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.
Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Logan Square, IL | Wexford Chimney Sweep
We provide independent Gelco chimney cleaning and inspection across Logan Square’s greystone blocks and workers’ cottages. Our Gelco work here is shaped by one thing most generic sweep companies miss: the shared two- and three-flat chimney stacks built between 1890 and 1930, where each unit vents through its own separate channel. That means a Gelco cap, liner, or damper can’t be checked from one flue alone, it has to be inspected roof-level, unit by unit. Call (866) 361-2607 to book a sweep or inspection. We’re Wexford Chimney Sweep, and we’ve worked on Gelco systems in this neighborhood for years.
Why Logan Square Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
We’ve swept and inspected Gelco chimneys across Logan Square long enough to know how these systems age in a coal-to-gas conversion market. Norm Sulecki grew up a few blocks from the Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero, picked up heating and venting fundamentals at Triton College in River Grove, and he’s been on rooftops in this part of Cook County for going on two decades, including Gelco repair in West Town. That history matters when you’re standing on a Logan Square roof looking at a Gelco multi-flue cap that’s been taking freeze-thaw cycles since the Clinton administration. We’re an independent service provider, never manufacturer-authorized, so our recommendations come from what the masonry and liner actually need, not a brand script. If a Gelco part is sound, we say so. If it’s failing, we show you the photo and explain why before quoting anything.
We fit Gelco systems with OEM or quality aftermarket liners, caps, and dampers matched to the flue’s actual dimensions. And we won’t upsell a full reline when a repair or reseal will hold. You can read more about our broader Gelco sales & service work, but the short version is this: professional-grade materials, not hardware-store substitutes.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Logan Square
Here’s what we run into most often on Gelco-equipped flues in this neighborhood:
- Seam separation on old Gelco flexible liners. Logan Square’s original brick stacks often bend through shared chases, and decades of thermal expansion push old Gelco corrugations apart at the seams. We scope the liner with a camera before recommending anything, because what looks like a failed liner can sometimes be corrected with a targeted repair rather than a full reline.
- Rusted Gelco multi-flue caps on shared stacks. One cap often serves two or three units here, and a Logan Square winter doesn’t do that cap any favors. Freeze-thaw cycles rust the corners, loosen the fasteners, and let snowmelt and birds into separate flue channels. We carry Gelco-compatible multi-flue cap options and can swap a failing cap without touching anything below the crown.
- Crumbling unlined brick behind a Gelco cap or damper. Many of these 1890s-1920s chimneys were built for coal and never relined. Soot and moisture sit against hundred-year-old mortar, and the flue starts to shed. That’s a carbon monoxide risk for the flats above. We inspect, show you the camera footage, and tell you exactly what needs doing and what can wait.
- Gelco top-mount dampers seized or stuck open after heavy winter runtime. Gas boilers in Logan Square run hard from November through March. A Gelco damper that’s been cycling cold and hot can seize in place, which kills draft efficiency and lets cold air and soot back into the firebox. Sometimes it’s a clean-and-realign, sometimes the damper’s reached the end.
- Creosote buildup accelerating in cold-run flues. Logan Square’s winters are long and cold, and wood-burning fireplaces here build creosote faster than the same fireplace would in a milder climate. When that creosote sits against a Gelco liner that’s already stressed from thermal cycling, it accelerates liner degradation. We remove it before it becomes a chimney fire risk.
Gelco Service in Logan Square: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Here’s the thing about Logan Square chimneys that a generic Gelco service page won’t tell you. Many of these buildings are single brick stacks serving two or three flats, and each unit vents through its own separate, often unlined channel. The telltale Logan Square chimney is a shared stack with a crumbling crown and a Gelco cap sitting on top, where the upper unit’s flue might be bone-dry brick while the lower unit runs a gas boiler. You can’t inspect that from the basement. You have to get on the roof, lift the cap, and check each channel individually. That’s how we found a rusted Gelco multi-flue cap on a two-flat greystone off the Kedzie corridor where the upper unit’s channel was unlined and shedding mortar while the lower unit vented a gas boiler. We swept both channels, fitted a correctly sized Gelco multi-flue cap, and flagged crown and tuckpointing work before another freeze-thaw winter hit. That’s the difference between a sweep and an inspection. A clean flue isn’t a luxury, it’s just how the thing is supposed to work.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in Logan Square
Our team works on the full range of Gelco equipment found on Logan Square rooftops: stainless-steel flexible relining kits, single-flue and multi-flue chimney caps, top-mount and fireplace dampers, and wood-burning fireplace inserts. When a part needs replacing, we use OEM Gelco or quality aftermarket components sized to the flue’s actual interior dimensions, never a universal-fit guess. We keep common Gelco cap sizes and damper parts on hand for faster turnaround across our Logan Square service area, which means less waiting when a crown is crumbling and a Chicago freeze is days away. HeatShield liner repair also comes into play here when a flue is compromised but doesn’t warrant a full reline. We’ll tell you plainly which path applies.
See the difference
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AfterGelco Service Pricing in Logan Square
Gelco chimney cleaning in Logan Square typically runs between $180 and $340 depending on what’s involved, and cap or damper replacement varies by the specific model and the stack configuration. If we find something during a standard cleaning that needs deeper investigation, a Level 2 inspection is the next step, and that carries its own cost depending on access and what the camera reveals. What drives the price here is roof access, the number of flue channels in a shared stack, and whether repairs are needed. Our estimates are free, and we give you a firm quote before any work starts. What we won’t do is recommend a full reline on a flue that just needs a cap replaced. Call (866) 361-2607 and we’ll tell you what we’re seeing.
Serving Logan Square, IL — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Logan Square area and know this community well, and we also handle Gelco repair in Avondale. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Logan Square
A Level 2 inspection is a camera scope of the flue interior, and it’s necessary on shared stacks because each unit vents through a separate channel that a visual sweep can’t fully assess. On a Logan Square two-flat, the upper unit’s flue might be unlined brick while the lower unit runs a gas boiler, and the only way to know is to drop a camera down each channel. We won’t touch a Gelco cap on a shared stack without confirming what’s below it. Call (866) 361-2607 to schedule an inspection, and we’ll walk you through what the camera shows.
In most cases, you can replace the cap without touching the liner. A rusted Gelco multi-flue cap is a common Logan Square problem, and it rarely means the flues below it have failed. We’ll assess the cap, inspect the channels, and if the liners are intact, we’ll fit a correctly sized Gelco-compatible cap and be done. A full reline is only warranted when the liner itself is cracked, separated, or collapsed. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate and an honest assessment.
A gas-boiler flue should be inspected and cleaned annually, and in Logan Square that’s non-negotiable because these older stacks often have unlined or partially lined channels, something we also see doing Gelco in East Garfield Park. Gas produces less creosote than wood but still leaves acidic residue, and in a shared stack, that residue sits against 1890s brick instead of a modern liner. Annual sweeping catches mortar shedding and flue tile loss before carbon monoxide becomes a concern. Call (866) 361-2607 to get on our schedule before the heating season starts.
Yes, a Gelco top-mount damper should be checked every spring after heavy winter runtime. These dampers cycle hundreds of times during a Logan Square heating season, and the cold-to-hot transitions wear out the cable, the pivot, and the seal. A damper that seizes open lets cold air and soot back into the firebox, and a damper that seizes shut is a draft problem waiting to happen. We service Gelco dampers in-house. Call (866) 361-2607 to have yours checked.
In most cases, yes. Spalling near the crown is common on Logan Square’s older masonry because freeze-thaw cycles push moisture into the brick face and pop the surface off. If the spalling is localized around the crown and the Gelco cap area, we can tuckpoint, repoint, and reseal the crown without disassembling the stack. Full rebuilds are only necessary when the structural brick itself has lost integrity. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate, and we’ll tell you what your stack actually needs.
Service Areas Near Logan Square
We serve Logan Square and the surrounding neighborhoods and suburbs across the western side of Cook County. If you’re in Cicero, Berwyn, North Lawndale, South Lawndale, Stickney, or West Garfield Park, our crews are already working chimneys near you. We also provide Gelco service in West Englewood and Gelco service in Melrose Park. Same team, same standards, same honest camera-based inspections.
Book Your Gelco Service in Logan Square Today
We’re Wexford Chimney Sweep, and we’ve been working on Logan Square’s shared chimney stacks long enough to know them roof by roof. Whether it’s a Gelco cap that’s seen better winters, a flue that needs creosote removal, Gelco repair in Belmont Cragin, or a Level 2 inspection before you buy a two-flat, call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate. We’ll get you on the schedule, get on the roof, and show you exactly what we see.
Written by Norm Sulecki, Owner at Wexford Chimney Sweep, serving Logan Square and greater Cook County for nearly two decades.