician who enters your San Jose home is background-checked before their first day and arrives in uniform with company identification. We understand that letting a stranger into your home, especially after being let down by a previous contractor, takes trust. Nathan Corliss holds his team to that standard on every visit.
Gas Fireplace Cleaning
Gas Fireplace Cleaning is for vented gas logs, gas inserts, and direct-vent gas fireplaces that still need annual maintenance even though they don’t burn solid fuel. The burners, pilot assembly, and glass collect dust and soot that affect flame quality and can indicate venting problems, and our San Jose clients with gas units in newer homes throughout Silver Creek and Evergreen call us every fall to get them ready for the season.
Direct-Vent and Gas Insert Maintenance
We remove and clean the glass, vacuum the burner tray, inspect the pilot and thermocouple, and check that the venting from combustion air intake to exhaust cap is clear. In many San Jose homes, gas units in living rooms have been converted from old wood fireplaces, and those conversions need special attention to the liner and draft. Expect to pay between $150 and $220 for a full gas fireplace cleaning with inspection.
Burner and Log Set Evaluation
After cleaning, we evaluate the log set placement and burner flame pattern. Soot accumulating on logs often means the air shutter is misadjusted, and we’ll correct that and document the result. If a part like a thermocouple or pilot assembly is failing, we quote the replacement before any work begins, and we have the parts on hand for most common brands.
Chimney Maintenance
Chimney Maintenance is the year-round practice of keeping the entire chimney system, not just the flue, in safe working condition. In San Jose, our biggest recurring maintenance items are water damage, rusted dampers, and cracked crowns, because our mild, wet winters send water into masonry and our dry summers let it evaporate and leave minerals that crack mortar. Regular maintenance keeps your sweep interval simple and prevents four-figure liner replacements down the road.
Waterproofing and Crown Repair
We apply chimney-specific water repellent like Gelco’s masonry sealant to slow water absorption into bricks and mortar. Crown repair, when the concrete cap on top of the chimney has cracked, is the single best investment a chimney maintenance routine can make before winter rains arrive in San Jose, and we’ll quote either service with a written price on the spot.
Seasonal Pre-Winter and Post-Winter Checkups
Between November and February, fireplaces get worked hard in San Jose homes that rely on them for warmth and ambience. In spring, we recommend a post-season check to clear spring rains and animal intrusion from unguarded flues. A maintenance checkup without a full sweep runs $110 to $160 and includes a visual inspection plus minor damper and masonry adjustments.
Brands We Service
Ashby Chimney San Jose works with the materials and hardware brands that chimney pros trust, and we stock parts from several of them in our service vans. We service HeatShield liners regularly, including post-installation inspection and repair of failed sections, and we’re trained in their proper mixing and application methods. HeatShield is a ceramic resurfacing system that restores the interior of an existing clay flue without full removal, and we’ve used it on dozens of San Jose homes where a full liner replacement wasn’t necessary.
We also work extensively with Olympia Chimney dampers and caps, sourced from a supplier that has made chimney hardware for decades. Their top-mount dampers are a common upgrade we recommend for San Jose homeowners whose factory-built dampers have rusted out. And for chimneys with clay tile liners that need repair, we specify Gelco chemical treatments to break down creosote glaze before brushing. Whether you have any of these brands or any other make, we can help, and if your existing hardware was installed by a previous contractor, we’ll tell you honestly whether it’s still got life in it.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterSigns You Need a Pro Right Now
- A strong campfire smell inside the house, even when the fireplace is cold. This means creosote has built up enough to produce odor through the flue, and sometimes it means your damper isn’t sealing. In San Jose’s cool, damp winters, that smell can be the first sign of a chimney that hasn’t been cleaned in years.
- Black, flaky or tar-like material coating the inside of your flue. If you can reach up and scrape it with a poker, and it looks like burnt sugar or flaky charcoal, that’s creosote. Stage 3 glazed creosote is a fuel source that has ignited in thousands of American homes, and it takes more than a standard brush to remove.
- Smoke rolls back into the room when you light a fire. This points to a blockage, a damper that hasn’t fully opened, or a chimney that’s simply too cold to draft. We see it often in older San Jose neighborhoods where chimneys are on exterior walls and morning temperatures drop into the 40s.
- You hear animals, scratching, or fluttering sounds coming from the chimney. Bats and birds are protected in California, and if there’s a nest inside, you need removal and a proper cap installed so it doesn’t happen again. A nest can completely block a flue, forcing carbon monoxide back into the home.
- White staining on the bricks outside, or water dripping into the firebox. In San Jose, winter rain gets pulled into porous brick and mortar, and when it evaporates in our dry summers, it leaves salt deposits behind. That’s not just cosmetic; it’s a sign your masonry is cracking from the inside, and it gets worse every year.
Our Process, Step by Step
We have a process that’s the same in every San Jose home we visit, and it starts before we ever ring your bell.
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You call, a human answers, and we set a real arrival window. No voicemail loops, no callback forms, no “sometime between 8 and 6.” A live person answers our phones 24 hours a day. We confirm your address, the type of fireplace or stove you have, and the last time it was cleaned, and we send you a written estimate before the truck rolls.
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We arrive, cover the work area, and inspect before we clean. Every job starts with floor protection and a drop cloth around the hearth. Then we inspect the firebox, damper, smoke chamber, and flue before brushes touch anything, because cleaning a damaged chimney can make the damage worse.
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We sweep and document with a camera. Using rotary brushes sized to your flue and a commercial HEPA vacuum running the entire time, we remove creosote, soot, and any blockages. After the sweep, we run a camera up through the flue and take photos of the cleaned liner and any defects we find.
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You get a written report, with photos, plus a written guarantee on any repair we recommend. We walk you through what we found, what it means, and what can wait. Then we hand you a written report with our recommendations and the flat price for each one. If we do a repair, the 365-Day Done Right Promise applies: if it’s not done right, we make it right.
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We leave the firebox cleaner than we found it and the rest of the room untouched. The Kingswell Way is simple: say the price, show up in the window, leave it cleaner, put the guarantee in writing, come back if it fails. We’ve been doing that in San Jose since 2002, and we’re not going to change now.
How Much Does Chimney Sweep Cost in San Jose?
A standard chimney sweep in San Jose runs between $189 and $259 for a wood-burning, single-flue fireplace with typical creosote buildup. Gas fireplace cleaning runs $150 to $220. Level 2 inspections run $199 to $300. If you have glazed creosote, animal nesting, or a very tall flue, the price goes up, and we’ll tell you exactly why in writing before we start.
Here’s what affects the price in this market: flue height (a two-story home in Willow Glen costs more than a ranch in Cambrian), creosote stage, whether we need chemical treatment, and whether you have a wood stove insert versus an open fireplace. San Jose’s housing stock ranges from 1940s craftsman bungalows to 2000s tract homes, and the chimney systems are just as varied. The best way to avoid overpaying is to hire a company that gives a written price based on what they actually see at the door, not a national average on a website. Our free estimate includes the inspection, and if you want a second opinion on what another company quoted, we’ll give you one, straight up.
Our Service Area Near San Jose
We sweep chimneys all over the South Bay. Most of our San Jose work takes us into Willow Glen, Almaden Valley, Rose Garden, Silver Creek, Evergreen, and Cambrian, and we regularly serve Santa Clara and Fremont with the same written-price, written-guarantee standard. Neighboring cities including Sunnyvale, Milpitas, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Redwood City, and Newark are inside our service area, and our normal lead time is 2 to 5 business days for standard sweeps. If you’re reading this from anywhere in the South Bay, start with our home page or give us a call.
Serving San Jose, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Jose area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help, including with a Chimney Sweep in Milpitas.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chimney Sweep in San Jose
A chimney sweep is the professional cleaning of the flue, smoke chamber, damper, and firebox to remove creosote, soot, and any blockages that create fire and carbon monoxide risks. In San Jose, CSIA-certified sweeps at Ashby Chimney San Jose perform the work with rotary brushes, commercial vacuums, and camera inspection equipment, and every job includes a written report. The term also refers to the person performing the work, and in our case, that’s a background-checked, uniformed technician who has been trained to CSIA standards.
A standard chimney sweep takes between 45 and 90 minutes from setup to cleanup. Fireplace cleaning that includes glass doors and screen work may add 15 to 20 minutes. If we need to remove an animal nest or apply chemical treatment for glazed creosote, that can push the visit to two hours, but we’ll tell you upfront what to expect based on what we see at the door.
Most chimney sweeps in San Jose run between $189 and $259 for a standard open fireplace with normal creosote. Wood stove and insert sweeps run $220 to $300, gas fireplace cleaning runs $150 to $220, and a Level 2 camera inspection is $199 to $300. Call (669) 266-5073 for an exact quote, and we’ll send it to you in writing before any work begins.
Yes, we service Fireplace Xtrordinair gas fireplaces and inserts along with most other major gas fireplace brands. We stock pilot assemblies, thermocouples, and replacement glass for the most common units in San Jose homes, and we’ll give you a written quote for any part replacement before we do the work. If a previous contractor installed a gas unit and you’re not sure of the brand, we can identify it during the service call.
Our phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so if you have a chimney fire, a storm-damaged cap, or a carbon monoxide alarm going off near your fireplace, you can reach someone immediately. Emergency dispatch in San Jose is available, and a live answer at 3:00 a.m. means a real person starts coordinating help, not a voicemail. For non-emergency work, our standard lead time is 2 to 5 business days.
Every repair we perform is covered under the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if a covered repair fails within the guarantee period, we return and fix it at no charge. The guarantee is written, not verbal, and it comes with every job, not sold as an add-on. A standard sweep doesn’t carry a year-long warranty the way a liner repair does, but if we miss something we should have caught, we’ll come back and make it right.
Clear the area within about 8 feet of your fireplace, and don’t light a fire for at least 24 hours before we arrive so the firebox is cool. Move any furniture or decor that could get in the way of our vacuum hoses and drop cloths. If you have pets, putting them in another room helps keep them calm and keeps the work moving, and we’ll handle everything else.
Schedule Your Chimney Sweep Service in San Jose Today
Call (669) 266-5073 for a free, no-obligation estimate on your chimney sweep in San Jose. You’ll get a live person, a written price before we touch anything, and a written guarantee on any repair. Nathan Corliss and the Ashby Chimney San Jose team have been doing right by South Bay homeowners since 2002, and we’re ready when you are.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney San Jose, serving San Jose since 2002.