Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 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.
Trusted Chimney Repair for Sylmar Homeowners
Chimney repair in Sylmar is about more than keeping water out. It’s about making sure your fireplace or wood stove vents combustion gases safely every time you light a fire. In Sylmar’s dry, hot summers and cool, wet winters, chimney masonry expands and contracts constantly, and that movement opens cracks that can let flames reach the wooden framing of your roof. We inspect before we sweep, and repair what we find. Sam Griffin leads our repair team, and we handle everything from cracked crowns to full liner replacement. Call (833) 620-0634 if you’ve spotted water stains near your chimney or heard mortar crumbling after a storm.
Chimney Cap Installation
Chimney Cap Installation is the single most cost-effective way to keep rain, birds, and burning embers out of your flue. A professionally fitted cap does more than block water. It keeps raccoons and squirrels from nesting in your flue, prevents downdrafts on windy days, and stops stray sparks from landing on your roof. We stock Famco and Olympia Chimney caps in stainless steel, copper, and galvanized finishes, sized to your specific flue tile. Most Sylmar Chimney Repair cap installations run $180 to $450 depending on material and whether a custom bracket is needed.
Preventing Downdraft Problems
Homes in the foothills around Sylmar get strong Santa Ana winds that push smoke back down an uncapped flue. A tight-fitting cap breaks that wind pattern and keeps your living room smoke-free.
Keeping Animals Out
Birds and squirrels look at an open flue as prime real estate. A cap with proper mesh screening stops them without restricting draft.
Styles & brands we work with
- Sweep & inspection
- Caps & crowns
- Flue relining
- Masonry repair
- Gas fireplace service
Chimney Cap Replacement
Chimney Cap Replacement is needed when rust eats through the mesh, hail dents the crown, or high winds shear the cap clean off the chase. A damaged cap is worse than no cap in some ways because loose metal can block airflow and send carbon monoxide back into the house. We inspect every cap during a standard sweep and match replacements to the existing base so you’re not paying to reflash the chase. Expect to pay $220 to $520 in Sylmar for removal, disposal, and a new cap rated for your appliance type.
Wind Damage From Santa Anas
It’s common for Sylmar homeowners to find caps twisted or missing after the first strong Santa Ana event of the season. If you can see daylight through a bent mesh from your yard, it’s time to call.
Rust, Mesh Tears, and Ember Safety
In dry brush country, a hole in your cap mesh is a fire hazard. Embers that escape through torn screening can reach your roof or nearby landscaping.
Chimney Liner Installation
Chimney Liner Installation restores the critical barrier between combustion exhaust and the walls of your home. A cracked or missing clay tile liner lets heat, carbon monoxide, and acidic creosote bleed into surrounding masonry, eventually reaching wood framing. We install DuraFlex flexible stainless steel liners for wood stoves, gas appliances, and open fireplaces. These jobs usually land between $2,800 and $5,500 in Sylmar depending on flue height, access, and whether insulation wrap is required for code compliance.
DuraFlex Relining for Wood Stoves
Modern wood stoves need a properly sized insulated liner to draft correctly and burn efficiently. A DuraFlex system brings older masonry chimneys up to current UL standards without tearing out walls.
When a Clay Liner Fails
Clay tiles crack under the rapid heating and cooling cycles common in Sylmar winters. Once cracks appear, the only long-term fix is a structural stainless liner rather than another patch job.
Chimney Flashing Repair
Chimney Flashing Repair addresses the most common source of chimney leaks in Sylmar homes. Flashing is the sheet metal that seals the seam where your chimney meets the roof. When it lifts, corrodes, or was installed with roofing cement instead of proper step flashing, water pours into your attic and down your ceiling. We remove old flashing, inspect the surrounding decking, and install new step and counter flashing that moves water off the chimney correctly. Typical flashing repairs run $450 to $950 depending on roof pitch and chimney size.
Step Flashing Done Right
Each piece of step flashing must interlock with the next and tuck under the shingle course above it. We cut flashing on site so it follows the exact pitch of your roof rather than relying on a generic kit.
Why Roof Tar Fails
Some handyman repairs cover flashing gaps with roofing cement or tar. The Sylmar sun bakes it brittle within a season, and it peels open again. Mechanical flashing is the only fix that lasts.
Chimney Crown Repair
Chimney Crown Repair fixes the concrete slab that caps the top of your chimney’s masonry. A cracked crown lets water seep straight down through your chimney chase instead of shedding off the sides. That water freezes and thaws throughout the winter, widening cracks and accelerating brick spalling. We rebuild crowns with the right mix, an expansion gap, and a slight slope so water runs away from the flue. Expect to pay $650 to $1,400 in Sylmar for a standard crown rebuild, depending on chimney dimensions and whether the existing crown can be repaired or needs full demolition.
Expansion Joints Prevent Re-Cracking
Without an expansion gap between the flue tile and the crown, thermal movement will crack a brand-new crown within a year. We build that gap into every crown we pour.
Water Intrusion in Sylmar Winters
A single freeze-thaw cycle can split a crown open wider. Sylmar sees enough winter moisture that even small crown cracks become structural problems quickly.
Chimney Repair Companies
Our Chimney Repair in San Fernando and other companies in the Valley fall into two groups: those that sweep, and those that actually repair. Most chimney companies in this area only clean flues, then hand you a list of repairs they can’t perform. Chimney Sweep Sylmar is built around closing that gap. Sam Griffin stocks and installs products from six professional chimney industry brands: DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield. That means the repair we recommend in your inspection report is a repair we can complete on the same property, not a referral to another contractor.
What Full-Scope Service Gets You
A company that only sweeps will always recommend a “second opinion” for liner or masonry work. We bring the camera, the equipment, and the skill to finish the job ourselves.
One Point of Accountability
When you hire a sweep-only company and they refer out a repair, you become the project manager for two contractors who have never worked together. We keep it under one roof, from inspection to invoice.
Chimney Masonry Repair
Chimney Masonry Repair involves rebuilding the brick, stone, or block structure of your chimney itself, not just its internal components. Spalled bricks, crumbling mortar joints, and leaning chimney stacks are structural problems that get worse every season they’re ignored. We tuckpoint deteriorating joints, replace damaged bricks, and rebuild sections of chimney that have failed. Masonry repair in Sylmar runs $800 to $3,000 on average, depending on how much of the stack is affected and how high the work site sits above the roof line.
Spalling Brick and Freeze-Thaw Cycle
Bricks that have absorbed water through cracked mortar will flake and pop their outer faces off. Once spalling starts, replacing individual bricks is the only way to slow the decay.
Chimney Rebuild Safety Warning
Working on masonry at roof height carries real fall and structural collapse risk. This is not a weekend ladder project. We use proper staging, tie-offs, and bracing for any chimney work above the roofline, and we recommend homeowners stay clear of scaffolds entirely.
Brands We Service
We install and service DuraFlex flexible liner systems for wood stoves, gas inserts, and fireplaces. DuraFlex is the industry standard for relining masonry chimneys without demolition, and we stock the connectors, caps, and insulation wrap needed to complete a full install in one visit. Whether your liner was installed five years ago or forty, we can camera-inspect it and tell you honestly if it’s still safe to use.
We also apply HeatShield flue resurfacing, a non-invasive repair that coats damaged clay liners from inside rather than replacing them. HeatShield restores smooth draft and seals hairline cracks before they widen. For caps and venting components, we work with Famco and Olympia Chimney products, the kind sourced by licensed chimney professionals rather than hardware-store shelves. Whether you have one of these brands or any other make, we can help.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterSigns You Need a Pro Right Now
- Water stains on the ceiling near your chimney. This means flashing, crown, or masonry has already let water into the roof assembly. The longer it sits, the more expensive the drywall and framing repair becomes.
- Crumbling mortar or pieces of brick on the ground. Spalling brick is structural decay. If you can see missing faces on the brickwork from your driveway, the chimney is likely weakening from the inside.
- Smoke backing into the room when you light a fire. A blocked flue, cracked liner, or downdraft problem is forcing exhaust back into your living space. Carbon monoxide follows the same path as smoke.
- A strong, sour odor near the fireplace after rain. That smell is creosote and soot mixed with water soaking into the flue walls. It means moisture is reaching places it was never meant to go.
- Rust on the damper or firebox walls. Rust tells you water has been entering the flue for weeks or months. Where there’s water in the firebox, there’s water in the surrounding masonry.
Any one of these warrants a call. Two or more means scheduling an inspection should happen before your next fire.
Our Process, Step by Step
- 1
Inspection and diagnosis. We start with a camera run through your flue to see the liner, the smoke shelf, and the firebox in real time. You see the images yourself, so you know exactly what we found before we recommend a single repair.
- 2
Written repair plan with photos. Every recommendation comes with the camera evidence behind it. If a liner has cracked tiles, you’ll see the crack. If flashing is lifted, you’ll see the gap. Nothing is recommended without proof you can verify.
- 3
Flat-price quote before work starts. Once we agree on the repair scope, you get a fixed price. No hourly billing, no surprise add-ons at the end. The price we quote is the price you pay.
- 4
Repair work, done to code. We work to NFPA and CSIA safety standards. For liner jobs, that means proper sizing, insulation where required, and a final leak test. For masonry, it means correct mortar mix and proper curing time.
- 5
Final walkthrough and documentation. We run a second camera pass after the repair so you can see the before-and-after with your own eyes. If anything doesn’t meet the standard, we fix it before we leave.
How Much Does Chimney Repair Cost in Sylmar?
A typical chimney repair in Sylmar runs $300 to $5,500 depending on what’s actually wrong – learn more about how much Chimney Repair costs. Cap replacement is on the low end, usually $180 to $520. Flashing repair averages $450 to $950. Crown rebuilds run $650 to $1,400. Full liner replacement with DuraFlex typically lands between $2,800 and $5,500, but it’s the least common repair we do. Most chimneys we inspect need something in the $500 to $1,500 range.
Five factors drive the price: the type of repair, how high your chimney rises above the roofline, whether scaffolding or a lift is needed, the condition of surrounding materials, and whether the repair must be done with specific brand-name components for code compliance. You avoid overpaying by working with a company that shows you camera evidence before quoting, because you’re paying only for what’s actually wrong. Our free estimate includes a full inspection, a written report, and an honest recommendation about whether the repair can wait safely or should be scheduled now.
Our Service Area Near Sylmar
We serve Sylmar and the neighboring communities in the northern San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita Valley. That includes Chimney Repair in North Hills, Chimney Repair in North Hills East, Mission Hills, Pacoima, Granada Hills, and West Hills. We also regularly travel to Santa Clarita, Valencia, and Calabasas for chimney repair. Scheduling in Sylmar is typically available within a few business days depending on the season and repair scope.
Serving Sylmar, CA – Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Sylmar area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage – if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chimney Repair in Sylmar
Chimney repair is any work that restores the structural or functional integrity of your chimney system, from the cap at the top to the firebox at the bottom. That includes replacing cracked flue liners, rebuilding masonry, fixing flashing, sealing crowns, and installing new caps. A proper repair starts with a camera inspection to identify the exact failure point rather than guessing at the problem.
Most flashing repairs, cap replacements, and crown fixes are completed in a single visit lasting two to four hours. Liner installations take a full day because the old liner often needs removal and the new one needs insulation and proper termination at the top. Masonry rebuilding can take two to three days when mortar needs curing time between lifts.
Expect to pay between $180 and $5,500 depending on the repair. Cap work is the cheapest, crown and flashing repairs sit in the middle, and full liner replacement is the high end. We give exact quotes before work begins, not after, so there’s no guesswork. Call (833) 620-0634 to book a free estimate.
We service all major chimney liner brands, including Homesaver, and we install DuraFlex liners for new relining jobs. If you have an older liner from a brand we don’t keep in stock, we can usually source compatible replacement parts through our professional suppliers rather than telling you a full replacement is needed.
Some repairs are urgent. If you smell smoke inside, see water actively leaking into your home, or have a cracked liner on a wood-burning appliance, that’s a safety issue and should be addressed quickly. But many imperfections, like minor crown cracks, can safely wait until the next available appointment. We’ll tell you honestly which category your chimney falls into.
We stand behind our workmanship on every repair. Specific warranty terms vary by the type of repair and the materials used, and we’ll spell them out in your quote before you sign anything. What we won’t do is hand you a vague promise and then disappear when something goes wrong.
Move any furniture or decor at least six feet away from the fireplace so we have clear access. If you have a screen or glass door on the fireplace, remove it or let us know so we can handle it carefully. Keep pets out of the room while we’re working, and plan to avoid using the fireplace for 24 hours after we finish so materials can cure properly.
Schedule Your Chimney Repair Service in Sylmar Today
If your chimney is leaking, smoking, shedding brick, or hasn’t been inspected in years, now is the time to address it. Call (833) 620-0634 for a free estimate from Sam Griffin and the team at Chimney Sweep Sylmar. We’ll inspect your chimney with a camera, show you exactly what we find, and give you a flat price before any work begins.
Written by Sam Griffin, Owner at Chimney Sweep Sylmar, serving Sylmar, our Chimney Repair in Pacoima, and the northern San Fernando Valley.