Heating & cooling across California

Chimney Services across California

California chimney work is driven by two things that exist almost nowhere else: unreinforced masonry standing on fault country, and a legal requirement for a spark arrestor across most of the state’s fire country.

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Inspection and camera survey
Seismic bracing and retrofit
Spark arrestors for fire country

What we cover

Every heating and cooling job, across the state

Seventeen services, each with its own page explaining what the work involves, what moves the price, and what to ask before you agree to anything.

Chimney Inspection Annually, on a sale, after any earthquake felt in the building, and after a chimney fire. Chimney Sweeping Annually where wood is burned, and before first use after a long unused season. Chimney Relining Fitting a gas insert, replacing an appliance, or when a camera shows a failed flue. Chimney Masonry Repair Cracked mortar joints, a stepped diagonal crack, or brick that has shifted. Chimney Crown Repair A cracked crown, or water showing inside with no other route. Chimney Cap Installation Any open flue — and in fire country, wherever the arrestor mesh is missing or corroded. Chimney Flashing Repair Water near the chimney inside, particularly on a tile roof. Chimney Waterproofing Porous masonry or stucco that is absorbing water, after repairs are done. Chimney Damper Repair A damper that will not seal, or one clamped part-open for a gas conversion and left.

All 17 services

Los Angeles San Diego San Francisco San Jose Sacramento Fresno Oakland Long Beach Bakersfield Irvine Anaheim Stockton Riverside Chula Vista Huntington Beach Santa Ana Los Angeles San Diego San Francisco San Jose Sacramento Fresno Oakland Long Beach Bakersfield Irvine Anaheim Stockton Riverside Chula Vista Huntington Beach Santa Ana

California chimney work is structural before it is anything else

Eight regions, two real hazards

An unreinforced masonry chimney is a stack of bricks held together with mortar and nothing else — no steel, no tie into the building. Enormous numbers of California houses built before the war have exactly that, and Northridge in 1994 showed what happens to them: chimneys came down through roofs across the basin. Many were braced or removed afterwards. Plenty were not.

The other is fire. In State Responsibility Areas a spark arrestor over the flue is a legal requirement, and the mesh has a specified aperture. It is a small part with a real job, and on an older chimney it is frequently missing, corroded through, or blocked solid with soot — which is its own hazard, because a blocked arrestor stops the flue drawing.

Inspection and camera survey
Seismic bracing and retrofit
Spark arrestors for fire country
Masonry, crown and stucco repair

How it works

Three steps, no obligation at any of them.

1

Call and tell us what is wrong

Describe the problem and give us your ZIP code. We match you with a licensed HVAC contractor covering your area — there is nothing to fill in and nothing to pay us.
2

A local contractor gets in touch

A licensed HVAC professional contacts you to discuss the problem and arrange a visit. What they charge to attend or diagnose is theirs to set, so agree it with them up front.
3

You decide

Book the work, wait a season, or get a second quote. There is no obligation to go ahead with the contractor we introduce you to, and nothing to pay us either way.

What is worth knowing before you call anyone

Four things worth knowing first

The CSLB publishes a free license lookup California licenses contractors through the Contractors State License Board, and the lookup shows status, classification, bond and workers compensation cover. Use it. Masonry and structural work need the right classification, and seismic retrofit may need a permit from your city or county building department.

Unreinforced masonry is the real hazard A pre-war brick chimney is usually brick and mortar with no steel and no tie into the building. Northridge brought them down through roofs across the basin. Bracing is a day of work with steel strapping through the attic, and it is the cheapest serious thing you can do to an old California chimney.

A spark arrestor is a legal requirement, not an accessory Across State Responsibility Areas the mesh over the flue is required and the aperture is specified. It is also the least expensive part on the chimney, which makes it strange how often it is missing, corroded through, or blocked solid with soot — and a blocked arrestor stops the flue drawing, which is its own hazard.

Air district rules decide whether you can burn at all The Bay Area runs Spare the Air days when wood burning is prohibited, and the San Joaquin Valley operates mandatory winter curtailment. Both publish daily status. Where restrictions bite, a gas insert is the usual answer — and an insert must be vented through a liner sized to the appliance, not into an open masonry flue.

Where we cover

Check your town

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Enter your ZIP code — we serve 1,861 ZIP codes across California.

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Questions

Frequently asked

How do I know if my chimney is unreinforced masonry?

Age is the strongest signal: brick chimneys on houses built before about 1940 are very likely unreinforced. A stepped diagonal crack running through the mortar joints, a gap opening between the chimney and the wall, or visible movement at the roofline are all signs. An inspection will confirm it, and looking is cheap next to the alternative.

What does a seismic retrofit involve?

Steel strapping and anchor plates tying the chimney into the roof and floor framing, usually reached through the attic. It is a day’s work on a typical house rather than a rebuild. Where a stack is already badly cracked, the honest options are rebuilding it in reinforced masonry or removing it above the roofline and venting differently.

Is a spark arrestor legally required?

In State Responsibility Areas, yes, and the mesh opening is specified rather than left to preference. Many local fire codes require one regardless. It is also the single cheapest item on any chimney, which makes it a strange thing to be missing — but on older properties it very often is.

Can I burn wood where I live?

It depends on the air district and the day. The Bay Area runs Spare the Air days through winter when wood burning is prohibited, and the San Joaquin Valley operates mandatory curtailment. Both publish daily status. A gas insert is the usual answer where restrictions bite, and it needs the flue relined to the appliance diameter to be installed correctly.

My chimney is stucco, not brick. Does that change anything?

It changes what you can see. Stucco hides the masonry behind it, so condition is unknown until the stucco itself cracks or sounds hollow when tapped. It also changes the flashing detail, particularly under terracotta barrel tile where tiles have to be lifted and relaid rather than bedded in mortar over the top.

Do I need an inspection if the fireplace is only decorative?

Yes, and decorative fireplaces are where the neglected faults are. An appliance used twice a year gets no attention, so nesting, a blocked arrestor, a cracked firebox or a corroded damper all go unnoticed until someone lights it. An annual inspection is the standard whatever the use.

What does it cost?

It depends on the chimney and nobody can quote it properly over the phone. The contractor you are introduced to sets their own prices and agrees them with you directly. Ask what the inspection costs before they come out.

Tell us what it is doing

We will put you in touch with a licensed contractor covering your town. Free to use, and there is nothing to pay us.