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 Cicero, IL | Wexford Chimney Sweep
DuraFlex chimney cleaning in Cicero typically costs between $180 and $340, and most sweeps are completed in a single visit. What makes our DuraFlex work different here is simple: Ciceronians live in early-1900s brick two-flats and bungalows with coal-era flues that were never resized, so the liners fail in ways you won’t see in newer suburbs. Norm Sulecki and his crew at Wexford Chimney Sweep handle independent DuraFlex service in Stickney and across Cicero, relining and sweeping systems with OEM parts and honest inspections. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate.
Why Cicero Residents Choose Us for DuraFlex Service
DuraFlex systems are only as good as the person who services them. We’ve swept and relined hundreds of DuraFlex liners across Cicero’s dense rows of two-flats and bungalows, so we know exactly how their stainless flex and components fail in this housing stock. Norm Sulecki grew up a few blocks from the Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero, and he’s been working on chimneys in this part of Cook County for going on two decades. He picked up the fundamentals of heating systems and venting at Triton College in River Grove, then spent years doing hands-on work before striking out on his own with Wexford.
We run independent DuraFlex sales & service, which means we stock DuraFlex-specific parts and follow the manufacturer’s installation specs without being tied to any dealer network. No dealership quotas. No pushing parts you don’t need. Just a specialist who knows the product line and the local conditions that eat it alive.
Styles & brands we work with
Common DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Cicero
- Degraded insulation jackets on DuraFlex SW liners. Cicero’s early-1900s clay tile flues were sized for coal, often narrower than what modern UL 1777 clearances require. After decades inside those undersized flues, the DuraFlex SW insulation jacket can break down, exposing bare stainless. We see this constantly in bungalows along Austin Boulevard and 16th Street. We’ll assess whether the jacket is still intact before recommending any sweep method.
- Rusted top plates and caps at the masonry crown. Lake-effect moisture and Cicero’s freeze-thaw cycles are brutal on the top plate and cap assemblies where DuraFlex liners terminate at the crown. Water tracks down the liner and rusts the appliance collar below. A sweep that doesn’t catch this leaves you with a hidden leak. We always inspect the crown and top plate during a cleaning.
- Creosote trapped in flexible liner corrugation. Many Cicero homes still vent gas water heaters and furnaces into the same flue as the DuraFlex liner. That shared-flue setup produces more soot and creosote than a dedicated wood flue, and the corrugated walls of a flex liner trap it aggressively. A standard sweep can miss these hidden blockage points. We know to look for them.
- Undersized DuraFlex liners causing draft failure. When a liner is left at the original coal-flue dimensions, it often fails to draft modern wood stoves and inserts properly. Smoke spills back into the room, and the liner wears faster from the extra thermal stress. We’ve corrected this on more two-flats in Cicero than we can count.
- Buried cleanout doors blocking access. In the tight alleys off Cermak Road and Cicero Avenue, mid-century remodels frequently drywalled over the cleanout door. If we can’t reach the base of your DuraFlex liner, we can’t sweep it properly. We locate and reopen these doors before starting.
DuraFlex Service in Cicero: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
If you own a two-flat or bungalow in Cicero, your chimney almost certainly started life serving a coal furnace. Those original interior masonry chimneys have clay tile liners sized for coal, not for the gas furnaces and wood stoves that heat the home now. When a DuraFlex liner is installed into that undersized space, it changes how the system behaves, and not always for the better. The flexible liner’s corrugation, which is designed to grab creosote and soot rather than let it slide, compounds the problem when a gas water heater and furnace share the same flue. You end up with a liner that looks fine from the top but is quietly loading up with glaze halfway down. That’s why a standard cleaning in Cicero needs to include a thorough visual inspection of the full liner run, not just a brush through the middle. Norm learned early that a clean flue isn’t a luxury, it’s just how the thing is supposed to work. And in Cicero, where the housing stock is overwhelmingly from 1900 to 1930, the flue is rarely the right size for the liner inside it.
DuraFlex Models & Products We Service in Cicero
We service and repair every DuraFlex product line you’re likely to find in a Cicero chimney, including DuraFlex repair in South Lawndale. That includes the DuraFlex SW insulated flexible stainless liner for wood fireplaces and inserts, the DuraFlex Pro insulated liner for gas and wood appliances, the DuraFlex Reline Kit with pre-insulated flex and integral fittings, and DuraFlex Rigid Pipe for straight vertical runs. When we repair, we use DuraFlex OEM components, top plates, caps, insulation wraps, and appliance adapters, because aftermarket flex liners often don’t match the original corrugation profile or UL listing. If a DuraFlex liner is still sound, we repair and re-terminate it. If the insulation jacket or stainless wall is breached, we recommend a full reline rather than patching a compromised system. We stock common DuraFlex parts locally for faster turnaround on Cicero jobs, and we emphasize Level 2 Inspection, Creosote Removal, and Cap Replacement on every visit.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterDuraFlex Service Pricing in Cicero
A DuraFlex chimney cleaning in Cicero runs $180 to $340 for most single-family homes and two-flats. The factors that move the price: liner length, how much creosote is built up, whether the cleanout door is accessible, and whether the top plate or cap needs replacement. A Level 2 inspection, which we recommend for any DuraFlex system with unknown history, adds to the visit. If we find a breach in the liner or insulation, a full reline costs more, and we’ll show you why with photos before any work begins. Estimates are free, and we never recommend a liner job unless the evidence is in front of you. Call (866) 361-2607 to schedule.
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 – DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning in Cicero
My Cicero two-flat has a DuraFlex liner in an old coal flue, can you sweep it without damaging the flex?
Yes, we sweep DuraFlex liners regularly, but we use brushes sized and rated for stainless flex so we don’t tear or kink the corrugation. On a two-flat with a coal-era flue, the bigger risk is creosote glaze built up in the corrugation, which standard brushes can miss. Call (866) 361-2607 to book a sweep that includes a liner inspection.
Why does my DuraFlex cap keep rusting out on my Cicero bungalow?
Cicero’s lake-effect moisture and freeze-thaw cycles accelerate corrosion at the masonry crown, especially on caps and top plates that were installed without the correct sealant. We replace them with OEM DuraFlex parts and re-terminate the liner correctly. If you’re replacing a cap every few years, call (866) 361-2607, we’ll diagnose the root cause.
The cleanout door on my Cicero Avenue house is behind drywall, can you still clean my DuraFlex chimney?
Yes. We locate the cleanout behind the drywall, reopen it, and leave it accessible for future sweeps. This is one of the most common access problems we solve in Cicero, especially on the alley-facing chimneys where mid-century remodels hid the door. Call (866) 361-2607 and we’ll take care of it.
My gas water heater and furnace share one flue with a DuraFlex liner, is that safe to sweep?
It’s safe to sweep if the liner is properly sized and the shared flue is inspected first. Shared flues trap more soot and creosote in the flex corrugation, so we always check for hidden blockage before recommending any cleaning method. Call (866) 361-2607 for an inspection.
How do I know if my DuraFlex liner needs relining versus just a cleaning?
If the liner is rusted through, the insulation jacket is breached, or the corrugation is collapsing, it needs a reline. If it’s just creosote and soot, a cleaning suffices. We’ll show you camera evidence either way. Call (866) 361-2607 and we’ll give you an honest read.
Service Areas Near Cicero
Wexford Chimney Sweep serves homeowners across Cicero, Cicero service area and the surrounding neighborhoods. We regularly work in DuraFlex service in Berwyn, DuraFlex service in North Lawndale, as well as South Lawndale, Stickney, and West Garfield Park. If you’re in the western Cook County corridor, we can usually reach you within the week.
Book Your DuraFlex Service in Cicero Today
If your DuraFlex chimney needs a sweep, a Level 2 inspection, or a cap replacement, call us for Cicero Dryer Vent Cleaning and chimney services. We serve Cicero with the same care Norm brought to his first job near the Hawthorne Race Course. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate, and if we can reach you today, we will.
Written by Norm Sulecki, Owner at Wexford Chimney Sweep, serving Cicero since 2009.