Practical guidance from the crews who do the work — written for homeowners across San Bernardino County.
The standard answer is once a year. Up here the honest answer is that it depends on your elevation, your wood, and where your chimney sits on the house — and for some homes once a year is not enough.
Read Article: How Often Should You Sweep a Chimney at 5,000 Feet?
The level is not a sales tier. It is defined by NFPA 211 and determined by what has happened to your chimney — routine service, a property sale, an appliance change, or an event like a fire or an earthquake.
Read Article: Level 1, 2 and 3 Chimney Inspections: Which Do You Need?
Water does more damage to chimneys than fire does. The instinct is to seal the outside, and on a chimney that is still letting water in, that traps the moisture and accelerates exactly the damage you were trying to stop.
Read Article: Why Chimneys Leak — and Why Sealing One Often Makes It Worse
It is the most common serious finding we make in Running Springs and Green Valley Lake. The appliance was set into the fireplace opening, and nothing was run up the flue behind it.
Read Article: Your Insert Was Dropped Into the Old Fireplace. That's a Problem.
Almost every expensive chimney problem up here started as a cheap one at the top. A cracked crown and a missing cap are the least costly things on the chimney to fix, and the most costly to keep ignoring.
Read Article: Freeze-Thaw: Why Mountain Chimneys Fail From the Top DownJoin thousands of satisfied homeowners across the San Bernardino Mountains and the valley below. Call now for fast, professional service. Available 24/7.
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