Service area
Manhattan Beach chimney sweep for gas rebuilds and older homes
AAA Chimney Sweep is a family owned chimney and fireplace company serving Manhattan Beach. We service gas fireplaces in the Sand Section rebuilds and sweep the brick chimneys still standing on older houses up the hill. Founded 1977. In Manhattan Beach, sweeps are starting at $99 and inspections starting at $69.
What is the fireplace doing?
8am to 8pm
The rebuild years
Newer Manhattan Beach houses burn gas
A Manhattan Beach house that started construction on or after March 9, 2009 cannot have a permanently installed wood burning fireplace. South Coast AQMD Rule 445 bars them in new development.
That matters here because the city has rebuilt so much. The council set up a mansionization committee in 2005. It rewrote the residential building standards in 2008, the year three lots were merged for a 16,000 square foot house. Since 2010 a new project can combine two lots at most.
So a Sand Section house rebuilt since 2009 has a gas unit, often a factory built one. They still need a yearly service. Vents clog. Glass seals harden. Pilots quit.
Sections of the city
From El Porto to the Hill Section
The city was built on sand dunes up to 60 feet high. Crews were leveling them in the 1920s, and most early houses were simple wooden cottages. About 1,100 homes from before 1940 still stand. Most of the rest are postwar houses and newer builds.
- El Porto
- Sand Section
- The Strand
- Gas Lamp Section
- Tree Section
- Hill Section
- Poet's Section
- Manhattan Heights
- Manhattan Village
Services
Gas work, masonry work, and the inspection before either
Gas fireplace repair
Pilot, thermocouple and valve work on Sand Section gas units.
Fireplace insert installation
Sealed gas inserts for older masonry fireboxes an owner wants to keep.
Fireplace remodel
New surrounds and fireboxes when a Tree Section house gets redone.
Chimney inspection
Level II before a remodel plan is final, so the flue is known before the drawings are.
Chimney sweeping
Brushing and vacuuming for Manhattan Beach masonry chimneys that still burn wood.
Chimney cap installation
Caps in stainless for the older brick stacks nearest the sand.
House by house
What we check on each kind of Manhattan Beach house
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Rebuilds with factory built gas units
A direct vent unit draws air from outside and pushes exhaust out through a wall or roof termination. We check that termination, the glass gasket, the burner and the pilot. A blocked vent is the fault we look for first.
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Postwar houses on their first chimney
About 3,400 of the homes standing today were built in the 1950s, more than in any other decade. Their brick chimneys are close to seventy years old. Crowns crack. Damper plates rust.
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Tree Section remodels
Palm, Oak, Elm, Pine. The streets gave the section its name, and many of the first postwar houses there have been enlarged or replaced. Where a remodel kept the old chimney, new roofing meets old brick at the flashing. That joint gets a close look.
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Wood fireplaces that still burn
An older fireplace can keep burning wood, except on no-burn days from November through February. Gas logs or an insert get around that for good, since gas units are exempt.
Questions
Gas, wood and remodel questions
- Can I put a wood burning fireplace in my new build?
- Not a permanently installed one. Rule 445 bars them in new development, meaning construction that began on or after March 9, 2009. Gas units are allowed.
- Does a gas fireplace in a newer house need a yearly service?
- Yes. We check the vent termination, the glass seal, the burner and the pilot assembly. A new unit wears like anything else with a flame in it.
- We are remodeling and want to keep the old chimney. What should we check first?
- Get a Level II camera inspection before the design is final. If the flue tile is cracked, relining during the remodel is easier than doing it after.
- Can you convert our wood fireplace to gas?
- Yes, with gas logs or a sealed gas insert, depending on how you use the fireplace. Gas units are exempt from South Coast AQMD no-burn days, so it can run on any winter night.
Along the coast
North and south of Manhattan Beach
El Segundo is the next city north. Hermosa and Redondo sit to the south, with Torrance past them.
Book a visit
Gas or wood, tell us which
Say whether the fireplace runs on gas or wood, and roughly when the house was built or last remodeled. That decides which parts come with us. Our Yelp profile has reviews from past customers.
818-348-1993Phones answered 8am to 8pm, every day of the week.
Request a visit
We answer the same day during business hours.