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 Maywood
Chimney sweeping in Maywood typically runs $189 to $320 for a standard fireplace cleaning with a Level 1 inspection, and most homes can be booked within a week. The village’s century-old brick stacks need a different approach than newer suburban chimneys, and that’s where we come in. Wexford Chimney Sweep works throughout the 60153 zip code, from the two-flat blocks off Madison Street to the bungalows near Lake Street and the worker’s cottages west of 9th Avenue. Our crews know Maywood’s chimneys because we’ve been inside enough of them to know what a 1920s masonry chase looks like after ninety winters. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate.
Maywood’s housing stock is dense, attached, and old. When we say we know Maywood chimneys, we mean we know what happens when six flues share one brick stack on a converted two-flat, when an unused furnace chimney sits uncapped for a decade, and when freeze-thaw starts popping spalled brick faces every March. Local expertise here isn’t a marketing line. It’s how you avoid sweeping one flue and calling the whole chase clean when the flue next to it is a raccoon nursery.
Why Wexford Chimney Sweep Is Maywood’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Our reputation in Maywood is built on not declaring a chimney clean until every flue in the chase has been checked. That standard matters here more than almost anywhere we work. On a typical Maywood two-flat, one masonry stack may carry a second-floor fireplace, a basement gravity furnace, and an abandoned parlor flue that hasn’t been used since the Eisenhower administration. A sweep company that brushes only the flue you called about is leaving two-thirds of the fire risk untouched. We scope, we brush, we inspect, and we tell you plainly what’s sound and what isn’t.
Wexford Chimney Sweep is led by Norm Sulecki, and the business carries a craft-trade reputation rather than a franchise playbook. Maywood homeowners tend to appreciate that. You want a specialist who knows the difference between a structurally sound 1915 clay-tile liner and one that’s cracked, offset, and one hard brush stroke away from collapse. That’s the level of judgment these old stacks require.
We stock the professional-grade materials Maywood’s aging chimneys need: DuraFlex liner systems for relining, HeatShield for targeted liner repair, and Copperfield, Famco, and Olympia chimney caps to seal off unused flues. When problems show up during a sweep, we fix them, same visit or a scheduled follow-up. No referrals to a separate contractor, no diagnosis-and-abandon visit.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Services in Maywood
Chimney services in Maywood start with the reality of the village’s housing: most chimneys here are original to homes built between 1900 and 1930, and they’ve spent a century absorbing Chicago freeze-thaw cycles. A basic sweep and inspection on a Maywood fireplace runs $189 to $320, with a Level 1 inspection included. If we’re scoping multiple flues in a shared two-flat stack, the scope and price adjust accordingly. Level 2 inspections run $350 to $600 when a camera is needed, which on this housing stock it often is. What we deliver is a stack that’s actually clean, and an honest read on what the masonry and liners need to stay safe.
Creosote and Soot Removal
Creosote in a Maywood flue isn’t hypothetical. Old fireplaces with restricted draft build glaze-grade creosote fast, and century-old chimneys with cool, oversized flues are notorious for it. We remove soot and creosote mechanically, then document what’s left behind and where the deposit pattern tells us draft is failing. If third-degree creosote has hardened on a 1920s clay tile liner, brushing alone won’t fix it, and we’ll say so.
Annual Sweep and Fireplace Cleaning
An annual sweep in Maywood should be more than a brush pass. We clean the firebox, the smoke chamber, and the full flue length, then run the inspection while the surfaces are clean enough to actually read. On a brick two-flat where the upstairs fireplace and basement furnace share a chase, annual service is the only way to catch offset tiles and spalling before a flue becomes unusable. The work runs $189 to $320 for the standard fireplace sweep, and we recommend it before burning season starts.
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 Sweep Certified in Maywood
Chimney sweep certified work in Maywood means something specific to us: every flue in the stack gets checked before the job is signed off. We’re not a one-flue operation. On the village’s 1900 to 1930 two-flats, the second-floor fireplace and the basement gravity furnace frequently share one original masonry stack, which means a “clean” declaration is meaningless until every flue in the chase has been individually scoped and checked. That’s the standard we bring to every Maywood address.
Level 1 and Level 2 Inspections
A Level 1 inspection happens during a routine sweep when conditions haven’t changed. A Level 2 uses camera scoping and runs $350 to $600 in Maywood, and it’s the inspection we recommend on any century-old masonry chimney that hasn’t been serviced in years, is changing fuel type, or just survived another winter. Our camera work shows you exactly what we see: cracked clay tiles, offset liner sections, spalled mortar joints. Nothing gets recommended that you can’t verify with your own eyes on the footage.
Repair-While-You-Sweep
When a sweep turns up a damaged liner or a missing cap, we repair it. Our team installs DuraFlex flexible liner systems when a full reline is required, and we use Maywood HeatShield service to restore compromised flues without full replacement when conditions allow. That’s a level of specialization most sweep companies can’t offer, and it matters in Maywood where liner damage is the rule rather than the exception. Problems found during a sweep get fixed by the same company, on the same visit or a short follow-up.
Trusted Brands We Service in Maywood
The chimneys in Maywood’s two-flats and bungalows need professional-grade materials, not hardware-store substitutes. We stock and install DuraFlex liner systems, the industry standard for retrofit relining, and HeatShield cerfractory repair materials for targeted liner restoration. Our cap and cover work uses Copperfield, Famco, and Olympia products, the same brands credentialed chimney contractors across the country rely on. For Chimney Sweep customers in Maywood, that means repairs happen faster, because we’re not waiting on parts from someone else’s warehouse. We carry what these old stacks need, and we know how to install it correctly.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Maywood Homes
- Shared-stack cross-contamination on two-flats. The second-floor fireplace and basement furnace often vent into one masonry chase, so a blocked or damaged furnace flue can push draft problems into the fireplace flue above it. We check every flue in the chase before declaring anything clean.
- Uncapped, unused flues turned wildlife nests. Converted two-flats frequently have abandoned flues that were never capped. Raccoons, chimney swifts, and squirrels move in, and their nesting material can obstruct a neighboring active flue in the same stack.
- Cracked and offset clay tile liners. Maywood’s original 1900 to 1930 clay tiles have endured a hundred years of settlement, heat cycling, and moisture. Brushing a liner that’s already compromised can knock loose tiles and make things worse, which is why we scope before we brush.
- Freeze-thaw spalling and crumbling crowns. Chicago-area winters hit old brick stacks hard. Moisture in soft mortar and hairline cracks expands when it freezes, popping brick faces and loosening crowns. Late-winter and spring in Maywood is peak season for spalling calls.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Maywood, IL
A standard chimney sweep with a Level 1 inspection in Maywood runs $189 to $320 for a single fireplace flue. If you’re in a two-flat with multiple flues in one stack, each additional flue typically adds $75 to $120. Level 2 camera inspections run $350 to $600 depending on chase complexity and access. Third-degree creosote removal, particularly on old clay tile liners, can add $60 to $100 because it requires chemical treatment and mechanical removal. HeatShield liner repair and DuraFlex relining are quoted after the camera inspection, and we show you the footage before quoting. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate. We’ll tell you plainly if a sweep is all you need, and we won’t recommend liner work unless the camera proves it.
We Also Serve Cities Near Maywood
Our crews cover the villages around Maywood as well: Broadview, Forest Park, River Forest, and Melrose Park. The housing stock differs block by block, but the same standards apply. We’re one specialist covering both your fireplace flue and your dryer vent, and we service the whole western Cook County corridor, including Chimney Sweep in Maywood and every neighboring village.
Serving Maywood, IL — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Maywood 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 Maywood
You can brush just the fireplace flue, but you shouldn’t call the chimney clean. On Maywood’s 1900 to 1930 two-flats, shared masonry stacks mean one flue’s obstruction or liner damage affects the others. An uncapped, unused flue in the same chase can be a raccoon den or a chimney swift nest pitching draft down the entire stack, even if the fireplace flue you swept is spotless. We check every flue in the chase before signing off. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate.
A Level 1 is sufficient if you’re doing an annual sweep, your fireplace has been working normally, and nothing changed since last season. A Level 2 is the right call on a 1920s bungalow that’s been through decades of freeze-thaw, hasn’t been inspected in years, or when you’re switching from one fuel to another. Level 3 exists for rare cases where hidden damage is suspected and requires structural access, which on a Maywood chimney is occasionally necessary after a serious spalling event. Camera footage tells you what’s actually going on, and we share every frame. Call (866) 361-2607.
Yes. On Maywood’s dense blocks of attached two-flats, raccoons and chimney swifts move chimney to chimney. An uncapped flue is an open door, and even if wildlife doesn’t take up residence, wind-driven rain is degrading the liner and mortar. The fix is straightforward: a properly sized cap installed on every termination in the chase, which also stops downdrafts. We stock Copperfield and Famco caps and install them same-visit. Call (866) 361-2607.
Third-degree creosote is a hard, glossy, tar-like deposit bonded to the flue wall. It forms when draft is poor and surface temperatures are low, both of which are common on Maywood’s oversized, century-old clay tile flues. It’s the most fire-hazardous form of creosote and can’t be removed with a standard brush alone. We use chemical treatments and mechanical tools designed for glaze-grade creosote, and we’ll inspect the liner underneath to make sure it’s still sound. Call (866) 361-2607 for a free estimate.
Freeze-thaw cycling is the culprit. Moisture absorbs into soft, century-old mortar and hairline cracks, then expands when temperatures drop, popping mortar joints and brick faces. A crumbling crown lets water run down the inside of the chase, accelerating liner damage. The repair is crown replacement with proper overhang and drip edge, plus repointing of damaged mortar, and it’s work we do in-house. In Maywood, late winter and early spring is when we see the worst of it. Call (866) 361-2607 to schedule an inspection.
Written by Norm Sulecki, Owner at Wexford Chimney Sweep, serving Maywood and western Cook County since 1998.