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 Montebello
A chimney sweep in Montebello typically runs $189 – $329 for a standard cleaning with a Level 1 inspection, and most homes we see in 90640 need it more often than their owners realize. The mid-century stucco ranches that fill this city were built with original brick fireplaces and clay tile flues, and after decades of use, many are carrying creosote loads that a single sweep can’t fully address in one pass. We’re Hickory Chimney Sweep, led by Ruben Acosta, and we work throughout Montebello with the same crew that handles our Chimney Sweep calls across the San Gabriel Valley. If you’re seeing smoke back up into the room or you can’t remember the last time anyone looked at the flue, call (855) 554-2841 and we’ll get you on the schedule.

Key Takeaways
- A standard chimney sweep in Montebello costs $189 – $329; a Level 2 inspection adds $150 – $250 when the flue needs closer evaluation.
- Homes in the Montebello Hills face wind-driven debris and bird nests in chimney caps; flatland tract homes more often have orphaned fireboxes that still need attention after gas-log conversions.
- Montebello’s winter temperature inversions trap smoke near the ground, so a marginally drafting flue backs smoke indoors and draws neighbor complaints.
- We stock professional-grade materials from DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Olympia Chimney, and we fix what we find rather than referring it out.
Styles & brands we work with





Why Hickory Chimney Sweep Is Montebello’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Montebello homeowners call us because we show up knowing what we’re looking at. The city’s housing stock is overwhelmingly 1940s – 1960s California ranch-style and post-war tract homes, nearly all with original masonry fireplaces and clay tile flues. That means the chimney problems here are predictable if you know the houses: cracked crown joints, spalled brick from decades of Southern California sun, dampers rusted open from disuse, and clay liners that were never built for the heavy use some of these fireplaces saw before the 1970s clean-air push. Ruben Acosta and our crew have worked enough of these homes to know what we’ll find before we pull the ladder off the truck.
Response time to Montebello is straightforward for us. We’re based in East Los Angeles, so a call from the 90640 gets us to your door without a half-day drive attached to the quote. When a Montebello homeowner calls about a chimney that’s smoking or a fireplace that smells like a campfire in July, we treat it as a fire-safety issue, not a maintenance courtesy. That’s the difference between a vendor and a contractor who stands behind the work.
Fireplace Cleaning in Montebello
Fireplace Cleaning in Montebello is rarely just about sweeping ash. The fireplaces in this city’s mid-century homes were built for wood, and many of them burned heavily for decades before gas-log conversions became the norm. The result is a firebox and smoke chamber coated in creosote that has cured and hardened, sitting behind a gas log set that makes the fireplace look maintained when it isn’t. A proper fireplace cleaning here means removing that creosote, clearing the smoke shelf, and checking the damper and firebox for cracks that would send combustion gases where they don’t belong.
Creosote and Soot Removal
Montebello’s still-air winter inversions make creosote buildup more dangerous than in open, windy areas. When smoke doesn’t draft upward cleanly, it lingers and deposits more creosote on the flue walls. We use mechanical brushes sized to the flue diameter, not chemical shortcuts, and we remove what comes loose rather than leaving it piled in the smoke chamber. Soot removal goes hand in hand with this; a soot-caked firebox tells us the fireplace burned inefficiently, and that usually means the damper or flue needs attention.
Annual Sweep for Wood and Gas-Log Homes
Even a fireplace converted to gas logs needs an annual sweep. The firebox is still a firebox, and in Montebello, an orphaned firebox after a gas conversion is exactly where we find pest debris, moisture damage, and old creosote nobody thought to clean because “it’s just gas now.” A standard sweep in Montebello runs $189 – $329 depending on flue condition and accessibility. If the flue hasn’t been cleaned in years, we’ll tell you plainly and give you a number before any work starts.
Chimney Services in Montebello
Chimney Services in Montebello cover what happens after the sweep: the cracks, deteriorated joints, and liner failures that a basic cleaning exposes. We don’t hand you a report and tell you to find someone else. Our crew handles repair in-house, using materials from the same suppliers certified chimney contractors specify, not hardware-store generics. That includes HeatShield resurfacing for damaged flue liners and DuraFlex flexible liner systems when a full reline is the safer fix.
Level 1 and Level 2 Inspections
Every sweep we perform includes a Level 1 inspection of the accessible portions of the chimney. When we find something that warrants a closer look, or when a home sale or real estate transaction requires it, we perform a Level 2 inspection. This uses camera equipment to evaluate the flue interior, and it’s the only way to see hairline cracks in a clay tile liner before they become a structure fire or carbon monoxide pathway. In Montebello, where so many homes still have their original clay liners from the 1950s and 1960s, a Level 2 inspection is often the difference between “fine for now” and “this needs attention this year.”

Repairs and Liner Work
When we do find a cracked liner or a deteriorated mortar joint, the fix happens under the same roof. HeatShield resurfacing can restore a damaged clay flue without a full tear-out, and DuraFlex liners give us a lasting solution when the original flue is beyond saving. These are the same products certified chimney professionals use on their own jobs, and we stock or quick-order them for Montebello customers so the repair isn’t waiting six weeks on a backordered part. Ruben Acosta reviews every repair scope before we quote it, and we show you the camera footage so you can see the problem with your own eyes before approving any work.

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.
Trusted Brands We Service in Montebello
We work with professional-grade materials from DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Olympia Chimney because the houses in Montebello weren’t built with consumer-retail parts in mind. A 1950s clay tile flue that needs relining deserves a liner system engineered for that application, not a flexible tube from a big-box store. When we quote a repair, we name the product we’ll use and why. For Montebello homeowners, that means a reline with DuraFlex, a resurfacing with HeatShield, or a chimney cap from Olympia Chimney, not a mystery part from a supply shelf. We keep common replacement parts moving quickly through our East Los Angeles shop, so a Montebello repair doesn’t stall while a truck crosses three states.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Montebello Homes
- Orphaned fireboxes after gas-log conversions. The original brick firebox and clay tile flue stay in place after the gas insert goes in, and Montebello homeowners forget they still need sweeping. We find creosote, soot, and pest debris built up in fireboxes that haven’t been touched since the conversion, and the flue above them is worse.
- Wind-driven debris and bird nests in the Montebello Hills. The hillside pockets near the Montebello Hills get steady wind that pushes leaves, twigs, and nesting material into chimney caps. A missing or deteriorated spark screen makes it worse, and the first sign is usually smoke backing into the room or a fireplace that won’t draft at all.
- Cracked clay tile flue liners from decades of thermal cycling. The original clay liners in 1940s – 1960s Montebello homes have expanded and contracted through thousands of heating cycles. Hairline cracks let heat and combustion gases reach the masonry structure, and the only way to confirm it is a camera inspection.
- Smoke backup during winter inversions. Montebello sits in the Los Angeles Basin, and winter temperature inversions trap smoke near the ground. A flue that drafts marginally in open weather will back smoke into the living room during an inversion, and we get those calls from every flatland tract neighborhood in 90640.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Montebello, CA
A standard chimney sweep in Montebello runs $189 – $329. That covers the flue brushing, smoke chamber cleaning, firebox cleanout, and a Level 1 inspection. A Level 2 inspection, which we recommend for older homes or any property where the liner condition is unknown, adds $150 – $250. Relining a chimney with a DuraFlex system or resurfacing with HeatShield costs more, and we’ll give you a written quote with the specific product named before any repair starts. What affects the price in Montebello specifically is flue height and access; some of the hillside homes near the Montebello Hills have steep roof pitches that require extra rigging, and that gets priced honestly on the estimate. Call (855) 554-2841 for a free estimate, and we’ll tell you over the phone whether a standard sweep is all you need or if a closer look makes sense.
We Also Serve Cities Near Montebello
Our crew covers the communities around Montebello, including Pico Rivera, South San Gabriel, East Los Angeles, and Monterey Park. If you’re in one of those areas and need a Chimney Sweep in Montebello or a sweep closer to your side of the 60, call us and we’ll route the right crew to you. The same pricing and the same standards apply, no matter which side of the city line you’re on.
Serving Montebello, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Montebello 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 Montebello
We’re based in East Los Angeles, and most Montebello calls get a visit within a few business days depending on the season. Fall and early winter fill up fast, so if you want a sweep before the first fireplace evening, call early. Our number is (855) 554-2841.
Yes, we cover the entire 90640, including the hillside pockets near the Montebello Hills where cap clogging from wind-driven debris and bird nests is a regular issue. Steep roofs there sometimes require extra setup time, which is priced into the quote before we schedule, not added as a surprise.
If you smell smoke or see soot staining around the fireplace or ceiling, stop using the fireplace and call us at (855) 554-2841. We’ll walk through what you’re seeing and get a tech out quickly when the situation warrants it. A chimney fire or serious smoke backup is a safety issue, and we treat it accordingly.
A sweep removes creosote and soot from the flue, smoke chamber, and firebox so the chimney drafts cleanly. A Level 1 inspection covers the accessible portions of the chimney and comes standard with every sweep. A Level 2 inspection adds camera evaluation of the flue interior and is required for home sales or when we find something that needs a closer look. A Level 3 inspection involves opening up part of the chimney structure and is uncommon for routine maintenance. In Montebello’s older homes, we recommend a Level 2 if the flue hasn’t been camera-inspected and the house predates the 1970s.
We stand behind our sweeps and our repair work. If something isn’t right after we leave, call us and we’ll come back. Liner installs using DuraFlex and HeatShield resurfacing carry the manufacturer’s product warranty along with our workmanship commitment, and we’ll explain both before you sign anything. Call (855) 554-2841 and Ruben or a member of the crew will answer any question you’ve got.
Written by Ruben Acosta, Owner at Hickory Chimney Sweep, serving Montebello and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley.