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 Boyle Heights, CA
Chimney repair in Boyle Heights usually comes down to one thing: the housing stock is old, and the original masonry was never built for how we use fireplaces now. Most of the chimneys we work on here are original brick from the 1910s through 1940s, attached to Spanish Colonial duplexes and Craftsman bungalows on narrow lots off Cesar Chavez and Soto. The flues were built for wood or coal, often never lined, and after decades of cold snaps, Santa Ana winds, and some questionable patchwork, the mortar crowns crumble and the clay tile cracks. Mantel Chimney Sweep has served Boyle Heights since 2018, and we spend a lot of our time here convincing long-time owners that a ninety-year-old unlined flue needs a liner before it gets used again, not just a sweep. Call (844) 821-5749 if we can look at yours.
Why Boyle Heights Homes Are Different
Boyle Heights is one of LA’s oldest neighborhoods, and the way it was built changes how chimney work gets done. The dense blocks are packed with one- and two-story wood-frame bungalows and Spanish Colonial duplexes from the 1920s through 1940s, many still running their original brick chimneys. A lot of those flues were never relined, or they were sealed off decades ago when someone converted a fireplace to a wall heater and nobody ever went back to check the condition behind the drywall.
The Mediterranean climate compounds it. Fireplaces sit untouched from March through November. Birds build nests in the flue, soot hardens above the damper, and loose mortar from a failing crown drops down and settles on the smoke shelf. Nobody notices because nobody is using the fireplace. Then the first cold snap hits around Thanksgiving, and the whole block fires up at once. That is when the smoke backs up into the living room, or the smell of something burning that is not wood comes down the flue. The dry Santa Ana season adds another layer: embers on older tar-and-gravel roofs are a real concern when a spark arrestor is missing or a crown has spalled open.
The party walls matter too. On the duplex blocks, a cracked crown on one side can leak water straight into the adjoining unit’s ceiling. Accessing the flue often means getting on a flat roof from a neighbor’s side or working through a narrow gangway between buildings. We document conditions with photos before and after, because when two households share a flue wall, the tenant in the other unit deserves to know what was found and what was fixed.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main Boyle Heights Services
Most Boyle Heights homeowners call us first about two things: getting their fireplace swept before burning season, and clearing a dryer vent that has not been touched since the dryer was installed. Both are fire hazards, and both live in parts of the house people forget to maintain. Below is what each job involves in Boyle Heights, with links to the detailed pages.
Chimney Sweep in Boyle Heights
A chimney sweep in Boyle Heights is rarely a simple brush-through. The older the flue, the more fragile the clay liner inside it, so we slow down and inspect before we sweep. We remove the creosote and soot, but we are also looking for cracked flue tiles, water staining from a failed crown, and old bird or rodent nesting in the smoke chamber. On the dense blocks near Cesar Chavez, flat roof access and shared walls mean we take photos from the roofline as we go. If the sweep turns up liner damage, we can repair it ourselves, not hand you a report and leave. See the full breakdown at Chimney Sweep in Boyle Heights.
Dryer Vent Cleaning in Boyle Heights
Half the dryer vents we clean in Boyle Heights run through crawlspaces or out through stucco walls on older homes, and the lint has been packing in there for years. A clogged dryer vent is one of the leading causes of residential fires in the country, and the older the house, the more elbows and horizontal runs that vent usually has. We disconnect the dryer, clean the full run to the exterior termination, and show you what came out. See the full breakdown at Dryer Vent Cleaning in Boyle Heights.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Chimney Repair in Boyle Heights
Chimney repair in Boyle Heights is most often about a chimney that has outlived its original materials. On a 1920s bungalow or a 1930s Spanish Colonial duplex, the flue liner, the crown, the flashing, and the cap were all installed, if they were installed at all, for a different era of burning. The mortar crown cracks under the wet-dry cycles of the LA basin winter, water gets behind the brick, and over time the top few feet of the chimney spall and lean. We repair what others can only report, using liner materials and sealants from HeatShield, Gelco, and Olympia Chimney, which means the repair is a restoration, not a patch. Our full Chimney Repair service page has more, but the sub-jobs below are what we do most in this zip code.
Chimney Cap Installation
Signs you need it
Rain water inside the firebox, twigs and leaves on the smoke shelf, or the smell of wet creosote in the summer are all signs the open flue is unprotected.
What it costs in Boyle Heights
Chimney cap installation in Boyle Heights runs $275 to $475 for a standard stainless steel cap, including securing it to the flue.
How we do it
We measure the flue opening, set a stainless cap from Gelco or Olympia Chimney for proper draft, and secure it with tap screws so the Santa Ana winds do not lift it.
Chimney Liner Installation
Signs you need it
Crumbling clay tile in the flue, smoke odor in the adjoining unit, or a boiler or furnace venting into an old masonry cavity all point to a liner that has failed or never existed.
What it costs in Boyle Heights
Chimney liner installation here ranges from $2,450 to $5,200 for the full run, the most common range being right around $2,900 to $4,100.
How we do it
We drop a DuraFlex stainless liner down the existing flue, insulate it where code requires, and terminate it with a proper cap and flashing.
Chimney Flashing Repair
Signs you need it
Water stains on the ceiling near the chimney, damp drywall in the adjoining unit, or rusted metal at the roofline are classic failed flashing.
What it costs in Boyle Heights
Chimney flashing repair in Boyle Heights typically runs $395 to $750, depending on whether we are one roof or working a shared party wall.
How we do it
We cut back the old metal, install new step and counter flashing, seal the joint with a high-grade urethane, and document the work with photos.
Chimney Crown Repair
Signs you need it
Crumbling mortar at the top of the chimney, spalling brick faces, or standing water on the crown after rain mean the crown is no longer shedding water.
What it costs in Boyle Heights
Chimney crown repair runs $380 to $680, with full crown rebuilds on older brick stacks often landing between $900 and $1,500.
How we do it
We grind off the failed surface, rebuild the crown with proper slope away from the flue, and seal it so water runs off instead of soaking in.
What Chimney Repair Costs in Boyle Heights
| Item | Typical range in Boyle Heights |
|---|---|
| Chimney cap installation | $275 – $475 |
| Chimney flashing repair | $395 – $750 |
| Chimney crown repair | $380 – $680 |
Prices push toward the top of the range on duplexes with shared flues, flat roof access that requires a second person, or crown damage that extends into the brick courses. We give a flat price before we start.
Do I really need a new liner, or is a sweep enough?
A sweep removes creosote, but it cannot restore a cracked or missing flue liner. On a 1920s Boyle Heights chimney that was never lined, burning without a liner puts heat against the masonry and the surrounding framing. We only recommend a liner when the camera shows a reason, and we show you the footage before you spend a dollar.
How long does a chimney repair job take in Boyle Heights?
Most crowns and caps are a same-day job. Flashing repair takes a few hours. A full liner installation is usually one day, sometimes two if we are rebuilding the top of the chimney first. We schedule around burning season, so fall slots in Boyle Heights go fast. Call (844) 821-5749 for a date.
Brands We Service in Boyle Heights
We install and service components from HeatShield, Gelco, and Olympia Chimney, and stock the common cap and flashing parts for older Boyle Heights chimneys in our truck stock rather than ordering every piece. That means less waiting on flat-roof repairs. See the full line at our brands.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for Chimney Company in Boyle Heights, CA
| Service | Typical range in Boyle Heights |
|---|---|
| Chimney sweep | $189 – $315 |
| Chimney cap installation | $275 – $475 |
| Chimney cap replacement | $295 – $520 |
| Chimney liner installation | $2,450 – $5,200 |
| Chimney flashing repair | $395 – $750 |
| Chimney crown repair | $380 – $680 |
| Dryer vent cleaning | $145 – $265 |
In Boyle Heights, prices move on two things: roof access and flue condition. A flat roof with a parapet takes longer to stage on than a pitched one, and an original 1930s flue with zero liner is a different job than a mid-century chimney that just needs a cap. Either way, we give a flat quote before work starts, and you approve it on the phone.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Boyle Heights
We work across the 90023 zip code and the streets that feed into it, from the residential blocks around Evergreen Cemetery to the duplex rows west of Soto and the small multi-family pockets near Hollenbeck Park. Response time for a sweep or a repair estimate in Boyle Heights is typically within a few business days, and we batch our fall visits so the dense blocks get scheduled in one pass.
- Boyle Heights Arts District
- Evergreen
- Hollenbeck
- Pico Aliso
- Del Sol
Service Area – Cities Near Boyle Heights
We cross into the neighboring cities regularly, and a lot of our Boyle Heights work comes from referrals on the same blocks. We serve East Los Angeles, CA for the same housing stock, Maywood, CA for its older single-family rows, Commerce, CA for mixed residential and commercial chimneys, and Bell, CA for the small-lot bungalows. If you are on the border, call (844) 821-5749 and we will tell you which day we are nearby.
Serving Boyle Heights, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Boyle Heights 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 Boyle Heights
Most sweeps and estimates land within a few business days. During October and November, when the whole neighborhood is starting the season at once, we batch jobs by block so we are not driving back and forth across the 5. Call (844) 821-5749 and we will tell you what the schedule looks like.
Most chimney repair work does not require a permit, but a full liner installation that changes the venting configuration may. We handle the paperwork on our end and will tell you before we start what needs filing. When tenant coordination is needed on a shared wall, we bring that up at the quote stage.
We stage from the roof, using the gangway or a neighboring access point when the roofline is shared. We carry photo documentation so the owner of the adjoining unit can see exactly what we found and fixed. It is routine work on this housing stock, but it takes coordination, which most one-person operations will not do. We will.
If your chimney has not been looked at since the last time someone used the fireplace, start with a call. We will give you a straight answer about what is safe, what can wait, and what it costs. Mantel Chimney Sweep has served Boyle Heights since 2018. Call (844) 821-5749 for a free estimate.
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 Boyle Heights Customers Say
"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."
— Rachel Lawson"Crown was cracked and taking water. Repaired it rather than quoting a rebuild, which the previous company had pushed hard for."
— Gilbert Garcia"They were the only ones willing to just tell me the price. Everyone else wanted to "come take a look" first, which in my experience means come apply pressure in person."
— Matt Delaney