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.
Fast, Reliable Dryer Vent Cleaning Across Northridge
A dryer vent cleaning in Northridge typically runs $149 – $279 for a standard single-story ranch, and most jobs are done in under two hours. If your dryer sits against an exterior wall, the price usually lands at the lower end. If the vent run snakes through a shared chase or terminates on the roof, expect the higher end. Call (866) 520-4943 for a flat quote before we book anything.
We work throughout the 91327, 91328, 91329, and 91330 zip codes, from the postwar ranchers off Reseda Boulevard to the mid-century tracts near CSUN. Northridge homes were built in a specific era, and that era created specific venting problems. We know where they hide.
Why Firebrick Chimney Sweep Is Northridge’s Preferred Dryer Vent Cleaning Company
Firebrick Chimney Sweep isn’t a general handyman operation that added dryer vents to the menu. We’re a chimney and ventilation company first. That matters in Northridge because so many dryer exhaust systems here were originally tied into masonry chimneys, and cleaning one without understanding the other leaves lint behind. Nelson Quijada built this company around that overlap: combustion systems, venting, and the materials that hold them together.
We approach every Northridge dryer vent job the same way we approach a chimney inspection. Camera first. Evidence second. Recommendation third. Nothing gets recommended without footage the homeowner can watch with us. That’s the standard that matters when a home inspector or insurance carrier flags a vent issue, and it’s why customers in the Valley call us after a brush-and-go company left the real problem untouched.
We carry professional-grade components from HeatShield, Gelco, and Olympia Chimney, not whatever a big-box shelf happens to stock. For a Northridge ranch with a compromised clay flue tile, that’s the difference between a liner that fits and a liner that leaks.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Dryer Vent Cleaning Services in Northridge
Dryer Vent Cleaning
We remove built-up lint from the entire run, from the dryer connection to the exterior termination. In Northridge’s 1950s and ’60s ranches, those runs are rarely a straight shot. They jog through walls, attic spaces, and sometimes the same masonry chase as the fireplace. Our team pulls the dryer, brushes the full length, and runs a camera through the run to confirm nothing was left behind. The camera is not an add-on; it’s the job.
Level 2 Inspection
A Level 2 inspection uses a camera to examine the full interior of the vent or flue, which is exactly what Northridge’s shared-chase construction demands. After the 1994 earthquake, countless flue tiles in this district shifted by fractions of an inch. Those offsets create ledges where lint snags and packs. A brush pass without a camera misses the pocket. Our Dryer Vent Cleaning team scopes every run before we call it clean.
Chimney Cap Installation
Roof-mounted vent terminations in Northridge fail steadily. Santa Ana winds push debris and nesting material into uncapped or under-capped terminations, and winter rains find the gaps around old mortar. We install proper caps and termination hoods sized to the run, using components from Gelco and Olympia Chimney. On a 1963 ranch near Dearborn Street, we found a dryer vent termination that had no cap at all; the homeowner had been fighting a damp lint smell for two seasons before the camera showed a bird nest packed six inches deep.
Shared Chase Lint Extraction
This is the service that separates us from a standard vent cleaner. When a Northridge dryer vents into the same oversized masonry chase as the fireplace flue, lint accumulates in the space between the two. A standard dryer vent brush never touches that cavity. We access the chase from the cleanout or firebox and remove the lint that otherwise builds for decades. Without this step, a “clean” dryer vent still feeds combustible material into your chimney system.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Northridge
We work with HeatShield for ceramic flue resurfacing, Gelco for caps and terminations, and Olympia Chimney for liner components and chase assemblies. These are chimney-industry supply lines, not consumer-grade substitutes. For Northridge homeowners whose vent runs through an earthquake-damaged flue, HeatShield gives us a way to restore the flue surface without a full tear-out and rebuild; that’s a meaningful cost gap. Our Dryer Vent Cleaning in Northridge customers get the same materials we’d use on our own chimney repairs.
Common Dryer Vent Cleaning Problems We See in Northridge Homes
- Shared-chase venting into fireplace flues. The original 1950s and ’60s builders in Northridge sometimes ran dryer exhaust into the same oversized masonry chase as the fireplace. Lint from the dryer coats the firebox and flue interior, and homeowners mistake the smoke-back for a draft problem. It’s a lint problem wearing a chimney’s clothes.
- Earthquake-shifted flue tile ledges. The ’94 quake moved flue tiles in thousands of these homes by a quarter inch or more. Each offset becomes a shelf where lint catches. A brush goes over it. The clog returns in months. Only a camera exposes the ledge.
- Missing or failed termination caps. After Santa Ana wind events, we see roof terminations packed with eucalyptus bark, palm fronds, and nesting debris. A missing dryer vent cap in Northridge is an open invitation to birds and windblown material. The fix is a proper cap, not a repeated cleanout.
- Long, multi-jog vent runs with trapped elbows. Ranch floor plans put dryers in interior laundry rooms, far from exterior walls. The result is a vent run that turns three, four, five times before it reaches daylight. Every elbow is a lint trap, and every trap is a reason to inspect, not just brush.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterPricing for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Northridge, CA
A standard dryer vent cleaning in Northridge runs $149 – $279 for most single-story homes. That includes the full brush pass and the camera confirmation. Roof-terminated runs and second-story laundry rooms add $40 – $80 for ladder and safety equipment. Shared-chase access, where we extract lint from the masonry cavity around the flue, runs $225 – $395 depending on chase size and access point.
If the camera shows earthquake-related tile offsets or a deteriorated flue, we’ll show you the footage before we quote a liner or resurfacing. A HeatShield resurfacing job in a typical Northridge ranch chimney starts around $1,800 – $2,600. A dedicated liner for the dryer run, where we recommend separating it from the fireplace flue entirely, typically lands between $900 – $1,500. You’ll see the video that justifies every dollar before you approve it. Call (866) 520-4943 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Northridge
Our trucks run throughout the west Valley. We handle dryer vent cleaning and chimney work in North Hills, Encino, Van Nuys, and Valley Glen, where the same postwar housing stock and earthquake-damaged flues show up again and again. If you’re just over the 405 in Van Nuys or east toward Valley Glen, the drive is short and the problems are familiar.
Serving Northridge, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Northridge 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 – Dryer Vent Cleaning in Northridge
Yes. We clean the dryer run and the shared chase cavity without touching the fireplace flue unless the camera shows lint intrusion into the flue itself. In that case, we show you the footage and quote both services separately. You approve the extra work only after seeing the evidence.
The only way to know is a camera inspection. Shifted flue tiles, separated mortar joints, and hairline cracks inside a masonry chase are not visible from outside the house. In Northridge, where the epicenter was under the district itself, we find quake-related offsets on a high percentage of older chases. A Level 2 camera pass shows you the exact offset, measured and marked.
Yes, and it’s actually worse when the dryer sits unused. Lint in a shared chase dries completely over the summer, then when you run the dryer in the fall or fire the fireplace on a cold Valley evening, that desiccated lint is the most combustible material in the system. One ember or one hot surge from a clogged dryer is enough. Seasonal use doesn’t reduce the risk; it concentrates it.
Because the two vents share a chase, and wind pressure against the roof termination pushes fireplace smoke back down through the seams and into the dryer duct. The fix is separating the dryer vent from the fireplace flue with a dedicated liner, or at minimum installing proper caps and sealing the chase. We’ll show you on camera exactly where the paths connect. Call (866) 520-4943 and we’ll schedule the inspection.
We’ll only recommend a liner if the camera shows a reason: a separated tile, a damaged flue wall, or lint packed into areas a brush can’t reach. On a 1958 ranch off Reseda Boulevard near the old Northridge Mall, our tech found the dryer vent tied into the original clay-tile flue shared with the fireplace, with lint caked around a separated tile joint. We showed the homeowner the exact offset, likely from the ’94 quake, then cleared the lint and recommended a dedicated liner only after the footage made the case. No video, no recommendation.
Call Firebrick Chimney Sweep for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Northridge
If your Northridge home has a dryer vent that’s never been inspected, or the last cleaning was a brush pass with no camera, call us. We’ll give you a flat quote, a real inspection, and footage you can watch. Reach Nelson Quijada’s team at (866) 520-4943 for a free estimate. We serve all Northridge zip codes: 91327, 91328, 91329, and 91330.
Written by Nelson Quijada, Owner at Firebrick Chimney Sweep, serving Northridge and the San Fernando Valley.