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 South Pasadena, CA
Chimney work in South Pasadena rarely starts with a simple sweep. Most calls begin because a century-old clay flue tile has shifted, a crown has spalled, or a fireplace that worked fine in December now leaks smoke in March. Hickory Chimney Sweep handles the repair side as the primary job in this city, and we’ve served South Pasadena since 2013 across every era of its housing stock. Call (855) 554-2841 to describe what you’re seeing.
Why South Pasadena Homes Are Different
South Pasadena’s housing stock runs almost entirely to early-1900s through 1930s construction. That means original brick chimneys, genuine clay flue tile, and decorative masonry surrounds that have been cooking in the San Gabriel Valley sun for a hundred years. The Mediterranean climate sounds forgiving, but the dry heat is hard on mortar. We regularly see brick that has lost its face, crown cracks from thermal expansion, and flue tile joints that have separated inches out of alignment after decades of minor seismic settling. The Santa Ana winds push leaves, twigs, and an occasional bird nest down flues that sit dormant ten months a year. On top of that, South Pasadena enforces strict historic preservation standards. Any repair that would visibly alter a roofline or facade needs to be invisible, or close to it. That shapes every liner decision and every cap we recommend in the historic districts around Mission Street and Raymond Hill.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main South Pasadena Services
Most South Pasadena homeowners call us for one of two reasons: the fireplace that hasn’t been cleaned in years, or the dryer vent that hasn’t been cleaned ever. Both are fire risks in older homes, and both are things we do every week in 91030 and 91031.
Chimney Sweep in South Pasadena
A sweep in South Pasadena means working around brittle, century-old brick and clay flue tile. The creosote load is often moderate because fires burn a few evenings a week in winter and then the chimney sits idle through the hot months. The bigger issue is what the wind and dry air leave behind: nests, debris, and spalled mortar bits settled in the smoke shelf. We clean carefully, and we tell you exactly what we found. See Chimney Sweep in South Pasadena for the full scope and local pricing.
Dryer Vent Cleaning in South Pasadena
Many South Pasadena laundry rooms use long, often twisting vent runs from interior mechanical closets to a side wall or roof cap. That is the exact configuration that collects lint fast, and the build-up is a leading cause of residential appliance fires. We clear the full run and check the exterior termination. Most homes here should be on roughly an annual interval. Details are on our Dryer Vent Cleaning in South Pasadena page.
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 South Pasadena
Chimney Repair is the work we do most in South Pasadena because the housing stock rarely gives up a clean bill of health. A sweep will clear the soot, but the problems hidden behind it are structural: cracked terra cotta flue tile, spalled brick faces, leaking flashing, and crowns that have become more patch than original mortar. The dry heat accelerates spalling, and decades of mild earthquakes have shifted flue sections that were installed when Woodrow Wilson was president. When you combine that with the city’s historic preservation rules, the job becomes more than a patch: it means matching what’s there, repairing what can be saved, and relining what cannot, without changing the look of the roofline.
Chimney Cap Installation
Signs you need it
You hear birds or bats in the flue, you smell damp masonry after rain, or you see debris collecting on the smoke shelf during a sweep.
What it costs in South Pasadena
A new chimney cap in South Pasadena typically runs $300 to $600 installed, more if the flue is large, oddly placed, or built before standard dimensions.
How we do it
We measure the flue opening, select a stainless or copper cap sized to the tile, anchor it to the crown without altering the visible masonry, and verify the mesh doesn’t restrict draft.
Chimney Liner Installation
Signs you need it
An inspection finds gaps, cracks, or missing sections of original clay flue tile, or you see white efflorescence and failing mortar joints on the exterior.
What it costs in South Pasadena
A full liner installation in South Pasadena generally lands between $2,800 and $4,500 depending on the flue height, access, and whether the old tile needs to be broken out first.
How we do it
We run a DuraFlex flexible liner down the existing flue, terminate it at the top with the right plate and cap, and tie in the appliance or firebox below so the chimney drafts as a sealed, continuous system.
What Chimney Repair Costs in South Pasadena
| Item | Typical range in South Pasadena |
|---|---|
| Chimney cap installation | $300 – $600 |
| Flashing repair | $350 – $800 |
| Crown repair | $400 – $900 |
| Liner installation | $2,800 – $4,500 |
Do I need a new liner or can the old one be repaired?
If the clay tile has shifted or cracked in more than one section, a new DuraFlex liner is the longer-lasting fix. Single vertical cracks and small gaps can sometimes be resurfaced with HeatShield. We’ll show you the camera evidence before recommending either one.
Will a repair change how my historic chimney looks?
No. This is the constraint we respect most in South Pasadena. Caps, liners, and flashing are sized and finished to read as original from the street. Crown repair uses tinted mortar to match the existing color.
Brands We Service in South Pasadena
We work with the materials used on the homes in this city, so repairs match what was originally built. That means firing in HeatShield resurfacing, sizing caps from Gelco and Copperfield, and running DuraFlex liners on the reline jobs. Parts are stocked locally, and most repairs begin within the week. Our our brands page shows the full line of materials.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for Chimney Company in South Pasadena, CA
| Service | Typical range in South Pasadena |
|---|---|
| Chimney sweep (standard, one flue) | $179 – $259 |
| Dryer vent cleaning | $129 – $189 |
| Chimney cap installation | $300 – $600 |
| Chimney flashing repair | $350 – $800 |
| Chimney crown repair | $400 – $900 |
| Chimney liner installation | $2,800 – $4,500 |
| Chase cover replacement | $450 – $950 |
The two things that push prices up in South Pasadena are historic masonry complexity and access. A flue that tilts through a steep roofline on a 1920s Tudor costs more to work on than a straight run on a ranch, and custom cap sizing for a non-standard tile opening adds a little time. We give a flat price before any work begins, so you know the number before the truck rolls.
Neighborhoods We Serve in South Pasadena
We work across the full city, from the flats near Mission Street up through the hills around Raymond and the Monterey Hills edge. South Pasadena is small enough that we can usually route a crew day-of or next-day, except during the pre-holiday rush in November and December when sweeps book about a week out.
- Mission Street historic district
- Raymond Hill
- Monterey Hills
- Garfield Park
- Arroyo View
Service Area – Cities Near South Pasadena
From our base in South San Gabriel, we cover South Pasadena and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley and northeast Los Angeles corridor. Homeowners nearby in Alhambra, CA, Pasadena, CA, San Marino, CA, and San Gabriel, CA see the same historic-stock chimneys and can call the same number for service.
Serving South Pasadena, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the South Pasadena 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 South Pasadena
Most non-emergency work in 91030 and 91031 is scheduled within a few business days. If water is actively coming through a ceiling around a chimney, call (855) 554-2841 and we’ll treat it as a priority and work you in sooner.
Basic sweeps and most caps and liners done inside the existing flue don’t need anything from the city. Anything that changes the exterior profile, including a larger cap flashing or a rebuilt crown, may fall under South Pasadena’s historic review rules. We’ll tell you before the work starts if that applies to your house.
Yes, and that’s the most efficient way to cover both major appliance-fire risks in one trip. We’ll block the sweep for the chimney and the dryer vent cleaning for the same day, and you’ll get a single service record for both.
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 South Pasadena Customers Say
"Honest people. That's getting rare."
— Danielle Rhodes"Weekend rate was higher, which they told me up front and I was fine with. What I wasn't expecting was for someone to actually come out on a Sunday."
— Nathan Pruitt"Creosote buildup was worse than I realized. He measured it, showed me the glazing on the flue with the camera, and was honest that we were closer to a chimney fire than I wanted to hear."
— Beatriz Hernandez