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 Highland
A chimney sweep in Highland typically runs $189 – $329 for a standard cleaning with inspection. Most jobs take 45 – 90 minutes, and we schedule across all of 92346 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Norm Castillo and the Ashwood crew know Highland’s older tract homes and foothill properties better than most, because we see the same wind-driven debris and clay-tile flue cracks week after week from Baseline down to the East Highland neighborhoods. Call (833) 805-3229 and we’ll get you on the schedule before the first real cold night off the San Bernardino Mountains.
Why Ashwood Chimney Sweep Is Highland’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Highland homeowners keep calling us because we show up with the right equipment and a straight answer, not a scare pitch. Our reputation in Highland is built on two things: we never recommend a repair without camera footage you can see for yourself, and we handle the whole flue, not just the easy parts. That matters on a 1960s ranch off Victoria Avenue where a clay-tile liner might have hairline cracks invisible from the firebox.
Response time to Highland is typically same-week, often within a few days during the fall rush. We know the difference between a chimney cap that failed from a Santa Ana gust and one that’s been rusting for a decade in the inland heat. When a Highland customer calls with a ceiling stain showing up weeks after a wind storm, we don’t guess. We inspect the flashing, the crown, and the flue with a camera before we say a word about the fix.
Norm Castillo built Ashwood on the premise that the person who inspects should be the person who repairs. No hand-off to a separate crew, no broken telephone between what the camera shows and what the work order says. Highland homeowners appreciate that.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Sweep Certified in Highland
Chimney Sweep Certified means the technician in your Highland home is trained to clean and inspect flues to a standard that insurance companies and fire marshals recognize. In Highland, a certified sweep involves removing creosote and soot from the firebox, smoke chamber, and flue liner, then running a camera to check for cracks, blockages, or cap damage that could become a fire hazard. Expect to pay $189 – $329 in Highland, depending on flue condition and whether it’s a one-story ranch or a two-story foothill build.
Sweeping and Creosote Removal
Creosote in a Highland flue is often harder and denser than what you’d find in Redlands or Loma Linda, because fireplaces here sit unused through long hot summers. The residue bakes and hardens, then a cold snap off the Cajon Pass triggers a heavy first burn that torch-ignites that creosote shelf if it hasn’t been swept. We use rotary tools and hand brushes sized to your specific flue, and we’ll show you the before and after photos so you know what was removed.
Annual Sweep and Level 1 Inspection
For most Highland homes, an annual sweep with a Level 1 inspection is the right baseline. The sweep clears what has accumulated, and the inspection checks the accessible portions of the chimney for structural issues, cap condition, and flue integrity. If you’ve been burning wood every winter for five years and have never had the flue scanned, we’ll likely spend more time with the camera than the brush, and we’ll tell you exactly what’s in there before recommending anything else.
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in Highland
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in Highland means clearing soot and mineral buildup from gas log sets, checking the venting path for obstructions, and confirming the ceramic logs are seated without blocking the pilot or burner ports. Even gas fireplaces produce deposits that reduce flame quality and, in tight Highland homes with modern air sealing, can push carbon monoxide into the living space. Plan on $150 – $260 in Highland for a gas fireplace cleaning that includes vent inspection.
Venting and Carbon Monoxide Checks
Gas inserts and prefab gas fireplaces in Highland depend on proper vent flow to move combustion gases outside. When the vent is partially blocked by debris, dust, or an insect nest, the unit can’t draft correctly. We run a visual and camera check on the vent path, and we pay close attention to the damper setting, because a closed damper on a vented gas log set is a stupidly common, easily fixed risk.
When a Gas Fireplace Needs More Than a Cleaning
Sometimes a gas fireplace cleaning in Highland reveals a cracked refractory panel or a thermocouple that’s on its way out. We stock replacement components from Olympia Chimney and Famco for common gas fireplace brands in the area. If we see a venting problem that needs a liner, you get the same camera evidence we’d show a wood-burning customer, and we walk you through what can wait and what can’t.
Trusted Brands We Service in Highland
Ashwood uses repair materials from DuraFlex, Copperfield, and Olympia Chimney – the same professional-trade suppliers certified contractors specify nationwide, not what a big-box shelf carries. When a Highland homeowner needs a new liner or cap, we’re ordering from the same distributors the trade has relied on for decades. That matters for lead times and for warranty coverage. We keep common components stocked locally, so a wind-damaged cap replacement on a 1970s tract home off Greenspot Road doesn’t have to wait a week. Same for HeatShield, the liner restoration product that lets us re-line a cracked clay-tile flue without full demolition, which is the option most sweep-only companies in the Inland Empire can’t even offer.
Common Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Highland Homes
- Wind-displaced and clogged caps. Downslope winds off the Cajon Pass shove palm fronds, fine ash, and grit into uncapped flues harder than anywhere on the valley floor. We routinely pull caps that have shifted an inch or two off center after a strong Santa Ana event, leaving the flue wide open to whatever the wind carries.
- Hairline clay-tile flue cracks in mid-century tracts. Most of Highland’s housing stock is 1950s – 1970s single-story ranch construction with original clay-tile liners. Those liners crack after decades of thermal cycling, and the cracks often go unnoticed until a first burn pushes smoke into places it shouldn’t be.
- Hardened creosote after the long hot season. Fireplaces in Highland often sit unused from April through October. That creosote bakes into a dense, glossy layer that’s harder to remove and easier to ignite than the flaky stuff on a regularly used chimney.
- Flashing failures that show up late. A failed flashing at the roof line lets wind-driven rain track down behind the chimney, but the ceiling stain often appears weeks after the storm that caused it. By the time a Highland homeowner sees it, water has already been working through the chase or attic.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterPricing for Chimney Sweep in Highland, CA
A standard chimney sweep with Level 1 inspection in Highland runs $189 – $329. Gas fireplace cleaning typically falls between $150 and $260. A Level 2 inspection, which includes full camera scanning of the flue, runs $250 – $425 and is what we recommend for any home that has bought or sold recently or gone through a wind event strong enough to shift a cap. Highland’s repair costs run higher than down-basin cities when a clay-tile liner needs a HeatShield re-line, typically $800 – $1,800 depending on flue height and access. We provide a written flat-price quote before any work begins, and estimates are free. Call (833) 805-3229 and we’ll schedule a time that works around the wind patterns, not against them.
We Also Serve Cities Near Highland
Ashwood Chimney Sweep covers Highland and the neighboring communities of San Bernardino, Muscoy, Redlands, and Loma Linda. If you’re just up Baseline or off the 210, we’re already working in your area. Our Chimney Sweep service hub covers the full scope of what we do across the Inland Empire, and we bring the same camera-first inspection standard to every Highland job.
Serving Highland, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Highland 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 Highland
Highland sits at the base of the Cajon Pass, and the downslope winds that funnel through that gap are strong enough to lift lightweight caps and shove debris into the flue. The cap that blows off is usually a single-wall steel cap sized wrong for the flue or anchored with a single screw. We install caps with deeper skirts and longer masonry anchors, plus a properly sized spark arrestor, so subsequent wind events pass over instead of through. Call (833) 805-3229 if your cap has shifted or you’re seeing fronds in the firebox.
If the stain is near the chimney chase or along a wall adjacent to the fireplace, the flashing is the most likely entry point. Wind-driven rain doesn’t need a downpour; a sustained gust can push water upward and under a compromised flashing seal. We trace the stain back with a camera and moisture meter, because the leak might be in the chimney chase, the crown, or a shifted cap. The fix is typically a new flashing seal or crown repair, and we’ll show you the evidence before we do the work.
Almost certainly, and the reason is thermal cycling. Highland’s summer heat bakes the flue, then a sudden cold snap contracts it, and after fifty or sixty years of that cycle hairline cracks form. A sweep clears the creosote but doesn’t address a cracked liner, and burning with a cracked liner risks heating the surrounding masonry and framing. We’ll run a Level 2 camera inspection during the sweep, and if we find cracks, HeatShield restoration can re-line the flue without ripping out your chimney. You’ll see the cracks on the camera screen yourself.
You need an inspection because the chimney has been sitting open to Highland’s wind and wildlife for the entire time. Caps shift, birds and rodents nest, and creosote left from last season hardens into a denser, more ignition-prone layer. A Level 1 inspection catches the cap and obstruction problems; a Level 2 goes further with a full flue scan. Before the first cold night off the San Bernardino Mountains, get it looked at. Call (833) 805-3229 and we’ll get an inspector out.
A rotary sweep with the right tool will remove most hardened creosote, including the glossy third-degree layer that forms after a long Highland summer. But if the creosote has sat for multiple seasons or the flue has narrowed significantly, chemical treatment followed by a second mechanical pass may be necessary. We assess the creosote stage before we start and tell you what method will actually get it out, rather than charging for a sweep that just polishes the surface.
Contact Ashwood Chimney Sweep in Highland
Whether you need a sweep before the first burn, a cap that stays put through Santa Ana season, or a camera inspection after a suspicious ceiling stain, we’ll give you a straight answer. Ashwood Chimney Sweep serves all of Highland, from the 92346 tract streets to the foothill properties up toward the Cajon Pass. Call (833) 805-3229 for a free estimate, or to get on the schedule before the fire season turns serious.
Written by Norm Castillo, Owner at Ashwood Chimney Sweep, serving Highland since 2012.