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 Cicero
Chimney sweeping in Cicero typically costs $169 – $289 for a standard cleaning with a Level 1 inspection, depending on flue condition and accessibility. Most Cicero jobs are completed the same visit, and the work starts with a camera inspection so you see exactly what we see before any repairs are recommended. If you live in a brick two-flat off Cermak Road or a bungalow near Cicero Avenue, you’re dealing with a chimney built for coal, not the gas furnace or wood stove venting into it now. That matters, and it’s why our Chimney Sweep team approaches every Cicero home differently than a newer suburban house. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate.
Why Wexford Chimney Sweep Is Cicero’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Norm Sulecki built Wexford Chimney Sweep around a simple rule: show the homeowner the footage, explain what it means, and never recommend work the camera doesn’t support. That approach earns trust in a town full of original coal-era chimneys, where the wrong advice costs thousands. Cicero customers tell us the same thing after every job: nobody had ever shown them the inside of their flue before.
We work throughout Cicero regularly, across the residential streets between Austin Boulevard and Cicero Avenue, and our familiarity with local building quirks saves time. For homeowners seeking Gelco service in Cicero, our local knowledge matters. We know which bungalows still vent a gas water heater into the furnace flue. We know where cleanout doors got buried during mid-century remodels. That’s institutional knowledge you won’t get from a franchise sweep that parachutes in for an afternoon.
No visit ends with a scare-sell about a “dangerous” chimney unless the camera footage backs it up. We’ll pull the camera out, review it with you, and if the flue is intact and properly sized, we’ll tell you it’s fine. That’s the Wexford way across Cicero.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Sweep Services in Cicero
Chimney Sweep Services in Cicero always start with a camera inspection, because the flue in your home was almost certainly built for coal, not the appliance now using it. Our crews remove creosote and soot deposits mechanically, then run a camera through the flue to document liner condition, draft path, and any blockages before reattaching the appliance. You’ll see the before and after footage.
A standard sweep in Cicero covers the smoke chamber, flue, damper assembly, and firebox when present. We bag the work area, run a negative-pressure HEPA vacuum system, and leave the hearth cleaner than we found it. The job usually runs $169 – $289 including a Level 1 inspection.
Creosote and Soot Removal
Creosote is the byproduct of wood combustion, and in an older Cicero flue, it accumulates unevenly where the clay tile has spalled or the mortar joints have opened. We remove stage one and stage two deposits with steel rotary brushes sized to your flue dimensions. Stage three creosote, the hard glossy glaze, often requires chemical treatment and follow-up sweeping before it can be cleared safely.
Fireplace Cleaning
The firebox itself collects ash, soot, and burnt debris that can restrict airflow and damage the refractory panels. We hand-clean the firebox, clean the damper and smoke shelf, and inspect the hearth for cracks that could allow heat transfer into the framing. You’ll get a clear report on what we found.
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.
Chimney Cleaning in Cicero
Chimney Cleaning in Cicero means addressing flues that have spent decades absorbing the output of whatever fuel was cheapest that winter. We clean gas furnace flues, water heater vents, wood stove connectors, and fireplace chimneys. The focus is on clearing the path that exhaust gases travel, because a restricted flue in a tight brick two-flat means carbon monoxide has nowhere to go but back inside.
Most Cicero cleanings are completed in two to three hours, from setup to final camera pass. The cost range of $169 – $289 reflects the flue’s condition and whether we’re also cleaning a connected appliance path. Every cleaning includes camera documentation.
Annual Sweep
An annual sweep in Cicero is not optional if you burn wood, and it’s still recommended for gas appliances because even low-temperature exhaust leaves deposits that narrow the flue over seasons. Homes along Ogden Avenue and in the 60804 ZIP code see significant seasonal use, and the humid summers accelerate the hardening of creosote left from the previous burn season. An annual schedule gets the flue before the deposits become difficult to remove.
Level 1 and Level 2 Inspections
A Level 1 inspection accompanies every sweep and covers the accessible portions of the chimney, including the flue interior via camera. A Level 2 inspection goes further, documenting the exterior masonry, the attic chase where accessible, and any hidden portions of the flue path. In Cicero, we recommend a Level 2 when a property changes hands, when an appliance is converted from wood to gas, or after a chimney fire.
Trusted Brands We Service in Cicero
We stock DuraFlex and Copperfield components for relining jobs across Cicero and can source HeatShield repair materials for flues that need restoration rather than replacement. Famco caps and covers are available for properties with damaged or missing chimney caps, and we install them in-house. These are the same product lines chimney contractors specify nationwide, and carrying them locally means faster turnaround when a Cicero flue needs a liner section or cap replacement. No hardware-store substitutes, no off-brand relining kits.
Common Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Cicero Homes
- Undersized clay tile flues from the coal era. Many two-flats built before 1930 have flue tiles sized to vent a coal stove or low-output coal furnace, not a modern gas furnace. We’ll measure and camera the flue before anyone tells you it needs relining.
- Gas water heaters sharing the furnace flue. In dozens of Cicero homes, the water heater vents into the same masonry flue as the furnace. After sweeping, that combined draft path needs verification with a manometer or draft gauge, especially in cold weather when stack effect is weakest.
- Buried cleanout doors. We regularly find cleanout doors hidden behind drywall or covered by siding during mid-century remodels along Cermak Road and near Morton College. A buried cleanout means creosote from the smoke chamber never got fully removed in past cleanings, and it has to be located and opened before the sweep can be complete.
- Freeze-thaw spalling on crown and masonry. Lake-effect moisture and hard winter freeze cycles chip away at chimney crowns and brick faces. We document spalling during the level two camera pass and can recommend crown repair materials before water works its way into the flue chase.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterPricing for Chimney Sweep in Cicero, IL
A standard chimney sweep in Cicero runs $169 – $289. If the flue has heavy glazed creosote or hasn’t been cleaned in multiple seasons, expect the higher end of that range or a small add-on for chemical treatment. Level 2 inspections run $149 – $249 as a standalone service. Relining work is quoted separately, only after camera footage confirms the need, and we’ll show you the exact reason before any numbers come up. Estimates are free, and the price quoted before the job starts is the price you pay. Call (866) 361-2607 to schedule.
We Also Serve Cities Near Cicero
Wexford Chimney Sweep covers surrounding communities including Berwyn, Stickney, North Lawndale, and South Lawndale. If you’re just across the border from Cicero, the same camera-first process applies. Our Chimney Sweep in Cicero team can often reach nearby addresses in the same scheduling window.
Serving Cicero, IL — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Cicero 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 Cicero
Yes, if a gas furnace or water heater vents into the flue, an annual inspection is still warranted because gas combustion produces water vapor and acidic condensate that deteriorates old clay tile liners faster than most homeowners expect. In Cicero’s older housing stock, a gas flue that hasn’t been inspected in years may have hidden spalling or blockage that the camera will find. If the flue is clean and sound, we’ll tell you that plainly and you can go another year. Call (866) 361-2607 to schedule an inspection.
It can be safe, but it requires verification that the combined draft is adequate after both appliances are running. In many Cicero homes, the original clay tile was sized for one coal appliance, and when a gas furnace and water heater both vent into it, the cross-sectional area may be too small, causing spillage. We check draft with both appliances firing and document it on camera. If the flue is too small, we’ll show you the measurements and recommend a correctly sized liner, not an upsell.
Third-degree creosote looks like glossy, tar-like deposits baked onto the flue wall, not the flaky black soot of a normal season’s buildup. You won’t see it from the firebox; it requires a camera scan, which is standard with our Cicero sweeps. If we find stage three creosote, we’ll show you the footage, explain that mechanical brushing alone won’t clear it, and recommend a chemical treatment protocol before further sweeping. Call (866) 361-2607 for a camera inspection.
During mid-century remodels across Cicero, many homeowners drywalled over chimney chase areas or covered cleanout doors with siding to gain interior space, and the doors were never relocated. A buried cleanout means creosote and debris from past sweepings collected at the base of the flue and hardened. We locate the cleanout position from inside, and on a recent job near Cermak Road, our tech found a buried cleanout door behind drywall in a 1920s brick two-flat, exposing a clay tile flue so undersized for the furnace that we ran a camera to show the homeowner the cracked tiles before recommending a HeatShield relining system. No work started until they saw the footage. That’s how we operate everywhere in Cicero.
We install DuraFlex flexible liner systems, the industry standard for retrofit relining in masonry chimneys, and we use Copperfield components for termination and cap work. For flues where the clay tile is cracked but structurally intact, HeatShield repair materials can restore the liner surface without a full reline in qualifying cases. Every recommendation in Cicero begins with camera footage, and we’ll walk you through the options before any material is ordered.
Get Your Cicero Chimney Inspected Before Burn Season
If you own a home in Cicero, your chimney was built for a different century. Let’s find out what’s actually happening inside it. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate, and Norm Sulecki’s team at Wexford Chimney Sweep will schedule a sweep or inspection at your convenience. We’ll show you the camera footage, answer your questions straight, and only recommend work the evidence supports.
Written by Norm Sulecki, Owner at Wexford Chimney Sweep, serving Cicero since day one.