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 Chimney Sweep Across Highland
A chimney sweep in Highland, CA typically runs $180 to $340 for a standard fireplace cleaning, and most homes in the 92346 ZIP code need it every year if they burn wood seasonally. We’ve worked on chimneys throughout Highland since before the newer developments off Base Line Road went up, and we know firsthand how the foothill elevation changes how a flue behaves. Call (866) 520-4943 and we’ll get you on the schedule.
Why Firebrick Chimney Sweep Is Highland’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Highland homeowners call us because we do something most sweep-only companies can’t: when we find a problem during the sweep, we fix it ourselves. No referrals to a mason you’ve never met. No third-party liner company showing up two weeks later. Nelson Quijada built Firebrick around the idea that a chimney company should handle the whole system, and that’s what we do.
We’ve cleaned and repaired fireplaces in the neighborhoods off Greenspot Road, near Highland Avenue, and up in the foothill tracts where the homes back up to open brush. What that gives us is a working knowledge of what Highland’s housing stock actually looks like inside the flue: clay-tile liners from the 1960s and 70s, prefab metal stacks in the newer construction, and a fair number of fireplaces that were never inspected after the home changed hands. When a Highland homeowner tells us their chimney “just needs a sweep,” we know that the real answer depends on what the camera shows us.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Sweep Certified in Highland
Chimney Sweep Certified means exactly what it sounds like: a full mechanical cleaning of the flue, smoke chamber, damper, and firebox, done to remove creosote, soot, and any blockages that restrict proper draft. For a Highland homeowner, this is the annual baseline, and it’s also what your insurance carrier or a local fire marshal in the San Bernardino County foothill zone may ask for in writing after a wood-burning season. A standard sweep in Highland runs $180 to $340 depending on flue condition and whether it’s a masonry or prefab system.
What the Sweep Actually Includes
We brush the full flue length, vacuum the firebox and smoke shelf, reset and test the damper, and run a visual check of the cap and crown. On a masonry chimney we’re also looking at the mortar joints from the inside, because Highland’s dry-heat summers and cool snaps open up hairline cracks faster than homeowners expect.
When a Camera Check Is Part of the Sweep
If we feel resistance in the flue, see heavy glazing, or suspect a cracked tile, we run a camera down before we do anything else. That footage gets shown to you before any repair recommendation is made. Not after. Not second-hand. You see what we see.
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in Highland
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in Highland is often the most overlooked service we offer, because gas units don’t produce creosote and homeowners assume they stay clean on their own. They don’t. The logs and burner assembly collect dust, pet hair, and fine debris that can affect flame pattern and introduce a faint odor when the unit runs on those occasional cold snaps Highland gets in December and January. A gas fireplace cleaning and safety check in Highland runs $140 to $250 for most units.
What a Gas Fireplace Service Covers
We remove and clean the ceramic logs, inspect the burner and pilot assembly, verify the thermocouple and thermopile readings, and clean the glass properly so it doesn’t etch. If the unit is a direct-vent insert, we also check the vent termination outside for blockages.
Why We Do a Draft and Combustion Check Too
A gas log set venting into a masonry chimney is fine when the flue is sized right and the damper is clamped open correctly. When it’s wrong, you get soot staining on the mantel or a sulfur smell in the room. Both are symptoms we trace back to the venting setup, not just the burner.
Trusted Brands We Service in Highland
We use professional-grade chimney materials in Highland because there’s no reason to rebuild a flue with consumer-grade parts. We stock and install HeatShield ceramic resurfacing systems for deteriorating clay tile, Gelco and Olympia Chimney caps and dampers, and Famco components where the original venting hardware is obsolete. Having these parts in our own inventory means a Highland homeowner isn’t waiting on a supply house in San Bernardino when their cap is rusted through or their damper has seized.
Common Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Highland Homes
– Unlined clay-tile flues with spalled mortar joints. In mid-century Highland tracts, it’s common to open a firebox and find mortar joints inside the flue that are missing or crumbling. Water entry through a bad crown accelerates this fast, and the dry Santa Ana season bakes the damage in.
– Prefab metal chimneys with retrofitted gas appliances. Some newer homes in the 92346 have an air-cooled metal chimney that was sized for an open fireplace, not a gas insert. When an appliance gets swapped in without accounting for draft demand, we see condensation and rust inside the stack.
– Third-degree creosote glaze near the smoke chamber. This is the hardened, tar-like creosote that forms from low-heat, smoldering fires, common when Highland homeowners burn soft wood or use the fireplace only on occasion. A brush won’t remove it, and the glaze is fuel for a chimney fire.
– Missing or clogged spark arrestors in foothill homes. In the Wildland-Urban Interface streets off the base of the foothills, a damaged spark arrestor isn’t a cosmetic issue. Santa Ana winds can push embers from the flue onto dry brush, and the fire path from there is measured in seconds.
See the difference
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We Also Serve Cities Near Highland
We handle chimney sweeping and repair across San Bernardino, Muscoy, Redlands, and Loma Linda as well, so if you’re on the edge of Highland or split your time between work in San Bernardino and home in the 92346, we can coordinate the same day. Our full service coverage details are on the Chimney Sweep page, and Chimney Sweep in Highland has the local scope.
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 About Chimney Sweep in Highland
My Highland house has an unlined clay-tile flue – do I have to reline it?
Not necessarily. An unlined flue is only a failure if the camera shows cracked tiles, missing mortar joints, or gas venting into the surrounding masonry. We run the camera first. In some Highland homes we’ve found that a spalled crown was the real culprit letting water in, and after the crown repair the existing clay tile was sound enough for continued wood burning. You’ll see the footage before anyone talks about a liner.
Why does my prefab chimney in 92346 need a different sweep than a masonry fireplace?
Prefab chimneys are factory-engineered metal systems with specific clearances and liner diameters, usually air-cooled or insulated. We sweep them with poly brushes instead of steel, because steel can scratch the thin metal liner. More importantly, we check the installation as-specified: the firebox, the pipe diameter, the height above the roof in a wind-exposed Highland lot. A prefab stack that was fine for an open fire can be undersized for a gas insert, and that shows up as draft failure and interior rust.
How often should I get a chimney inspection in Highland?
Every year if you burn wood, and at minimum every other year if the fireplace is decorative. In Highland’s fire-prone foothills, an annual Level 1 inspection also documents your maintenance record, which can be the difference between an insurance renewal going through or getting flagged. The dry-season vegetation risk around the 92346 makes that paper trail more relevant than in flatland neighborhoods.
What is third-degree creosote and can a sweep just brush it off?
Third-degree creosote is a hard, glossy glaze that forms when flue temperatures stay low and smoke condenses on the walls. A brush barely scratches it. Removing it properly requires rotary chains or chemical treatment, and in some Highland fireplaces we see it concentrated near the smoke chamber where the temperatures are the lowest. This is the one deposit that causes the most chimney fires because it’s concentrated fuel, pure and simple.
Do Santa Ana winds really affect my chimney in the foothills?
Yes, and in two ways. First, strong northeast winds hitting a chimney cap from the wrong angle can push smoke back down the flue, which means your fireplace draft fails right when you want a fire. Second, if your spark arrestor screen is rusted or clogged, an ember gets carried out of the flue and onto dry brush. In the flat streets of San Bernardino that ember might land on a lawn. In the Highland foothills it lands on fuel.
Get Your Chimney Inspected Before the Next Santa Ana
Firebrick Chimney Sweep serves Highland with full chimney sweeping, camera inspection, repair, and dryer vent cleaning. You can schedule a sweep, get an honest assessment of your liner, and if we find something, we fix it ourselves. Call (866) 520-4943 for a free estimate, and we’ll book a time that works with your schedule in Highland.
Written by Nelson Quijada, Owner at Firebrick Chimney Sweep, serving Highland, CA.