Chimney sweeping & soot removal
Creosote brushed down from cap to firebox, pulled straight into a sealed HEPA vacuum. Nothing lands on the rug.
1522 Princeton St · Santa Monica, CA
Chimney sweeping, inspection and masonry repair in Santa Monica.
Salt air is hard on a chimney. We sweep the flue, read the masonry, and fix the crown before the winter rain finds the crack. Someone answers this phone at three in the afternoon and at three in the morning.
- Open 24 hours, 7 days
- Drop cloths & HEPA vacuum
- Written inspection report
0hours a day the phone is answered
0flues swept on the Westside
0median drive time inside Santa Monica
0cities covered from one yard
What we do
Everything from the smoke shelf to the crown
One crew handles the sweep, the camera scan and the masonry, so nobody has to be called back out to finish someone else's half of the job.
Safety inspection, Level 1–3
Camera down the full flue, written report with photos. Level 2 for escrow, after an earthquake, or after any chimney fire.
Masonry & tuckpointing
Failed joints raked out and repacked with mortar matched to the original colour and hardness, not whatever bag was on the truck.
Crown & cap repair
The first thing the ocean eats. Cracked crowns recast in concrete, rusted caps replaced with stainless that survives the salt.
Flue relining & firebox rebuild
Stainless liners for gas conversions, cracked clay tile replaced, firebrick and refractory panels rebuilt to spec.
Waterproofing & leak repair
Vapour-permeable sealant, new flashing where the roof meets the stack. Stops the brown ceiling stain coming back in January.
- Dryer vent cleaning
- Damper repair & top-sealing dampers
- Animal & bird nest removal
- Spark arrestor installation
- Gas log & insert service
- Chimney fire damage assessment
Coverage
Ten cities, one yard on Princeton Street
Tap a neighbourhood to see the typical drive from our yard. These are real averages from our own job log, not a marketing number — traffic on the 10 and PCH can push them.
Yard
Ocean Park 9min typical drive
South along Main Street. Mostly 1920s brick stacks — crowns take the worst of the sea air here.
How a call actually goes
A real person, texting you back
No queue, no bot, no quote thrown at you before anyone has looked up the flue. Here is a typical thread with a Santa Monica homeowner, replayed as it happened.
- We ask before we assume. Smoke in the room can be four different faults. The questions narrow it before a van moves.
- You get a name and a window. Not "sometime Tuesday". A technician, and the hour they will knock.
- A heads-up text at 15 minutes out. So nobody sits by the door all afternoon.
- Nothing is priced over text. The chimney gets looked at first. You will hear the number, in person, before a tool comes out of the van.
Santa Monica Chimney(310) 516-5120
Today
Illustrative example. Names and times are from a composite of real bookings.
Local knowledge
Why a chimney two miles from the water ages differently
Mortar gives out first
Airborne chloride works into the joints and pulls them apart from the inside. On the Westside we routinely find joints failing on chimneys that inland would still look new. Tuckpointing early is cheaper than rebuilding late.
The marine layer kills draft
A cold, damp layer sitting over the roofline stops the flue drawing. That is the reason a lot of Santa Monica fireplaces smoke on a June evening but behave in December. The cure is usually flue height or a top damper, not a sweep.
Nine months dry, then everything at once
Cracks open all summer and go unnoticed. The first real storm finds every one of them. Autumn is when we waterproof, reseal crowns and redo flashing, and it is the season that books out fastest.
What a visit looks like
- 01Cover the room
Drop cloths from the hearth outward, vacuum running before the damper opens.
- 02Sweep from the top down
Rotary brush sized to the flue, creosote pulled into a sealed HEPA canister.
- 03Camera the full length
Liner, smoke chamber, firebox. You watch the screen with the technician.
- 04Walk the exterior
Crown, cap, flashing, mortar joints, and the first three feet of roof around the stack.
- 05Report, then options
Photos of anything found, what is urgent, what can wait a season, and what we would leave alone.
From the neighbourhood
What people tell us afterwards
Called at 11pm with smoke pouring out of the firebox. Someone picked up, talked me through shutting it down, and had a technician at the house before nine the next morning.
Homeowner, Wilshire–Montana
They found a cracked crown the previous company missed twice. Showed me the photo on the roof, explained what would happen come winter, and did not push anything else.
Homeowner, Sunset Park
Escrow was closing in six days and we needed a Level 2. Report came through the next afternoon with the camera footage attached. Saved the sale.
Seller, Ocean Park
Questions
Asked often enough to answer here
How often should a chimney be swept in Santa Monica?
Once a year for any chimney that gets used, and once a year for inspection even if it does not. Coastal homes have a second reason to keep to that schedule: salt air breaks down mortar, crowns and metal caps faster than it does inland, so the yearly visit catches masonry problems while they are still small.
My fireplace pushes smoke into the room. What causes that?
Usually a blocked flue, a closed or broken damper, heavy creosote narrowing the passage, or a draft problem caused by the marine layer sitting cold over the house. Stop using the fireplace until it has been looked at, air the room out, and have the flue inspected before the next fire.
Do you really answer the phone at night?
Yes. The line at (310) 516-5120 is answered by a person 24 hours a day, every day. Emergencies — a chimney fire, a smoke-filled room, a leak during a storm — are dispatched immediately. Routine sweeping and inspection get booked for the next available daytime slot.
How long does a sweep and inspection take?
About 60 to 90 minutes for one fireplace. Drop cloths go down first and a HEPA vacuum runs the whole time, so the room is left as clean as it was found.
Can a cracked crown be repaired without rebuilding the chimney?
In most cases, yes. Hairline cracks can be sealed with a flexible crown coating. Wider cracks and spalling usually need the crown cast again in concrete — a one-day job, and far less involved than a rebuild. A rebuild is only recommended when the structure itself has moved or the brick has failed.
Which areas do you cover?
All of Santa Monica, plus Pacific Palisades, Venice, Brentwood, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey, Playa del Rey, West Los Angeles, Culver City and Malibu.
Do I need to do anything before the technician arrives?
Leave the fireplace cold for at least 24 hours, clear roughly three feet of floor in front of the hearth, move fragile items off the mantel and keep pets in another room. The crew brings drop cloths, ladders and vacuums.
Is the inspection different when I am selling the house?
Yes. A property sale calls for a Level 2 inspection: a camera scan of the full flue plus a written report covering firebox, liner, crown and exterior masonry. Escrow timelines are tight, so mention the closing date when you book.
Areas served
Where the vans go
- Santa Monica 90401
- Santa Monica 90402
- Santa Monica 90403
- Santa Monica 90404
- Santa Monica 90405
- Ocean Park
- Sunset Park
- North of Montana
- Wilshire–Montana
- Pacific Palisades
- Venice
- Brentwood
- Mar Vista
- West Los Angeles
- Marina del Rey
- Playa del Rey
- Culver City
- Malibu
The fireplace can wait. The phone does not.
Tell us what the chimney is doing and we will tell you whether it needs a van tonight or a slot next week. No charge for the conversation.
Call (310) 516-5120- Address
- 1522 Princeton St, Santa Monica, CA 90404
- Hours
- Open 24 hours — Monday through Sunday
- Phone
- (310) 516-5120