Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Highland, CA | Firebrick Chimney Sweep
We provide independent Gelco chimney cleaning and repair across Highland, California. What makes our Gelco work different here is simple: we treat every Gelco-capped stack in the 92346 ZIP as a wildfire-safety inspection first and a standard sweep second. Highland’s foothill position means Santa Ana winds load your spark arrestor with brush litter and test your cap’s seams in ways flatland chimneys never see. If your Gelco fireplace is drafting poorly, smoking back, or overdue for service, call (866) 520-4943 for a free estimate.
Why Highland Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
Gelco builds factory-built fireplace systems and cap assemblies that show up on a lot of Highland’s mid-century tract homes and newer foothill developments. We know how they age here. Nelson Quijada grew up off Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood and spent twenty years working on chimneys in hillside homes before narrowing his focus entirely to flue systems, firebox masonry, and draft diagnostics. That’s why we don’t guess at Gelco equipment. We inspect it, scope it, and tell you what’s actually failing. Our Gelco sales & service work covers caps, dampers, arrestors, and fireboxes, and because we repair in addition to sweeping, a problem found during your cleaning doesn’t get handed off to another contractor. We fit OEM-equivalent Gelco components where the original dimensions call for them, and we stock common cap and arrestor parts so Highland turnaround doesn’t drag on.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Highland
These are the failures we see most often on Gelco systems in Highland’s climate and housing stock:
- Sun-baked termination caps with cracked seams and rivets. Years of 100°F-plus Highland summers heat-cycle the cap metal until seams split open. Once that happens, the flue is exposed to wind-driven debris and rain. We replace the cap with an OEM-equivalent or quality aftermarket unit sized to the original.
- Spark arrestors packed with dry brush litter after Santa Ana events. Wind loads the mesh with leaves, twigs, and charred embers from the surrounding foothills. When the arrestor clogs, draft collapses and smoke rolls back into the room. We clear it and, where the mesh is rusted through, replace the screen.
- Cracked mortar crowns and heat-cycled stucco chases. Highland’s dry heat and occasional cold-season rain stress the crown and chase. Cracks let water at the flue tile and firebox. We seal and coat crowns so moisture can’t keep working its way in.
- Seized or rusted dampers on fireplaces left unused through long hot seasons. A Gelco damper that sits idle all summer in a foothill home often rusts or binds by the first winter fire. We free or replace it as part of the service call.
- Creosote buildup in wood-burning Gelco fireboxes. Seasonal burning in Highland produces creosote that clings to the flue. Left alone, it’s fuel for a chimney fire. We remove it mechanically and confirm the flue is clear with a camera scope.
Gelco Service in Highland: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Highland sits in the Wildland-Urban Interface, which changes how we handle Gelco equipment here. Santa Ana wind events can carry embers off a chimney onto dry brush at the property line, so on a Gelco-capped stack in the 92346 ZIP we treat a clogged or rusted spark arrestor as a wildfire-safety defect to clear before fire season, not a fall housekeeping item. That priority doesn’t apply the same way on flatland blocks in neighboring cities like Gelco in San Bernardino. A Gelco cap that looks fine from the yard can have cracked seams and a packed arrestor once you’re on the roof. We were called to a mid-century foothill home in Highland after the first cool night produced smoke rolling back into the room. On the roof we found the original Gelco termination cap mesh packed solid with leaves and brush litter from the last Santa Ana blow, plus a hairline crack in the crown letting water at the flue. We cleaned and camera-scoped the flue, replaced the arrestor screen and cap, and coated the crown so the same wind-driven debris couldn’t jam the draft again next season.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in Highland
We work on the Gelco systems most common across Highland’s housing stock. That includes Gelco factory-built metal fireplaces with chase covers and top-mount termination caps, Gelco multi-flue cap assemblies on masonry fireplaces, Gelco spark arrestor and mesh screen caps, and Gelco prefab fireboxes with gas-log insert conversions. On parts, our rule is straightforward. We fit OEM-equivalent Gelco caps, dampers, and screens where the original dimensions call for them, and we go to quality aftermarket multi-flue caps when an exact match isn’t made anymore. But we won’t sell you a new cap to paper over a cracked crown or failing flue tile. We fix the real defect first, then put the right component on top of it. Most common Gelco cap and arrestor parts are stocked locally, so Highland service calls don’t wait on long shipping delays like they might for Gelco repair in Muscoy.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterGelco Service Pricing in Highland
Chimney sweeping in Highland typically runs between $180 and $340 for a standard cleaning with inspection, depending on flue condition, roof access, and whether the system is wood-burning or gas. Gelco cap replacement with an OEM-equivalent or aftermarket unit generally adds $120 to $450 depending on cap size and material. Spark arrestor screen replacement runs $75 to $200 on top of the sweep. Crown coating and minor mortar sealing typically adds $150 to $400. Your estimate is free and we give you exact numbers before any work begins. Call (866) 520-4943 and we’ll scope the flue, show you what we find, and quote the repair only if it’s actually needed.
Serving Highland, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Highland area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Highland
Sometimes, but not always. In Highland specifically, we find packed spark arrestors and wind-loaded debris as often as creosote. The first thing we check is the cap mesh. If it’s clogged, smoke has nowhere to go and rolls back into the house. A camera scope tells us which problem you have. Call (866) 520-4943 and we’ll diagnose it properly.
Highland’s summer heat bakes the cap seams and rivets until they fail from the inside. From the ground, everything looks intact. Up close, the metal is cracked, warped, or pulling apart. That’s why every Gelco service here includes a hands-on cap inspection, not a visual check from the driveway.
Yes. A clogged or rusted arrestor on a foothill home isn’t just a draft issue. During Santa Ana conditions, embers can clear a defective screen and land on dry brush at the property line. We treat arrestor maintenance as a pre-fire-season safety item, not a routine fall task. If yours is clogged, we clear it. If it’s rusted through, we replace the screen.
We can. Highland’s newer developments and many mid-century tracts have prefab metal fireplaces with Gelco chase covers and top-mount caps. We service the full system: cap, chase, firebox, damper, and flue. The cleaning method differs from masonry, but the inspection standard is the same. A camera scope works in both.
Once a year if you burn wood regularly. In Highland’s WUI zones, we also recommend a pre-fire-season arrestor check each fall, especially after Santa Ana wind events, similar to our Gelco in Redlands recommendations. If you burn only occasionally, every two years is usually enough, but the arrestor still needs an annual look. Call (866) 520-4943 for a free estimate and we’ll tell you what your system actually needs.
Service Areas Near Highland
Beyond Highland, we provide Gelco service across the surrounding San Bernardino foothill communities and nearby areas. That includes Highland service area coverage throughout the 92346 ZIP, plus Gelco service in Lakeland Village and Gelco service in Good Hope for homeowners just outside the immediate foothill zone.
Book Your Gelco Service in Highland Today
If your Gelco fireplace is smoking, drafting poorly, or overdue for a cleaning, call (866) 520-4943. We’ll schedule your sweep, inspect the cap and arrestor, and give you an honest quote before any repair work starts, just as we do for Gelco service in Loma Linda. Estimates are free.
Written by Nelson Quijada, Owner at Firebrick Chimney Sweep, serving Highland since he first started working on foothill chimney systems.