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.
Chimney Company in Excelsior, CA
Chimney repair in Excelsior usually means fixing a chimney that was never designed for the job it’s doing now. Most of the chimneys we work on in this neighborhood were built between 1920 and 1950 for coal or wood heat, then re-tasked decades later to vent gas water heaters and furnaces. That mismatch shows up as spalling mortar, cracked crowns, deteriorating liners, and draft problems in the cool, damp air that defines Excelsior. Chimney Sweep Alamo Square handles the full repair arc, from flashing and crown work to full liner installation, on the exact housing stock Excelsior has in abundance. Call (833) 620-7061 for an estimate.
Why Excelsior Homes Are Different
Excelsior is a neighborhood of closely packed stucco-over-wood-frame homes, most built in the 1920s through 1940s. These houses share a specific chimney anatomy: original brick flues that were built for coal or wood, later repurposed to vent gas appliances. Many were never lined for modern gas exhaust. That alone changes the nature of chimney work here. It’s not mostly fireplace sweeping. It’s vent-safety inspection, carbon-monoxide risk assessment, and correction of orphaned or undersized flues.
The climate makes it worse. Excelsior sits squarely in San Francisco’s fog belt. Cool, damp summer fog and steady winter rain keep chimneys cold, and cold chimneys are where moisture condenses and mortar spalls. We routinely see deteriorated crowns and flashing on homes that have never had a wood fire in them. The gas appliance venting runs year-round, so the flue is always in use, even when no one is thinking about it. Add the district’s tight lot lines and shared chases, and you get access challenges and flues running inside walls where inspection access is limited. Chimney work here rewards someone who knows the building era and the code problems it created, not just someone who can run a brush.
Styles & brands we work with
- Sweep & inspection
- Caps & crowns
- Flue relining
- Masonry repair
- Gas fireplace service
Our Main Excelsior Services
Two services dominate Excelsior chimney work: the annual or biennial sweep for gas-appliance flues, and dryer vent cleaning for the laundry systems that run constantly in these compact homes. Here’s what each involves here.
Chimney Sweep in Excelsior
In Excelsior, a chimney sweep is often as much an inspection as a cleaning. Because most flues here serve gas water heaters and furnaces rather than open fireplaces, the job is about clearing soot and debris while checking for the conditions that create carbon monoxide risk. The unlined or under-sized brick flues common to the 1920s-to-1940s housing stock mean we’re looking at vent performance every time we go up. One call covers the sweep, the inspection, and the explanation. Chimney Sweep in Excelsior
Dryer Vent Cleaning in Excelsior
Dryer vents in Excelsior homes are often long, narrow runs through basements, garages, or converted interior spaces. Combined with the damp air, lint buildup happens faster than people expect. A blocked dryer vent is a fire risk that a chimney company should be checking, and we do. Since we’re already at the house for the chimney work, we inspect the vent path and clear it, saving an Excelsior homeowner from coordinating a separate contractor. Dryer Vent Cleaning in Excelsior
Chimney Repair in Excelsior
Repair work in Excelsior starts from a simple fact: most chimneys here were built for solid fuel and now vent gas. That means unlined flues, deteriorated mortar, and undersized vents are common, not occasional. The cool, fog-heavy climate accelerates the damage. When you need structural correction, flashing repair, or a liner installed to make a flue safe for a gas appliance, the work goes to Chimney Repair, done by a company that stocks the right materials and understands the building era.
Chimney Cap Installation
Signs you need it
Water staining on the ceiling near the chimney, rust on the damper or firebox, or debris inside the flue indicates an uncapped or poorly capped chimney.
What it costs in Excelsior
Chimney cap installation in Excelsior typically runs $200 to $500, depending on flue size and access.
How we do it
We measure the flue opening, select a Gelco cap sized correctly for the venting load, and set it so it keeps water and animals out without restricting draft.
Chimney Liner Installation
Signs you need it
Flaking or missing clay tile inside the flue, visible gaps in mortar joints, or a gas appliance that trips a CO detector indicates a liner that has failed or never existed.
What it costs in Excelsior
Chimney liner installation in Excelsior typically ranges from $2,000 to $5,000, depending on flue length and diameter.
How we do it
We size the flue for the specific appliance, install a DuraFlex liner through the existing chase, and seal the connection so the gas exhaust carries fully to the top.
Chimney Flashing Repair
Signs you need it
Water leaking around the chimney during rain, stained ceilings below the roofline, or cracked caulking where the chimney meets the roof signals failed flashing.
What it costs in Excelsior
Chimney flashing repair in Excelsior typically runs $300 to $800, depending on how much of the surrounding roof needs to be lifted.
How we do it
We remove the old flashing, cut and set new metal properly into the mortar joints, and seal the transition so water sheds away from the flue.
Chimney Crown Repair
Signs you need it
A cracked, crumbling, or missing chimney crown lets water into the brickwork and accelerates spalling, especially in Excelsior’s damp climate.
What it costs in Excelsior
Chimney crown repair in Excelsior typically ranges from $400 to $1,000, depending on the crown size and extent of deterioration.
How we do it
We remove the damaged crown material, build a proper form, and pour or apply a new crown with an overhang that sheds water away from the brick.
What Chimney Repair Costs in Excelsior
| Item | Typical range in Excelsior |
|---|---|
| Chimney cap installation | $200 – $500 |
| Chimney flashing repair | $300 – $800 |
| Chimney crown repair | $400 – $1,000 |
| Chimney liner installation | $2,000 – $5,000 |
Can you fix a chimney that was never lined for a gas appliance?
Yes. That’s one of the most common corrections we make in Excelsior. The original clay-tile or unlined brick flue gets a DuraFlex liner sized to the specific appliance, which brings the venting up to current safety expectations for gas exhaust.
Do I need a new liner if my gas appliance vents through the old brick flue?
Often, yes. Unlined brick flues in 1920s – 1940s Excelsior homes were built for solid-fuel draft, not modern gas exhaust. If we find gaps, spalling, or an undersized flue, a liner corrects the venting and the carbon-monoxide risk. Call (833) 620-7061 and we’ll look.
Brands We Service in Excelsior
We install and service DuraFlex liner systems, HeatShield resurfacing, Gelco caps and chase covers, and Olympia Chimney components. These are professional-specification materials, not hardware-store substitutes. Read more about our brands and what we stock.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for Chimney Company in Excelsior, CA
| Service | Typical range in Excelsior |
|---|---|
| Chimney sweep | $160 – $300 |
| Dryer vent cleaning | $120 – $250 |
| Chimney cap installation | $200 – $500 |
| Chimney cap replacement | $250 – $550 |
| Chimney liner installation | $2,000 – $5,000 |
| Chimney flashing repair | $300 – $800 |
| Chimney crown repair | $400 – $1,000 |
| Chimney inspection | $150 – $400 |
| Chimney masonry repair | $500 – $2,500 |
| Chimney chase cover | $300 – $700 |
In Excelsior, two factors push prices up more than anything else: access and liner condition. Tight lot lines and shared chases mean more ladder work and tighter staging; unlined or spalling flues mean the job is often heavier than a simple sweep. We quote a flat-price sweep with a camera inspection and photo report before we do any work, so you know the number before we start.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Excelsior
We cover the full 94112 ZIP code and the residential streets that make up the Excelsior district. The rows of stucco homes, the two-unit buildings, and the hillside streets all present slightly different chimney access situations, but the housing era is consistent.
- Outer Mission
- Mission Terrace
- Crocker Amazon
- Cayuga Terrace
- Excelsior Heights
Most Excelsior addresses can be scheduled within a few business days. We group visits by area to keep drive time short and pricing consistent.
Service Area – Cities Near Excelsior
We also work in the neighborhoods immediately around Excelsior, where the housing stock and climate conditions are similar. If you’re in Diamond Heights, CA, Glen Park, CA, Noe Valley, CA, or Twin Peaks, CA, we cover those areas and bring the same full-scope chimney and vent approach.
Serving Excelsior, CA – Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Excelsior 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 Company in Excelsior
Most Excelsior addresses can be scheduled within a few business days. We’re not running emergency-response calls, but we do group visits by neighborhood to keep scheduling tight and travel time low across the 94112 area.
Most repair and reline work within an existing chimney does not require a permit in San Francisco, but structural changes or rebuilds can. We’ll tell you if your job crosses that line before we start, and we’ll explain what’s needed in plain terms.
Yes. Many Excelsior homes have flues running through interior chases or shared walls. We inspect what’s accessible and tell you plainly if a camera inspection or access opening is needed before we recommend any repair.
If you own an Excelsior home with an original brick chimney and a gas appliance venting through it, call (833) 620-7061 for a free estimate. We’ll inspect the flue, explain what we find, and quote the repair before anything gets touched.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees. Talk to a local chimney cleaning pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you. The visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Excelsior Customers Say
"Good work. The written inspection report took about a week to arrive after I asked for it, which was slower than I expected."
- Emily Rhodes"Fireplace had never drawn properly since we moved in. He found the damper was only opening halfway due to a bent linkage and fixed it in ten minutes."
- Brianna Coleman"Cap keeps the birds out now, which after two springs of scratching noises is worth every penny."
- Shane Brooks