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
AfterChimney Cleaning Before & After in Long Beach, CA
Photos don’t exaggerate. When a homeowner in Belmont Shore or Bixby Knolls can see the actual flue liner before we touch it and the documented condition after we leave, the decision makes itself. We’ve archived every chimney cleaning, repair, and inspection since 2009 under Clause 4 of the Haven Standard. Here is what that record looks like in practice.
Recent Transformations
Class III Creosote Removal, Naples Island
The homeowner smelled something acrid every time the fireplace ran. Our camera scan showed glazed, hardened creosote, Class III, reducing the stainless flue liner to a 5-inch passage in an 8-inch pipe. That’s a chimney fire waiting for ignition. We ran mechanical whipping with polypropylene chains first, then applied ACS anti-creosote treatment and returned for a second pass. Final scan showed bare metal, full diameter, and zero residue. Written scope, written price of $340, photo record uploaded to the Haven archive. The smell never came back.
Smoke Chamber Parging Failure, Belmont Heights
This 1926 bungalow had a smoke chamber, the area above the firebox that funnels smoke into the flue, eroded down to the original brick with gaps you could slide a pencil into. Smoke was leaking into wall cavities every time they burned. We parged the chamber with HeatShield cerfractory mixture, applied in quarter-inch lifts to factory specification. The camera scan afterward showed a smooth, sealed surface with no voids. The written price was $890 before we started; the photo record shows the transition from crumbling brick to a code-compliant smoke path.
Spalling Crown Rebuild, Signal Hill Adjacent
The crown, the concrete slab that tops the chimney and sheds water, had spalled, flaked, and cracked until rebar showed through. Water was running straight down the flue tile gaps every time Long Beach got one of those rare hard rains. We stripped to solid substrate, formed a new crown with proper 2-inch drip edge and slope, and sealed the flue tile termination with silicone sealant rated to 400°F. The written price was $650. The photo record from Clause 4 shows the rebar exposure before and the cured crown with water beading on the surface after.
Flue Liner Degradation, Alamitos Beach Condo Conversion
A 1960s four-plex near Alamitos Beach had clay flue tiles cracked through from thermal cycling, mortar missing between joints. Flue gases were leaking between units, which means carbon monoxide potential in a building where four families sleep. We installed a DuraFlex 316Ti stainless steel liner with insulation wrap rated for zero-clearance applications, proper top plate, and termination cap. The written price was $2,400 for the full liner and connection. Every joint, every support, every reading went into the photo record. The building owner got a copy of the scan and the installation documentation for his insurance file.
Chimney Cap Replacement, El Dorado Park Estates
The old cap was galvanized steel, rusted through at the seams, with mesh torn away on one side. Birds had nested below it twice. We pulled the nesting debris, inspected the flue for obstruction, and installed a Gelco stainless steel cap with 5/8-inch spark arrestor mesh and 3-inch overhang to shed water clear of the crown. Written price: $280. The photo record shows the rust holes in the old cap and the new cap’s drip edge detail. The mesh spacing meets California wildfire code for ember resistance.
Firebox Refractory Panel Replacement, Bixby Knolls
The prefab firebox had refractory panels, the heat-reflecting walls that protect the metal wrapper, cracked through in two places. Direct flame was hitting the steel wrapper, which warps, then fails, then you’re looking at a house fire. We sourced factory-matched panels through Haven’s buying network, installed with proper clearance to combustibles verified with a ruler, not a guess, and sealed joints with rated refractory mortar. Written price: $520. The photo record shows the crack propagation before and the panel seams after, with a thermal image reading of the surrounding framing within safe limits.
What Every Job Includes
These aren’t cherry-picked successes. Every chimney cleaning, repair, and inspection we perform in Long Beach follows the same protocol:
- Written price before work starts, per Haven Standard Clause 1. No exceptions, no surprises.
- NFPA 211 Level 2 camera inspection included, not sold separately.
- Documented photo record uploaded to the Haven archive under Clause 4, your copy provided on completion.
- 365-Day Done Right Promise stamped on every invoice. If it’s not right, we make it right.
- Free Second Opinion on any competitor’s written estimate. Bring it in.
Materials come from DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield, procured through Haven’s buying network. That network exists specifically to keep customer prices honest, not to pad markup.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
BeforeAfterWant Results Like These?
Call (424) 401-5585. Corrine Halstead or a live team member answers 24 hours a day. We’ll schedule your NFPA 211 Level 2 inspection, deliver a written price before any work starts, and build your photo record under Clause 4 of the Haven Standard. No voicemail, no web form, no pressure.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Emberly Chimney Cleaners Long Beach, serving Long Beach since 2009.