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 Upland
Chimney sweep service in Upland typically runs $189 to $340 for a standard cleaning and inspection, with most homes completed in under two hours. We schedule directly, show up when we say we will, and leave your fireplace ready for the next cold evening. If you live anywhere from the historic Euclid Avenue corridor up into the 91784 foothills, call (833) 805-3229 and we’ll get you on the schedule.
Ashwood Chimney Sweep has been working in Upland long enough to know exactly what the city’s housing stock throws at a chimney. The older Craftsman homes near downtown have clay-tile flues that behave differently than the prefab metal units up toward San Antonio Heights. That local knowledge means we show up already understanding what to look for, not figuring it out on your roof.
Norm Castillo started this company to give homeowners one contractor who handles the whole flue, not just the easy parts. Our Chimney Sweep team covers sweeping, dryer vent cleaning, and repair work across Upland, and one call gets you the right person for whichever of those you actually need.
Why Ashwood Chimney Sweep Is Upland’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Upland homeowners call us because we do not stop at documenting problems. If the liner is failing, HeatShield lets us restore it, not just write it up on an inspection report and leave you to find another contractor. That matters in a city where so many of the older homes near the Euclid Avenue corridor have original clay-tile flues that have been quietly deteriorating for decades.
Our customers in Upland span the whole map: mid-century ranch homes down by Foothill Boulevard, Craftsman houses in the historic core, and larger foothills properties in 91784 where gas inserts and factory-built fireplaces are more common than open masonry. We carry the same professional-grade materials across all of them. No hand-off to a separate repair crew, no broken telephone between the person who inspects and the person who does the work.
Response time to Upland matters, and we keep our scheduling window tight. We are not a 24/7 emergency outfit, but we get to Upland homes within a day or two in almost every case, and we tell you honestly when the work can wait until your schedule allows.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Maintenance in Upland
Chimney Maintenance in Upland is not a winter-only task, because the city’s dry, hot summers and Santa Ana wind season put as much stress on a flue as winter burning does. A maintenance visit in late summer or early fall catches the hairline cracks that summer heat opened in clay-tile flues before the first fire of the season. Standard maintenance – sweep, inspection, cap check, and a written condition report – runs $189 to $260 for most Upland homes.
Annual Sweep and Condition Check
Every fireplace that gets used should be swept annually, even in Upland homes that only burn a few cords a season. In this dry climate, first-degree creosote hardens into a glaze faster than most homeowners expect. Our annual sweep removes that layer before it becomes a removal job requiring heavier tools.
Level 1 and Level 2 Inspections
A Level 1 inspection is part of every sweep and covers the accessible portions of the flue. A Level 2 inspection goes further, using a camera to inspect the entire liner from top to bottom. In Upland we recommend Level 2 for any home where the fireplace has not been inspected in five years or more, and for any buyer or seller in older neighborhoods around Historic Downtown where tile condition is unknown.
Chimney Sweep Services in Upland
Chimney Sweep Services in Upland cover more than the obvious ash removal. A proper sweep here means removing creosote from the full flue length using rotary tools when needed, checking the chimney crown and cap for Santa Ana wind damage, and verifying the draft. Standard fireplace cleaning runs $189 to $280 in Upland, and heavier creosote removal – common in the Euclid Avenue corridor’s older masonry fireplaces – adds $60 to $120 depending on how thick the glaze has built.
Creosote and Soot Removal
Creosote removal is the core of the job. In Upland’s dry climate, even a single cord of almond or oak burned over a winter can leave first-degree creosote that hardens during the summer months. We use mechanical brushes and rotary chains where needed to strip that glaze back to the flue surface, then camera-verify the result. Soot removal follows the creosote work and clears the firebox and damper assembly so the fireplace draws properly on the first light.
Fireplace Cleaning
Fireplace cleaning means more than a quick firebox scoop. We clean the firebox, remove ash and soot from the smoke shelf, verify the damper seats correctly, and check the flue for animal nests and debris. In foothills homes in 91784, uncapped chimneys collect wind-driven leaves and twigs during Santa Ana events, and that debris is a fire hazard the first time you light a fire.
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 Upland
We repair with the same materials professional contractors specify, so Upland homeowners are not getting bargain-bin substitutes on safety components. Ashwood Chimney Sweep installs DuraFlex flexible liner systems, uses HeatShield for cracked or spalled tile restoration, and sources components from Copperfield and Famco. These are brands distributed through the professional chimney trade, not retail channels. For Upland customers that means we can usually complete a repair in one visit without waiting on special-order parts, because we stock the common sizes and components on our trucks.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Upland Homes
- Glazed creosote in older masonry fireplaces. In the Euclid Avenue historic corridor, decades of almond and oak burning have left clay-tile flues coated with third-degree creosote that a standard brush will not remove. This requires rotary chain work and is the single most common problem we correct in Upland’s older homes.
- Hairline cracks in original clay-tile flues. Summer heat in Upland expands and contracts the tile in early-1900s brick chimneys, and the cracks that open are invisible from the firebox. HeatShield seals those cracks without full demolition, which most sweep-only companies cannot offer.
- Wind-driven debris and missing or damaged caps. Santa Ana winds push leaves, twigs, and embers into uncapped flues, especially in the foothills ZIP 91784. A damaged or missing cap also lets rain in during winter, which spalls the masonry and ruins the draft. We replace caps and crowns as part of repair work.
- Factory-built fireplace neglect in foothills homes. Newer Upland homes north of the 210 often have prefab metal fireplaces and gas inserts that homeowners assume need no maintenance. They do. Gas inserts still produce acidic condensate that corrodes the flue, and prefab units have specific clearance and component requirements we check on every visit.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Upland, CA
Our pricing for Upland is straightforward and quoted before we book. A standard sweep with a Level 1 inspection runs $189 to $280 for most single-flue homes. Heavier creosote removal adds $60 to $120. A Level 2 camera inspection – which we recommend for older Euclid Avenue homes and any real estate transaction – runs $149 to $249 on its own or $99 when added to a sweep. HeatShield liner restoration starts around $850 for a small repair area and goes up based on the extent of the damage. We do not recommend a liner replacement or any major work without camera evidence you can see for yourself. Call (833) 805-3229 for a free estimate, and we will give you a firm number before any work begins.
We Also Serve Cities Near Upland
Ashwood Chimney Sweep regularly works in Upland and the surrounding communities. We serve San Antonio Heights, Claremont, Montclair, and Rancho Cucamonga with the same scheduling window and the same professional-grade materials. If you are just over the city line, call (833) 805-3229 and we will let you know our next available slot in your area.
Serving Upland, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Upland 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 Upland
At least once a year, and more often if you burn more than two cords per season. Upland’s dry climate causes creosote to harden and glaze faster than in coastal areas, and foothills homes that rely on wood stoves as a primary heat source should consider a mid-season check in January or February. Call (833) 805-3229 and we will help you set a schedule based on how much you actually burn.
You are gambling with a clay-tile flue that has decades of creosote and, likely, hairline cracks from summer heat. A chimney fire in one of those early-1900s brick chimneys can spread to the framing quickly, and the cracks mean the fire does not even need to be obvious to be dangerous. A camera inspection will tell you exactly what condition your tile is in before you light anything. We bring that camera on every Upland job.
Yes, in three specific ways. They drive debris into uncapped flues, they carry embers from any outdoor burning or nearby fires onto roofs and chimneys, and they create strong downdrafts that push smoke and carbon monoxide back into the house if the flue is partially blocked or the damper is not seating right. A properly capped, clean, and inspected chimney handles Santa Ana season without a problem. Call (833) 805-3229 to have yours checked before the next wind event.
Yes. We work on original brick and clay-tile fireplaces throughout the historic core and on prefab metal fireplaces and gas inserts in the foothills ZIP 91784 and the mid-century tracts throughout 91786. The tools and inspection points are different for each, and our technicians are trained on both. One contractor handles assessment and repair, no hand-off.
Burn dry, seasoned hardwood – almond and oak are common in Upland and both burn well when properly cured for at least six to twelve months. Burn hot fires rather than smoldering low ones, which produce more creosote per cord. Never burn green wood, cardboard, or treated lumber. And regardless of how clean you burn, an annual sweep is still the only way to catch the buildup that even careful burning leaves behind. Call (833) 805-3229 for an estimate.
Written by Norm Castillo, Owner at Ashwood Chimney Sweep, serving Upland and the Inland Empire since 2012.