Level 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.
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AfterFast, Reliable Fireplace Services Across Arlington Heights
Fireplace service in Arlington Heights usually runs $149-$289 for a standard gas or wood burning fireplace inspection and cleaning, and $350-$900 when a damper repair or flue liner patch is needed. Most jobs in the village are done within 7-10 days of your call, and every visit ends with a written report, photo documentation from a camera-scan, and a written price before any repair work begins. You’ll want a crew that knows the 1950s split-levels and ranches along streets like Dryden, Kaspar, and Vail, because those homes carry a specific chimney design most companies never mention. Call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll walk you through what we’re seeing before we even book the visit.
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.
Why Emberly Chimney Cleaners Is Arlington Heights’s Preferred Fireplace Services Company
Arlington Heights homeowners call us because we answer the phone and we show our work. Every Fireplace Services visit starts with an NFPA 211 Level 2 camera scan of the flue, the smoke chamber, and the crown. You see the footage. You get the photos. You get a written scope and a written price before anyone touches a tool. That’s Clause 1 of the Haven Standard, and it’s been our practice since 2009, across 38,000+ inspections and cleanings.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, with license information shown on every page and a named tech assigned to your job. You’ll get a text when they’re on the way to your street in Arlington Heights, whether that’s a cul-de-sac off Arlington Heights Road, a split-level near Camelot Park, or a ranch off Rand Road. Corrine Halstead leads our team, and she’s built the company around a single rule: a fireplace is a system, not a box. In Arlington Heights, that system is often 50-70 years old and carries two flues, and we account for both.
Calls are answered by a live person, 24/7. Not a voicemail. Not a form. That matters when a damper fails on a November night and smoke starts rolling into the living room off Euclid Avenue.
Our Fireplace Services in Arlington Heights
When we say Arlington Heights, we mean the whole village, from the pre-1960 streets ringing the downtown to the newer subdivisions that fan out toward Lake Cook Road. These four services cover most of what we do here.
Gas Fireplace Service
Gas fireplaces in Arlington Heights ranches and raised ranches tend to be 15-25 years old, and most haven’t been serviced since they were installed. We clean the burner, check gas pressure, vacuum the firebox, verify the venting, and replace thermocouples or thermopiles as needed. A typical gas fireplace service in Arlington Heights runs $169-$279. If the fireplace has never been inspected, we’ll camera-scan the flue too, because older gas units often feed into the same oversized masonry void originally built for a furnace.
Wood Burning Fireplace Service and Chimney Cleaning
Wood burning fireplaces in Arlington Heights see heavy use from October through April, and the village’s long shoulder seasons mean creosote builds faster than homeowners expect. We remove firebox debris, brush the flue, and classify creosote by the standard I, II, or III rating. A standard wood burning fireplace cleaning in Arlington Heights runs $169-$249. If we find third-degree glaze, we’ll show you the camera image and quote a removal that doesn’t promise magic; glaze removal is mechanical and it takes the time it takes.
Fireplace Insert Service
Inserts are common in Arlington Heights homes where the original masonry firebox has lost too much draft or the homeowner wants actual heat, not ambiance. We service gas, pellet, and wood inserts, including blower motors, gaskets, ignition assemblies, and vent liners. Insert service in Arlington Heights typically runs $189-$329 depending on unit type. We’ll also check the surrounding masonry, because an insert installed into a cracked firebox is a chimney fire risk that starts behind the unit, where you can’t see it.
Damper Repair
Dampers fail in Arlington Heights constantly, and most failures stem from rust at the hinge points or cracked cast-iron plates from decades of freeze-thaw swings. A damper repair in Arlington Heights runs $225-$450 for a replacement plate assembly, and $500-$800 if we’re installing a top-sealing damper that closes off the flue at the crown. The top-sealing route is worth serious consideration here, especially on those homes where the unused second flue keeps feeding moisture into the system.
BeforeAfterTrusted Brands We Service in Arlington Heights
We stock common parts for the brands Arlington Heights homes actually have: DuraFlex liners for flue repair, Gelco caps and top-sealing dampers for abandoned flues, Copperfield components, and HeatShield for resurfacing. Having local stock means a damper repair or liner patch doesn’t wait two weeks on a shipped part. We also service existing Firerock, Majestic, Heatilator, and Quadra-Fire units, and we’ll tell you plainly when a part isn’t worth replacing.
Common Fireplace Problems We See in Arlington Heights Homes
- Abandoned second flues. The 1950s-1975 building boom left almost every ranch and split-level in Arlington Heights with two flues: one for the fireplace, one for a furnace that’s been gone for 40 years. The second flue is usually unlined, uncapped, and full of debris. That void pulls moisture into the whole chimney system and pushes it into your fireplace’s smoke chamber. We cap it, line it, or seal it, depending on what the camera shows.
- Freeze-thaw crown spalling. Arlington Heights sees repeated freeze-thaw cycles every November and March, and those swings eat the original lime-based mortar on 1950s and 60s crowns. Once the crown spalls, water works down through the masonry and accelerates flue liner cracks before you ever notice a stain on the ceiling. We see this on at least a third of the chimneys we inspect in the village.
- Tree canopy debris and animal entry. The mature oaks and silver maples that line streets near the downtown drop leaves and twigs directly into uncapped flues. That debris turns first-degree creosote into third-degree glaze faster than anything else, because it restricts draft and holds moisture against the walls of the flue. The same canopy gives raccoons easy roof access, and raccoon nesting in wood-burning flues is far more common in Arlington Heights than in Palatine or Rolling Meadows.
- Shared-stack venting in attached housing. In attached Arlington Heights housing, a neighbor’s gas appliance venting into the same chimney stack can push carbon monoxide into your fireplace flue if your damper has failed. It’s a cross-contamination risk that a standard sweep never checks for. Our Level 2 camera scan catches it because we look at the full path of the stack, not just the flue you use.
Pricing for Fireplace Services in Arlington Heights, IL
| Service | Typical Arlington Heights Range |
|---|---|
| Gas fireplace service | $169-$279 |
| Wood burning fireplace cleaning | $169-$249 |
| Fireplace insert service | $189-$329 |
| Damper repair (plate replacement) | $225-$450 |
| Top-sealing damper install | $500-$800 |
| Flue liner repair (DuraFlex section) | $450-$900 |
| Chimney cap installation (Gelco) | $250-$500 |
Those are honest Arlington Heights ranges, not a teaser. What moves the price: the height and pitch of your roof, the condition of the existing flue liner, whether we’re capping an abandoned second flue as part of the job, and whether glazed creosote needs mechanical removal. Every quote is written, with a written scope and written warranty, before work starts. Bring us a competitor’s written estimate and we’ll give you a free second opinion on it. No pressure, no countdown clock.
We Also Serve Cities Near Arlington Heights
Our crews serve Arlington Heights and the surrounding suburbs, including Fireplace Services in Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Evanston, Cicero, and Chicago. If you’re in a neighboring community with a 1950s ranch or split-level, you’re seeing the same dual-flue design and the same freeze-thaw crown damage. Same camera-scan standard, same written pricing.
Serving Arlington Heights, IL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Arlington Heights 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 - Fireplace Services in Arlington Heights
Because your home was almost certainly built between 1950 and 1975, when Arlington Heights builders ran two separate flues up every chimney: one for the fireplace and one for a coal or oil furnace. When furnaces converted to gas in the 70s and 80s, that second flue was either abandoned in place or left open. It’s now an unlined void that channels moisture, debris, and animals into your chimney system. We inspect both flues on every visit, because the abandoned one is usually the one causing the problem. Call (980) 580-8641 for a camera-scan quote.
They drop leaves, twigs, and seed pods directly into any uncapped flue, and they give raccoons a highway to your roof. Leaf debris restricts draft and holds moisture against flue walls, which turns mild creosote into third-degree glaze over a single burning season. That’s why streets near the downtown core see far more animal nesting and debris blockages than the younger subdivisions to the south. A Gelco chimney cap stops both problems. Call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll tell you what your cap options are and what they cost.
Yes, and it’s one of the most serious things we check in attached Arlington Heights housing. If your neighbor’s gas appliance vents into a shared stack and your damper has failed, combustion gases can push into your fireplace flue and into your living space. A Level 2 camera scan shows the condition of your damper and the path of the shared stack. If we find a failed damper, we’ll quote you a repair or a top-sealing damper replacement in writing before any work starts.
Water gets into the smoke chamber through spalled crowns and failed mortar joints, then freezes and expands every November and March. That repeated expansion cracks the clay-tile flue liners above the chamber and loosens the parged walls inside it. Once the smoke chamber starts shedding debris, it restricts draft and becomes a creosote collection point that a brush can’t reach. We camera-scan the chamber on every visit and quote liner repair or HeatShield resurfacing when the images show it’s time.
Every year, and the National Fire Protection Association agrees: NFPA 211 calls for an annual inspection and cleaning for wood burning fireplaces in regular use. Arlington Heights heating season runs October through April, and those seven months put more creosote on your flue walls than the same fireplace would accumulate in two seasons in a milder climate to the south. If you burn more than two cords a year, we’d suggest a mid-season check as well. Call (980) 580-8641 for a free estimate on your annual cleaning, and we’ll set the visit for a time that fits your schedule.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Emberly Chimney Cleaners, serving Arlington Heights under the Haven Standard since 2009.
