Service area
Harbor air, old brick: chimney sweep and repair in Wilmington
AAA Chimney Sweep is a family run chimney service for Wilmington, the Los Angeles neighborhood on the harbor, and we handle sweeping, inspection and repair. Wilmington joined the City of Los Angeles in 1909. About one home in six in the 90744 ZIP code was built before 1940.
What is the fireplace doing?
8am to 8pm
Where the wear shows
What we check first on a Wilmington chimney
Four things we look at on an older house near the port.
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Caps close to the water
Steel corrodes faster in salty, damp air, and Wilmington sits right on the harbor. A galvanized cap is the first part to give. We fit stainless.
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Prewar brick and mortar
Houses from before 1940 often have soft lime mortar. Joints wash out near the top and bricks start to loosen. Repointing puts new mortar into the old joints.
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Old clay liners, or none
A liner from the 1920s or 1930s has had nearly a century of heat. Some chimneys that old were built without one. A camera tells you which you have.
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Dampers and the smoke shelf
Rust and soot collect on the shelf behind the damper. A plate that sticks halfway pushes smoke back into the room. A sweep clears the shelf.
Banning's port town, part of Los Angeles since 1909
Wilmington was a working port town long before the city annexed it, and its houses run from before 1940 to today.
Phineas Banning acquired the land in 1858 and named the town after Wilmington, Delaware, where he was born. His 23 room Greek Revival house went up in 1864. It still stands in Banning Park, which the city took over in 1927.
Drum Barracks dates to 1862. Its junior officers' quarters is the only intact Civil War era army building left in Southern California.
Industry is part of the picture. Marathon's Wilmington refinery dates to 1923, and the Port of Long Beach sits right next door. The state air board lists port, rail and refinery activity among this area's air sources.
Customers have left reviews for us on Yelp, worth a look before you call.
Services
Services for older harbor homes
Chimney sweeping
Wilmington flues brushed clean, with a Level I look at the chimney on every visit.
Chimney inspection
Camera runs for prewar flues that may have cracked tile or no liner.
Chimney cap installation
A stainless cap for any roof that catches harbor air.
Chimney repair
Soft old mortar repointed and loose top courses reset.
Chimney relining
A stainless liner for a clay flue that has cracked or never had tile.
Chimney leak repair
A stained ceiling traced back to the cap, crown or flashing above it.
Questions
Wilmington owners ask
- Is Wilmington part of the City of Los Angeles?
- Yes. Los Angeles annexed Wilmington, along with San Pedro, on August 28, 1909.
- Our place dates from the 1920s. Is there even a flue liner?
- It may not. Some chimneys from that era were built without clay tile. A camera run, which comes with a Level II inspection, is the only sure way to know.
- Why does the cap on our roof rust so quickly?
- Salt and damp near the harbor go after steel, and a galvanized cap has only a thin zinc coating to protect it. Stainless lasts far longer in the same air.
- Can a chimney this old be repaired, or does it have to come down?
- Many can be repaired. Loose brick at the top gets reset, soft joints get repointed, and a cracked flue gets a stainless liner. A rebuild is for chimneys that have lost their structure.
Nearby
More of the harbor and next door
Wilmington borders Carson to the north and Long Beach to the east.
Book a visit
Have us look at your Wilmington chimney
Tell us the street, roughly how old the house is, and what happens when you light the fireplace.
818-348-1993Hours are 8am to 8pm, Sunday included.
Request a visit
Send it in business hours and we answer the same day.