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.
DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning in Chicago, IL | Wexford Chimney Sweep
We provide independent DuraFlex chimney cleaning and repair service across Chicago’s residential neighborhoods. The DuraFlex work here in Chicago isn’t like DuraFlex work in the suburbs or downstate. It’s shaped by the city’s pre-war housing stock: brick two- and three-flats with interior masonry chimneys that have been through a century of freeze-thaw cycles, and a lot of those chimneys now carry DuraFlex liners that were installed years ago and haven’t been inspected since. That’s our specialty. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate, and we’ll tell you exactly what’s going on inside your flue before we ever put a brush to it.
Why Chicago Residents Choose Us for DuraFlex Service
We’ve swept and relined hundreds of Chicago chimneys fitted with DuraFlex stainless liners. We know how the seams, insulation wraps, and appliance connectors on those liners behave after years inside a damp masonry flue. We stock genuine DuraFlex sales & service components, including top plates, caps, insulation wrap, and appliance connectors, so when we find a loose termination or a crumbling wrap, we can usually fix it the same visit rather than ordering parts and coming back.
Norm Sulecki grew up a few blocks from the Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero and has been working on chimneys in this part of Cook County for going on two decades. He started Wexford Chimney Sweep with a simple approach: tell homeowners exactly what the camera shows, recommend repairs when they’re actually needed, and skip the scare tactics. That’s why so much of our DuraFlex service in East Garfield Park and across Chicago comes from referrals, not ads. Homeowners with old brick two-flats want a specialist who speaks the language of their building.
Styles & brands we work with
Common DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Chicago
- Crumbling factory insulation wrap. DuraFlex liners with the factory wrap hold heat well when they’re new, but inside a damp masonry flue that wrap can slough off after several winters. We see it often in Chicago’s unlined or partially lined flues where moisture from freeze-thaw cycles seeps through the brick. The liner ends up under-insulated, which means a gas furnace flue runs cool and condenses. We re-wrap where the liner’s still sound.
- Loose top plates and termination caps. Chicago’s hard winters spall the crown wash around a DuraFlex top plate. Snowmelt drips down the annular space between the liner and the old clay tile, and come spring the cap is sitting crooked. We re-terminate with a new DuraFlex top plate and cap, then coat the crown so it stops spalling.
- Separated section seams and appliance connectors. On older DuraFlex installs, the seams and connectors pull apart or corrode where the original clay tile is offset or missing behind a first-floor wall. In Chicago service area pre-war two-flats, that hidden joint is exactly where a camera inspection finds the problem before the brush does. A separated seam means flue gases leak into the chimney chase, not up the flue, and that’s a carbon monoxide path.
- Oversized liners running cool. A lot of Chicago flues once served a furnace and a water heater. When the water heater vent was abandoned, the DuraFlex liner stayed sized for both appliances, so it runs cool and collects creosote or condensate. We’ll tell you honestly if your liner is oversized and what that means for your specific setup.
- Hidden breaches from abandoned appliance vents. The Century of Progress-era two-flat in Brighton Park or McKinley Park will often have an old water heater breech still cut into the masonry. A DuraFlex liner running through that flue passes right by the abandoned opening, and if the breech was never properly sealed, it’s a draft leak and a debris trap. We find these with a Level 2 camera inspection and seal them properly.
DuraFlex Service in Chicago: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Here’s the thing most DuraFlex pages never tell you. Chicago’s near-west and near-south two- and three-flats, the 1880s-to-1920s brick buildings in 60608, 60609, and 60607, often still carry the original furnace flue that was once shared with a water heater vent. The water heater is long gone, but its abandoned breech is still cut into the masonry behind a first-floor wall. On a DuraFlex liner running through that flue, that hidden breech and any tile offset are exactly what a Level 2 camera inspection catches before a sweep touches the brush. A generic DuraFlex cleaning crew might run the brush up, note the chimney looks fine, and leave. We run the camera first, because on a pre-war Chicago chimney, the part that fails isn’t the part you can see from the roof. It’s the part hidden behind drywall. That’s the difference between a sweep and a real inspection, and in this city, it’s the difference between a flue that works and a flue that leaks combustion gases into a bedroom wall. We inspect with the camera on every job, not just when something looks wrong.
DuraFlex Models & Products We Service in Chicago
We service the full residential DuraFlex lineup: DuraFlex SW single-wall flexible stainless liner kits, DuraFlex Pro double-wall pre-insulated liners, the factory-insulated liner with wrap kit for masonry flues, and DuraFlex appliance connectors with top-plate and termination kits. When a DuraFlex liner is still sound, we stock genuine DuraFlex components locally for fast turnaround, top plates, caps, insulation wrap, connectors. When the OEM part has been discontinued, we’ll tell you that plainly and use a quality aftermarket termination only where it makes sense, never as a way to cut a corner. Our stance on repair versus replacement is simple: a DuraFlex liner with intact sections gets repaired and re-terminated. A collapsed or under-insulated liner gets replaced, not patched. We’ll show you the camera footage and let you decide.
See the difference
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AfterDuraFlex Service Pricing in Chicago
DuraFlex chimney cleaning in Chicago typically runs $180 to $340 for a standard single-flue sweep with a Level 2 camera inspection, depending on flue condition, roof access, and whether we’re also repairing terminations or re-wrapping insulation. On a pre-war two-flat with two flues, expect the higher end of that range. A full DuraFlex reline is a different job entirely and we quote it after we see the flue, never before. What drives the cost on a DuraFlex liner here is usually the condition of what’s around it: crown spalling, a loose top plate, crumbling wrap. A free estimate includes the camera inspection, a photo report, and a written quote with a flat price before any work is booked, no vague ranges and no upsell after we start. Call (866) 361-2607 and we’ll schedule the inspection.
Serving Chicago, IL — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Chicago 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 – DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning in Chicago
It needs a camera inspection first, especially if the building is pre-war. Chicago’s two- and three-flats have concealed tile offsets, abandoned water heater breeches, and crown spalling that a brush can’t see and a visual roof check misses. On a DuraFlex liner running through one of these flues, the failure point is almost never at the top; it’s behind a wall. We run the Level 2 camera on every job, which is why our sweeps include the inspection rather than treating it as an add-on. Call (866) 361-2607 to schedule.
Chicago’s freeze-thaw cycle spalls the crown wash around the top plate, and once the crown crumbles, the plate loses its seat. Snowmelt gets under it, freezes, and works the plate loose over a single hard winter. We see this every spring in the brick neighborhoods, including DuraFlex service in McKinley Park. The fix is a new DuraFlex top plate and cap, properly seated, plus crown repair so it doesn’t happen again next year. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free inspection quote.
Yes, if the stainless sections are intact and the wrap is the only failure. The wrap on a DuraFlex liner can crumble or slough off in a damp masonry flue, leaving the liner under-insulated and prone to condensation on gas appliance flues. We can re-wrap the exposed section in place, which is a repair, not a reline. If the liner itself is corroded or separated, that’s a different call, and we’ll show you the camera footage either way.
Yes, it matters. The abandoned breach is a draft leak and a debris trap, and it can pull cold air into the flue, which cools the liner and builds condensate on a gas furnace flue. If the breach was never properly sealed, we’ll find it with the camera and seal it as part of the service. It’s one of the most common things we find on Chicago two-flats with original furnace flues.
No. The downtown high-rises in 60601 through 60606 have commercial flues and rooftop stacks handled by building engineers and commercial contractors. We specialize in residential Chicago chimneys, the brick two- and three-flats, single-family homes, and small multi-unit buildings in the neighborhoods. If you’re in a downtown high-rise, your building engineer is the right person. If you’re in a house or a flat, we’re your call.
Service Areas Near Chicago
We serve Chicago’s residential neighborhoods and the near western and southwestern suburbs, including DuraFlex service in La Grange Park, Cicero, Berwyn, Stickney, and DuraFlex service in New City. If you’re in North Lawndale, South Lawndale, West Garfield Park, or anywhere in Cook County with a masonry chimney, we’ll come out, run the camera, and give you an honest read on your liners.
Book Your DuraFlex Service in Chicago Today
A clean flue isn’t a luxury – it’s just how the thing is supposed to work. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate and camera inspection. We’ll tell you exactly what we see, fix what needs fixing, and leave your chimney drafting the way it should.
Written by Norm Sulecki, Owner at Wexford Chimney Sweep, serving Chicago since 2006.