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.
Chimney Company in Palms, CA
Chimney work in Palms, CA means dealing with housing stock built between the 1920s and 1980s, where masonry flues, converted gas fireplaces, and shared apartment chimneys create conditions you won’t find in newer LA neighborhoods. We’re Ashby Chimney Sweep, and our crews work Palms from Motor Avenue to Venice Boulevard, handling sweeps, inspections, and fireplace repairs on bungalows, duplexes, and mid-century apartment buildings. If you need help figuring out what’s going on inside your flue, call (213) 652-7061 and we’ll talk you through it.
Why Palms Homes Are Different
Palms’s dense mix of 1920s and 1930s bungalows, duplexes, and 1960s through 1980s apartment buildings means many chimneys serve decorative fireplaces or long-disused furnaces. A lot of these flues are shared between units or were capped decades ago without proper sealing, and that creates slow problems most homeowners never see: creosote accumulating behind old dampers, birds and rodents nesting near the top, and rainwater working its way down eroded mortar joints. By the time a water stain shows up on the ceiling, the chimney crown has usually been failing for a season or more.
The climate makes it worse. Palms gets mild weather most of the year, so fireplaces sit unused for months at a time. Then winter rains arrive, followed by occasional Santa Ana winds that push debris into exposed flues and drive moisture deep into brickwork. That wet-dry cycle accelerates spalling, the flaking and crumbling you see on older brick chimneys, and it promotes rust on dampers and metal components. We’ve also seen, on the south side of Venice Boulevard especially, original clay tile flues with eroded mortar joints that leak after the first big rain of the season. Those calls come in fast every November and December.
What this means practically is that routine sweeping alone isn’t enough for many Palms chimneys. The homes here need an inspection-forward approach, with a camera run up the flue to find what the homeowner can’t see from the ground. That’s the part that catches hidden damage before it becomes an expensive repair.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main Palms Services
Most Palms homeowners call us first for a chimney sweep or a chimney inspection. We handle both, plus fireplace repair, each with its own dedicated Palms page you’ll find below.
Chimney Sweep in Palms
A proper sweep in Palms starts with the understanding that many of these flues haven’t been touched in years, or were sealed off when a furnace was converted to gas. That means our technicians often find creosote buildup behind old dampers or bird nesting near the flue cap before the brushing even begins. We protect your floors and furniture while we work, and every job ends with a written report of what we found and removed. If you’re overdue for a cleaning, the page for Chimney Sweep in Palms shows exactly what the job includes.
Chimney Inspection in Palms
Given the age and variety of chimneys along Motor Avenue and Venice Boulevard, we recommend a camera inspection rather than a visual-only once-over. A masonry flue with eroded mortar joints can look fine from the fireplace opening while leaking into the wall cavity or attic. Our inspectors run a camera from the firebox to the chimney crown, documenting what they see with photos you can look at yourself. That’s the honest way to learn whether a liner needs attention or a cap just needs to be replaced. Full details live on the Chimney Inspection in Palms page.
Fireplace Repair in Palms
Fireplace repairs in Palms often stem from moisture intrusion and converted gas units that were never properly re-lined. We repair and rebuild fireboxes, replace damaged dampers, and install or restore flue liners using materials from recognized chimney-trade brands like DuraFlex and Olympia Chimney. Before any repair is scheduled, you get a written quote and after it’s done, a written guarantee. If you’ve got a fireplace that smokes back into the room or a damper that won’t close, Fireplace Repair in Palms has the full scope of work.
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.
Brands We Service in Palms
We work with most major chimney and fireplace brands found in Palms homes. Our crews regularly service units and components from Olympia Chimney, Famco, Copperfield, and DuraFlex, with parts ordered as needed. Turnaround for branded parts typically runs a few business days. See the full list on our brands page.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterPricing for Chimney Company in Palms, CA
| Service | Typical range in Palms |
|---|---|
| Chimney sweep (standard, accessible flue) | $199 – $299 |
| Chimney sweep with creosote buildup (heavy) | $249 – $349 |
| Camera inspection | $149 – $299 |
| Inspection plus sweep (combined) | $269 – $399 |
| Flue cap replacement | $189 – $389 |
| Damper repair or replacement | $150 – $450 |
| Fireplace smoke-back repair | $250 – $750 |
| Firebox repointing | $300 – $800 |
| Chimney crown reseal | $250 – $550 |
| Chimney waterproofing | $350 – $700 |
What pushes a Palms quote toward the higher end is mostly access and condition: shared flues in apartment buildings, sealed-off fireplaces that have to be reopened, or a decade of deferred maintenance that turned a simple sweep into a full removal job. Whatever the situation, you get a written price before any work begins, and the number on the invoice matches the number we quoted at the door. That’s how we operate, in Palms and everywhere else we work.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Palms
We work throughout Palms, from the bungalow blocks north of Venice Boulevard to the apartment corridors east of Motor Avenue. If you’re in one of these neighborhoods, we’ll have a technician out to you, usually within a day or two for a sweep or inspection:
- South Robertson / Palms border
- Motor Avenue corridor
- Venice Boulevard south side
- Westside Village
- Palms / Mar Vista border
Service Area – Cities Near Palms
In addition to our core work in Palms, our crews regularly travel to nearby communities for chimney service. You’ll find us in Los Angeles, CA covering the broader metro area, and in Sherman Oaks, CA, Brentwood, CA, and Santa Monica, CA for the same written-price, written-guarantee work. Each page has specific details for those neighborhoods.
Serving Palms, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Palms 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 About Chimney Company in Palms
For sweeps and inspections, we’re usually out within 1 – 3 business days. Repair follow-ups depend on parts availability and the age of the chimney, but we’ll give you a firm date when the quote is written. Call (213) 652-7061 and we’ll schedule around your calendar.
Most chimney sweeps and inspections need no permit in Palms. Some structural repairs, like full firebox rebuilds, may require city approval. We’ll tell you if your job falls into that category before any work begins, and we can help coordinate the paperwork.
Yes. Many Palms apartment buildings from the 1960s through 1980s have shared or adjacent flues that require access coordination with the property manager. We’re experienced with that process and will work with the building contact to schedule a time that respects all units.
If your chimney is long overdue for a look, or you’ve noticed a water stain, a smoky smell, or something scrabbling around in the flue, call us at (213) 652-7061. We’ll give you a straight answer about what’s going on and what it costs to fix it.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees - talk to a local chimney cleaning pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you - the visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Palms Customers Say
"We smelled something off every time the heat kicked on. Turned out to be debris in the flue. He cleared it and the smell was gone. Patient explaining it all to a first timer like me."
- Annette Prosser"No upsell nonsense. I expected him to tell me I needed a thousand dollars of work. He said the firebox was fine, swept it, and charged me the quote. That kind of honesty gets my repeat business."
- Steve Karras"Annual cleaning. Drop cloth down, vacuum running, hearth spotless after. No pressure to buy a cap or anything extra. Just did what I booked and charged the quote."
- Keith Donovan