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 Venice
Fireplace service in Venice costs $140-$280 for a standard inspection and cleaning, $180-$420 for damper repair, and $350-$900 for firebox repointing depending on damage extent. Most appointments are scheduled within 5-7 business days. If your fireplace has been sitting unused through years of coastal fog, that’s not unusual here. The marine layer does more damage to idle chimneys in Venice than winter fires ever do. Call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll give you a written price before anyone touches your fireplace.
We know Venice addresses from the Canals to the Walk Streets to the bungalow rows off Abbot Kinney, and we know what the salt air does to a chimney that only gets lit three times a year. Our Fireplace Services team works with the specific problems this neighborhood throws at fireplaces: rusted dampers, cracked clay flue tiles, and bird nests in chimneys nobody’s opened since the Obama administration.
What happens when you call
- 1
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 Venice’s Preferred Fireplace Services Company
Venice homeowners ask us the same question in almost every initial call: “Can you show me what’s actually wrong before I spend money?” The answer is yes, always. Since 2009, every single visit from Emberly Chimney Cleaners includes a camera pushed down the flue and a photo record you keep. Clause 4 of the Haven Standard requires it. You see the cracked tile, the rusted damper, the nest. Not a description of it. The footage.
Our technicians are background-checked, uniformed, and assigned by name before they arrive, with a text sent when they’re on the way. Venise jobs are scheduled from our Los Angeles office, but the crews know this neighborhood. They know the difference between a 1908 bungalow chimney on Nowita Place and an 800-square-foot Walk Street cottage where the flue hasn’t been opened since before the current owner bought in 2019.
We’re not the cheapest sweep in Venice. We don’t try to be. We’re the company that hands you a written scope, a written price, and a written warranty before work starts, then shows you the before and after footage when it’s done. That practice was unusual in 2009. It’s still unusual. It’s also why homeowners here keep our number.
Our Fireplace Services Services in Venice
Gas Fireplace Service
A gas fireplace in Venice still deals with salt air inside the venting. The burner may be fine while the damper above it is rusting through. Service runs $160-$280 for a full inspection, cleaning, pilot assembly check, and damper evaluation. If you smell gas or the unit won’t stay lit, call before you keep cycling the ignition. (980) 580-8641.
Wood Burning Fireplace
Wood-burning fireplaces in Venice are mostly in pre-1950 homes with original masonry. That’s exactly the housing stock where clay tiles crack, mortar spalls, and bird nests block the smoke path. A standard sweep and Level 2 camera inspection starts at $140-$250. We’ll tell you plainly if your firebox is safe to burn or if it needs repointing before you light anything.
Fireplace Insert
For Venice’s rarely used beach-house fireplaces, a wood or gas insert often makes more sense than fighting a 100-year-old chimney. An insert with a new liner bypasses the deteriorated original flue entirely. Installed inserts in Venice typically run $2,800-$6,500 including liner and venting, depending on the unit you choose. We source materials through our buying network to keep pricing honest – HeatShield, DuraFlex, and Copperfield are standards on our trucks.
Damper Repair
The most common repair call we field in Venice. Marine air rusts damper blades fast, even in fireplaces that never get used. You try to light a fire on a rare 55-degree December night and realize the damper is frozen shut, or frozen open and leaking cold air year-round. Damper replacement with a stainless unit runs $220-$480 in Venice, including swapping the mounting hardware that’s often rust-welded in place. Get a camera check while we’re in there – the damper is rarely the only thing the salt got to.
BeforeAfterTrusted Brands We Service in Venice
We keep a running stock of parts for the brands most common in Venice fireplaces. Copperfield dampers, HeatShield repair systems, and DuraFlex liner kits are the ones we reach for on this side of the 405. Famco caps show up regularly too. Because we stock these parts and procure through our network, we can usually quote and complete a standard damper or cap replacement in a single Venice visit. No waiting on a distributor while your fireplace sits half-apart.
Common Fireplace Services Problems We See in Venice Homes
- Salt-rusted dampers in idle fireplaces. The fireplace hasn’t been lit in years, but the damper is still corroding. Marine air moves through the flue constantly. By the time you try to light a fire, the damper won’t budge.
- Cracked clay flue tiles in pre-1950 masonry. Original tile liners absorb decades of coastal humidity. They crack along the mortar lines and shift out of alignment. You can’t see it from the top; you need a camera in the flue.
- Bird nests in smoke chambers. European starlings and house sparrows love an unused Venice chimney. They get in through broken caps or open dampers and pack the smoke chamber with nesting material. Lighting a fire without clearing it is how chimney fires start.
- Spalled firebox mortar. The firebox breathes whatever air the house holds, and in Venice that air is damp and salty. Mortar crumbles, bricks loosen, and the firebox stops containing heat safely. Repointing runs $350-$900 depending on how far the deterioration goes.
Pricing for Fireplace Services in Venice, CA
| Service | Typical Price Range in Venice |
|---|---|
| Fireplace inspection + Level 2 camera scan | $140 - $250 |
| Standard chimney sweep | $140 - $280 |
| Damper replacement (stainless unit) | $220 - $480 |
| Firebox repointing / repair | $350 - $900 |
| Fireplace insert + liner (installed) | $2,800 - $6,500 |
These are Venice market ranges based on what we actually see in this neighborhood’s housing stock. A 1950s freestanding fireplace with a modern liner is at the low end. A 1910 Oakwood bungalow fireplace with original clay tiles, a rusted damper, and deteriorated firebox mortar is at the high end. You get a written price before we start, and that price doesn’t change unless we find something significant on camera that both of us can see. Call (980) 580-8641 for a specific quote on your fireplace.
We Also Serve Cities Near Venice
If your fireplace is in Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills, or Inglewood, the same camera-first standard applies. Salt air thins out as you move inland from Venice, but every prewar chimney has its own history. Call and we’ll put the camera down whatever you’re working with.
Serving Venice, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Venice 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 Venice
Because Venice’s salt-laden marine air moves through your chimney continuously, whether or not you burn fires. The damper blade sits in that salt moisture path year-round. Rust forms regardless of use, and if the damper is in the open position it never even gets a break. The fix is a stainless steel damper replacement, which doesn’t corrode in coastal air. Call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll show you the rust on camera first.
Not necessarily. Clay tile flues from that era crack over time in Venice because marine humidity cycles through the masonry constantly, and cracked tiles create a path for heat and embers to reach combustible framing. The only way to know is a camera scan showing the full length of the flue and documenting which tiles are cracked, shifted, or intact. If the liner has failed, we can recommend either a HeatShield resurfacing or a full stainless liner. You’ll see the justification on screen. Call (980) 580-8641 to schedule an inspection.
The damper. In Venice, it’s almost certainly rusted or housing a bird nest. After four or five idle years, the smoke chamber usually has something built inside it. Before any match gets lit, you want a camera inspection of the flue, the damper, and the firebox. That tells you whether you’re dealing with a clean system or a blocked one. In the Oakwood neighborhood, we opened a fireplace in a 1910 bungalow where the homeowner wanted to light a fire for the first time in years. The camera showed a salt-rusted damper blade frozen open, a European starling nest packed into the smoke chamber, and cracked clay flue tiles from decades of marine moisture. We pulled the nest, replaced the damper with a stainless unit, and showed the homeowner the video of the spalled firebox mortar before doing any repair. Get the inspection before the fire. (980) 580-8641.
Often yes. A rarely used fireplace in Venice still accumulates salt damage inside the original flue, and you don’t fix that by burning more fires. An insert with a new stainless liner gives you a working fireplace that bypasses the deteriorated chimney entirely. Insert installations in Venice run $2,800-$6,500. It’s the right move if you want a few fires a year without rebuilding a 100-year-old chimney. Call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll talk through what your specific fireplace needs versus what you want out of it.
Every three years at minimum, even with light use. The number of fires you burn is not what drives deterioration in Venice. It’s the marine layer, the salt deposition inside the flue, and the nests that get built while the fireplace sits idle. A Level 2 camera inspection catches the problems before they become fire hazards or expensive rebuilds. It runs $140-$250. Call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll get yours scheduled.
Emberly Chimney Cleaners serves all of Venice, CA with fireplace services, chimney sweeping, damper repair, firebox work, and insert installation. Corrine Halstead leads our team, and every job includes a written price before work starts, a documented photo record on completion, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If it’s not done right, we make it right. Call (980) 580-8641 for your free estimate.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Emberly Chimney Cleaners, serving Venice since 2009.
