Free written estimate before any work begins
Chimney Sweep in Redwood City, CA
Creosote and soot removed to CSIA standard, with drop cloths down and a HEPA vacuum running the whole time.
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Chimney Sweep for Redwood City homes
Redwood City covers more variety than any other city we serve, and the three main areas need three different conversations. Emerald Hills and Farm Hills are wooded, sloping and full of mid-century homes with exterior chimneys under heavy tree cover, so debris and draft are the recurring themes. The older central neighborhoods around Mount Carmel and downtown hold genuine period housing, some of it Victorian, with tall original masonry that needs matched materials when it is repaired. Then there is Redwood Shores, built out on the bay margin from the 1980s, where the systems are overwhelmingly prefabricated metal in framed chases and the failures are corrosion and chase covers rather than mortar. Three eras, three sets of parts, one city.
Three distinct building eras in one city: wooded hillside mid-century homes in Emerald Hills and Farm Hills with exterior stacks and heavy debris load, genuine period masonry including Victorians around Mount Carmel and downtown, and 1980s-onward prefabricated metal systems in framed chases out at Redwood Shores.
Included in every job
- Chimney fire risk removed
- A fireplace that actually draws
- Problems found while they are cheap
- No mess left behind
Warning signs
When Redwood City homes need this service
- It has been more than a year, or more than a cord of wood, since the last sweep
- Smoke pushes into the room when you light a fire
- A sharp, tarry smell from the fireplace on warm days
- Black, flaky or shiny tar-like deposits visible above the damper
- You hear rustling, scratching or birds in the flue
- The damper is stiff, will not seat, or has rusted in place
- Dark staining spreading on the brick above the opening
Chimney Sweep in Redwood City
Call (209) 447-0752 for same-week availability.
Process
How the visit works
Set up and seal
Drop cloths over the hearth and floor, and the fireplace opening sealed so nothing escapes into the room.
Sweep the full run
Rotary and hand brushes from the firebox through the smoke chamber, throat and flue to the cap, sized to your flue.
Vacuum under negative pressure
A HEPA vacuum runs the whole time so the soot goes into the machine rather than onto your furniture.
Inspect what the brush exposed
Camera and visual check of the liner, damper, smoke shelf and crown now that the surfaces are clean.
Report and photograph
We show you what we found, photograph anything that needs attention, and give you the written estimate before any repair work.
Questions
FAQs
I live in Redwood Shores. Is my fireplace different from the rest of the city?
Almost certainly yes. Redwood Shores was built out from the 1980s with factory-built metal systems rather than masonry, so it is inspected and repaired like an appliance. The chase cover and the metal chimney sections are what we look at first.
There are a lot of trees over my Emerald Hills chimney. Does that matter?
It does. Overhanging canopy drops debris into an open flue and also disturbs the draft. A capped flue with a screen handles the debris, and if the stack is short relative to the surrounding trees we will tell you whether height is contributing to the smoking.
How often should the chimney be swept?
Once a year for anything you burn regularly, and the industry standard is an annual inspection regardless of use. If you burn most evenings through the winter, or you burn wood that was not fully seasoned, it is worth doing before every heating season.
How long does a sweep take?
A straightforward single fireplace usually runs about an hour to ninety minutes. Heavy glazed creosote, a blocked flue or a second fireplace adds time, and we will tell you before we start rather than after.
Contact Alpine Chimney
Alpine Chimney Company
1080 Broadway
Millbrae, CA 94030
(209) 447-0752
info@alpinechimneycompany.com
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Fast response. No obligation.