Service area
Chimney sweep in Long Beach
AAA Chimney Sweep & Fire Protection Co. has been working Long Beach chimneys since 1977, from the Craftsman homes in Rose Park to Belmont Shore and up through Bixby Knolls. Family owned the whole time.
What is the fireplace doing?
8am to 8pm
Old flues in a big, mixed city
Long Beach spreads across a century of building, and the historic districts still run clay tile flues from the 1910s and 1920s that have never been relined.
The Craftsman and Spanish homes carry most of the old work. Rose Park, California Heights, the streets around Bixby Knolls. Original brick, original clay liners, a hundred years of heat and a few earthquakes on top. Cracked flue tile is the first thing our camera finds.
Down by the water it is salt. Belmont Shore and Naples sit right on it, and so does the Peninsula. Caps and dampers corrode there long before the masonry does.
Where we work in town
Every part of Long Beach
- Belmont Shore
- Naples
- California Heights
- Bixby Knolls
- Rose Park
- Belmont Heights
- Bluff Park
- Los Cerritos
What we find on Long Beach chimneys
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Cracked flue tile in the historic districts
The Craftsman and Spanish homes in Rose Park and California Heights still run their original 1920s clay liners. Heat and the 1994 Northridge quake split plenty of them, and a cracked liner means the chimney is no longer sealed. Only a camera up the flue finds it.
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Salt corrosion near the water
Belmont Shore and Naples take the weather off the water, and so does the Peninsula. Anything metal up there rusts from the inside, so caps and dampers go long before the brick does.
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Spalling brick on old stacks
Century old brick soaks up water once the crown or cap fails. It freezes a little, flakes, and the face of the chimney starts shedding. Caught early it is a repair. Left alone it is a rebuild.
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Seized dampers
Corrosion locks the plate. Stuck open, you heat the outdoors all winter. Stuck closed, the first fire of the season backs smoke into the room.
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Gas conversions in remodelled homes
A lot of Long Beach fireplaces have been switched to gas. A log set dropped into a flue sized for wood needs its venting and damper clamp checked, or it spills exhaust into the room.
What we do here
Services available in Long Beach
Chimney sweeping
Drop cloths down, HEPA vacuum running, Level I inspection included.
Chimney inspection
Level I visual, or Level II camera the full length of the flue for escrow.
Chimney cap installation
Stainless caps that survive salt air. Galvanized ones do not last here.
Chimney leak repair
Ceiling stains and damp fireboxes traced back to the crown, cap or flashing.
Chimney repair
Crowns, mortar joints, spalling brick and damaged flue tile.
Gas fireplace repair
Pilots that will not hold, uneven burners, dead remotes, bad valves.
Reviews
What South Bay homeowners say
Straight from our Google and Yelp profiles. Nothing here is written by us.
Questions
Long Beach chimney questions
- How soon can you get to Long Beach?
- Usually within the week. We cover the whole Harbor and Southeast stretch, so Long Beach shares a day with Lakewood and Wilmington.
- My house is a 1920s Craftsman. Is that a different job?
- Often, yes. The older homes have original masonry and clay tile, so the camera goes up the flue before we quote. A split liner is common on these and you cannot see it from below.
- Does living near the water change things?
- Along the water in Belmont Shore and Naples, yes. Salt corrodes the cap and damper first. We fit stainless caps there because galvanised ones rust through fast.
- How often should a Long Beach chimney be inspected?
- Once a year. Near the water the concern is what salt has done to the metal. In the older inland districts it is the age and condition of the clay flue.
- We barely use the fireplace. Do we still need it checked?
- Yes. Light use means little creosote, which is the good part. It also means a flue sitting open for eleven months, long enough for a nest or a cracked liner to go unnoticed.
- Do you do inspections for escrow?
- Yes. A Level II camera inspection comes with a written report and photos, which is what a buyer's agent or their insurer will want to see.
Nearby
Other cities we cover
Book a visit
Get on the next Harbor run
Tell us the cross street and what the fireplace is doing. If it is a cap or a damper, we usually know before we pull up.
818-348-1993Open every day, 8am to 8pm. Serving Long Beach and the Harbor Area.
Request a visit
We answer the same day during business hours.