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.
Fast, Reliable Chimney Sweep Across Palms
Most chimney sweeps in Palms cost between $189 and $319, and we serve every street in the neighborhood, from Motor Avenue to Overland Avenue and up around the 90034 zip. If you live in Palms and your fireplace hasn’t been inspected in over a year, or you’ve noticed water staining on your ceiling after rain, call us at (213) 652-7061 for Fireplace Repair - Palms. We show up when we say we will, give you a written price before any work starts, and stand behind every job with our 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Palms has a chimney problem most sweeps won’t talk about. The pre-1950 bungalows off Motor Avenue and Venice Boulevard were built with clay tile flues and masonry that’s now 80 to 100 years old. Eroded mortar joints and cracked crowns mean the first heavy winter rain sends water into ceilings, not because you used the fireplace, but because the cap failed years ago. That’s why our Palms customers get a camera inspection with every sweep, and why we never recommend a liner replacement without showing you the footage first.
Why Ashby Chimney Los Angeles Is Palms’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Ashby Chimney Los Angeles has operated since 2002, led by Nathan Corliss, and our crews know Palms housing stock the way only people who’ve swept hundreds of local flues can. We’re part of the independently owned Kingswell network, which means every job follows the same five values we call The Kingswell Way: say the price, show up in the window, leave it cleaner, put the guarantee in writing, and come back if it fails.
Palms homeowners call us because they’ve been burned before. A tech who never showed. A price that doubled at the door. A liner replacement that cracked again six weeks later. Our answer is simple: background-checked, uniformed technicians on every visit, a written price before work begins, and a written guarantee on every repair. If a covered repair fails inside the guarantee period, we return and fix it at no charge. That’s not a marketing line; it’s the Kingswell Guarantee.
When you call (213) 652-7061, a live person answers. Not a voicemail loop, not a callback form. 24/7. If you’re in Palms and you suspect a blocked flue or water intrusion, you’ll talk to someone who can actually schedule your visit.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Services in Palms
Chimney Services in Palms typically run between $189 and $319 for a standard sweep, with inspections and specific repairs priced separately based on what the camera shows. The job starts with a Level 1 or Level 2 inspection depending on your flue type and history, followed by creosote and soot removal, and a written report with photos. For Palms homeowners with original clay tile flues, we recommend a Level 2 camera inspection before anyone puts a brush up the stack.
Creosote Removal
Creosote is the residue from wood smoke that builds up inside your flue. In Palms’s mild, marine-influenced climate, fireplaces get used occasionally, but when they are used, the cool coastal air can cause creosote to condense and harden faster than in drier inland areas. First-degree creosote brushes off; third-degree creosote is hardened tar that can fuel a chimney fire. We remove what’s there and tell you plainly what stage you’re at.
Annual Sweep
An annual sweep in Palms should happen even if you rarely burn wood. Unused flues collect debris, animal nests, and moisture during winter rains, and a sealed-off fireplace hides more than you’d think. We sweep, inspect, and leave you with a photo report so you can see what we saw. No guesswork, no upsell.
What happens when you call
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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.
Chimney Sweep Certified in Palms
Chimney Sweep Certified work in Palms means more than a brush through the flue. It means a technician who has been through background checks, arrives in uniform, and follows a written inspection protocol on every single job. Our sweeps are trained on Palms’s specific housing stock: 1920s and 1930s bungalows with unlined masonry flues, 1960s apartment buildings with chimney panels that hide water damage, and fireplaces converted to gas decades ago.
Level 1 Inspection
A Level 1 inspection covers the readily accessible parts of your chimney and fireplace. For Palms homes with regularly used fireplaces where nothing has changed since the last sweep, this is usually the right scope. We check the flue, the damper, the firebox, and the exterior for obvious damage, then give you a written report with findings and photos.
Level 2 Inspection
A Level 2 inspection uses a camera to see the entire length of the flue, including areas you can’t reach from the rooftop or the firebox. In Palms, this is the standard we recommend for any home built before 1950, any fireplace that’s been converted or sealed off, and any property where water stains have appeared on ceilings after rain. The camera shows what the naked eye can’t: eroded mortar joints, cracked clay tiles, hidden creosote, and animal nests behind sealed panels.
Trusted Brands We Service in Palms
When repairs are needed in Palms, we use materials from established chimney-trade brands, not whatever happens to be rolling around in the back of the van. For liner work and crown repairs we stock and install DuraFlex components and Copperfield products, and we commonly specify Olympia Chimney and Famco parts for damper and cap replacement on older bungalows. Because we service Palms regularly, we can often complete the repair the same week we diagnose it, without waiting on a parts shipment from across the country.
Common Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Palms Homes
- Clay tile flues with eroded mortar joints. Original clay tile liners from the 1920s and 1930s are everywhere in Palms, especially on the south side of Venice Boulevard. The mortar between tiles crumbles over decades, and the first heavy rain finds its way through. A routine sweep won’t catch this; a camera will.
- Water-stained ceilings from failed crowns. We get a surge of calls every winter from Palms homeowners who never use their fireplaces but suddenly have brown rings on the ceiling. The crown, the concrete cap at the top of the chimney, cracks as it ages. Water gets in and migrates down through the masonry. Fixing the crown and adding a cap stops it.
- Sealed-off fireplaces hiding damage. Many Palms bungalows and duplex units had fireplaces sealed off or converted to gas years ago. Behind those panels, flues still collect moisture, rust, and animal nests. Efflorescence, the white mineral staining on brick, is often the only visible sign. A Level 2 inspection is the only way to know what’s back there.
- Gas log sets in old wood-burning flues. If your 1940s bungalow now has a gas log set, you still need an annual inspection. Gas produces less creosote but can generate acidic moisture, and wood-burning flues from that era often have clay tiles that weren’t meant to handle the temperature and moisture profile of gas. Rust and spalling show up faster than you’d expect.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for Chimney Sweep in Palms, CA
A standard chimney sweep in Palms runs $189 to $319. A Level 1 inspection is typically $129 to $189, and a Level 2 camera inspection runs $249 to $399 depending on roof access, flue length, and whether we’re dealing with a single-family bungalow or a multi-unit building. If the camera finds a crown repair or liner issue, you’ll get a separate written quote before any work happens. The number on the invoice will match the number we gave you at the door. No surprises. Call (213) 652-7061 for a free estimate. We’ll tell you over the phone what to expect, and if the job needs a site visit, we’ll book a real arrival window with a real person.
We Also Serve Cities Near Palms
Ashby Chimney Los Angeles covers Palms and the surrounding west side, including Chimney Sweep in Palms neighbors in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks, Brentwood, and Santa Monica. If you’re just outside Palms and need a sweep or inspection, call (213) 652-7061 and we’ll confirm coverage for your street. Our Chimney Sweep team coordinates from our Los Angeles office and schedules Palms jobs directly with local crews.
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 Sweep in Palms
Third-degree creosote looks like hardened, shiny tar coating the inside of your flue, and it’s a chimney fire waiting to happen. A routine sweep in Palms should always start with a look at what stage the creosote is in. First-degree creosote brushes off easily. Third-degree requires chemical treatment or removal with specialized tools, and if a Palms bungalow with an original clay tile flue has third-degree creosote, we’ll show you the camera footage before we quote anything. If you’re not seeing the footage, you’re being upsold. Call (213) 652-7061 and we’ll do it right.
Water stains on your ceiling after the first winter rain in Palms almost always come from a failed chimney crown or missing cap, not from fireplace use. The crown is the concrete slab at the top of the chimney. After 70 to 100 years of Palms’s wet-dry cycles, it cracks. Rain gets in, soaks into the masonry, and migrates down into the ceiling drywall. This is common in the 1920s and 1930s bungalows south of Venice Boulevard. The fix is a crown repair and a proper cap, and you can verify it with camera footage before anyone touches anything. Call (213) 652-7061 for an inspection.
Yes, and this is a Palms-specific issue. Duplexes from the 1930s often share a flue or have flues built close enough that a blocked or reversed draft in one unit sends smoke into the other. If your fireplace was sealed off but the flue was never properly capped or lined, it can act as a dead channel that collects soot and moisture, and when the neighbor’s fire burns, the draft reversal pushes smoke through your side. A Level 2 camera inspection will tell you exactly what’s going on in there. Call (213) 652-7061 and we’ll schedule the inspection with a live person.
Yes, you need an annual inspection even if you’re burning gas instead of wood. Gas log sets produce acidic moisture that eats at old clay tile liners and cast-iron dampers faster than wood smoke does. In a 1940s Palms bungalow, the flue was originally designed for wood, and the combination of gas moisture and the area’s marine air accelerates rust and spalling. You may not have creosote, but you can have hidden damage. An annual Level 1 inspection with a camera check on the flue condition is the right call. Call (213) 652-7061 to book one.
Behind sealed-off fireplace panels in 1960s apartment buildings along Venice Boulevard, we routinely find animal nests, efflorescence, and moisture damage that no routine sweep would ever catch. These buildings had fireplaces originally, but many units were sealed off or converted, and the flues behind those panels never got capped. Rain gets in, animals get in, and the drywall soaks it up for years. The only way to find it is a Level 2 camera inspection. If you’re in a Palms apartment and the fireplace has been closed off, call (213) 652-7061 and we’ll show you what’s actually back there.
Contact Ashby Chimney Los Angeles for Chimney Sweep in Palms
If you’re in Palms and need a chimney sweep, a camera inspection, or a straight answer about a liner quote you got from someone else, call us at (213) 652-7061. Nathan Corliss and the team at Ashby Chimney Los Angeles will give you a written price before any work starts, show you the camera footage, and put the guarantee in writing. We answer the phone 24/7. No voicemail loops. No price switches at the door. Just the truth about what’s in your flue and what it costs to fix it.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Los Angeles, serving Palms since 2002.