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.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Fireplace Services Across Akron
If you own a home in Akron, there’s a good chance your fireplace was built before your grandparents were born. That’s not a problem in itself. It becomes a problem when the flue that was sized for coal in 1920 now vents a gas insert that produces a fraction of the heat, or when Akron’s freeze-thaw cycle has quietly cracked the terra-cotta liner at the roofline. Our Fireplace Services team inspects, repairs, and services fireplaces throughout Akron every week, and we carry the camera equipment to show you exactly what’s happening inside your flue before anyone touches a tool. Call (980) 580-8641 to book a 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 Akron’s Preferred Fireplace Services Company
Akron homeowners ask the same question after every inspection: “Can you show me?” The answer has been yes since 2009, when we made camera-scan documentation the default on every job under Clause 4 of the Haven Standard. That means every fireplace visit in Akron ends with a photo record you keep: the liner condition, the damper position, the creosote class if it’s present, the firebox brick. You see what we saw. You decide based on evidence, not a sales pitch.
Corrine Halstead leads our team with a rule that sounds obvious but is rare in this industry: nothing gets recommended without camera evidence the homeowner can see. We’ve completed more than 38,000 chimney inspections and cleanings since 2009, every one with a written price delivered before work starts. Akron customers get a written scope and a written warranty as standard, never as an upsell. And if you bring us a competitor’s written quote, we’ll give you a free second opinion on it.
Our Fireplace Services Services in Akron
Gas Fireplace Service
Most Akron gas fireplaces are mid-century conversions venting into flues that were built for coal. That oversized flue never gets hot enough to move combustion byproducts efficiently, which is why we regularly find backdrafting issues in Goodyear Heights and Firestone Park bungalows where the gas logs flame up fine at the unit but the room still smells faintly of exhaust. A gas fireplace service in Akron typically runs $129-$219 for a standard inspection, cleaning, and adjustment, and includes a camera check of the entire flue path.
Wood Burning Fireplace
Wood burning fireplaces in Akron face a specific problem: the Allegheny Plateau’s elevation intensifies freeze-thaw cycling compared to lakeside Cleveland, and that puts real stress on the mortar joints at the roofline. When we service a wood burning fireplace in Akron, we check the firebox brick for spalling, the damper for rust-through, and the flue for the offset joint fractures that show up block after block in older housing stock. A standard sweep and inspection for a wood burning fireplace here runs $199-$289, depending on flue height and creosote class.
Fireplace Insert
A fireplace insert is often the right fix for Akron’s oversized coal-era flues. Instead of replacing the entire chimney, we run a properly sized liner inside the old clay tile and connect it directly to the insert, which fixes the draft problem without rebuilding anything. In Goodyear Heights, we recently opened a 1919 bungalow fireplace and found the original clay-tile flue had a roofline offset joint failure, the exact same fracture we’d repaired on two other houses a block away. A DuraFlex liner down the oversized 12″×12″ flue and a rebuilt smoke chamber solved it, and the small gas insert that used to backdraft into the living room now draws cleanly. Insert liner installations in Akron run $1,800-$3,400 depending on flue height and access.
Damper Repair
Oversized flues pull moist outdoor air downward, and in Akron that means dampers rust open far more often than in homes with properly sized modern flues. A damper that won’t close is an open channel for cold air, birds, and raccoons every month of the year. Damper repair or replacement in Akron runs $180-$420, and we always check the damper by daylight before locking it in. If the damper has rusted through, we’ll show you the photo and give you a written replacement price on the spot.
BeforeAfterTrusted Brands We Service in Akron
We work on every major fireplace and chimney brand, and we stock common parts locally so Akron customers aren’t waiting on a warehouse in another state. That includes liners and components from DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Copperfield. We also service fireplace inserts, gas logs, and wood stoves from every common manufacturer. When a part isn’t in the truck, we tell you upfront and give you a written timeline and price before ordering anything.
Common Fireplace Services Problems We See in Akron Homes
- Creosote hiding in oversized coal-era flues. Akron’s mid-century gas conversions on 12″×12″ clay-tile flues rarely burn hot enough to fully clear first-degree creosote, so we find stair-stepped deposits and third-degree tar glaze in fireplaces that haven’t burned wood in decades. That’s a chimney fire waiting on a hot burn.
- Roofline liner failure at the same elevation. Freeze-thaw at Akron’s Allegheny Plateau elevation spalls the same mortar-bedded terra-cotta tile position on nearly every Goodyear Heights and Firestone Park bungalow. What starts as a simple sweep appointment becomes a full reline when the camera shows the offset joint has opened.
- Dampers rusted open from condensation. Oversized flues pull moist outdoor air downward, rusting the damper assembly and allowing cold drafts, birds, and raccoons into fireplaces that are never used but still need a Level 2 inspection. A rusted-open damper also costs you heat all winter.
- Gas appliances vented into unlined chimneys. Many Akron homes converted to gas in the 1950s and 1960s without any relining work, which means acidic gas exhaust has been deteriorating the original brick from the inside for decades. This is the single most common condition our camera finds in Akron basements and first-floor fireplaces.
Pricing for Fireplace Services in Akron, OH
Here are the ranges we quote most often for Akron homeowners, in writing, before any work begins:
- Standard fireplace inspection with camera scan: $149-$219
- Wood burning fireplace sweep and inspection: $199-$289
- Gas fireplace service and adjustment: $129-$219
- Damper repair or replacement: $180-$420
- Firebox repair (minor brick and mortar work): $350-$900
- Insert liner installation (DuraFlex or HeatShield): $1,800-$3,400
- Full clay-tile flue reline: $2,500-$5,000
Every price is written down and signed before a single tool comes out of the truck. No verbal estimates, no “we’ll see when we get in there.” Clause 1 of the Haven Standard requires a written price, written scope, and written warranty on every job. Call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll schedule a camera inspection; you’ll have a fixed quote the same day.
We Also Serve Cities Near Akron
Our Fireplace Services in Akron team regularly works in Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, Green, and Stow. If you’re in one of those communities and your fireplace is acting up, call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll get you on the schedule.
Serving Akron, OH - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Akron 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 Akron
Because the flue was sized for coal, not gas. Nearly every bungalow in Goodyear Heights has a 12″×12″ clay-tile flue that now vents a gas appliance producing far less heat than the original coal fire. The flue never warms up enough to establish proper draft, so combustion gases stall and get pulled back into the room. The fix is usually a properly sized liner inside the old flue. Call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll show you the draft reading on camera.
Akron sits on the Allegheny Plateau at roughly 1,000 feet elevation. That plateau forces lake-effect moisture upward, so Akron gets heavier freeze-thaw cycling than lakeside Cleveland. Water seeps into mortar joints, freezes, expands, and spalls the brick and terra-cotta tile at the roofline, the exact stress point where most Akron chimney failures show up. A camera inspection tells you whether your chimney is in the failing cohort.
Yes, and in Akron it’s more important than in most cities. Even gas-only fireplaces vent through flues that may have been unlined or improperly converted decades ago, and acidic gas exhaust deteriorates brick from the inside. A Level 2 inspection with a camera scan costs $149-$219 and gives you a photo record of exactly what’s in there. Skipping it means you find out about the problem when it becomes a repair instead of a maintenance item.
Third-degree creosote is a hard, tar-like glaze that forms when creosote deposits bake repeatedly at high temperatures. It’s the most dangerous form because it’s highly concentrated fuel and nearly impossible to remove with standard brushes. In Akron, oversized coal-era flues let creosote build up for decades in fireplaces that rarely burn hot enough to burn it off, which is why our camera scans so often find it in older homes. If we find third-degree creosote, we’ll show you the photo and explain what it means before recommending any work.
Firestone Park was built between 1916 and 1925 with thousands of near-identical bungalows, all with the same single-wythe brick chimneys and clay-tile flues. A century later, those tiles are failing at the same roofline freeze-thaw point on nearly every block. A simple sweep cleans what’s there, but if the camera scan shows offset joints or cracked tiles, the only honest recommendation is a full reline. We don’t recommend that work without showing you the footage first.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Emberly Chimney Cleaners, serving Akron and surrounding communities under the Haven Standard.
