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 Converse
A standard chimney sweep in Converse runs $159 to $269 for a single flue with a standard masonry fireplace, and most homes we visit here need the work done in under two hours. We serve every Converse neighborhood from the 78109 and 78148 zip codes, and our crews arrive with drop cloths, shoe covers, and a written price before any brush touches your flue. Danny Cortes has built the Converse service area around one simple habit: when a homeowner calls about a ceiling stain after a hailstorm, we don’t guess. We put a camera up the flue and show you exactly what’s going on before we recommend anything. Call (361) 491-3153 for a free estimate, and a live person answers, day or night.
Our Chimney Sweep team knows Converse chimney work differently than a general handyman would. The clay tile liners in 1980s ranch homes crack differently than the metal flues in 2010s subdivisions, and hail damage here follows patterns we recognize from years of post-storm calls across the Windcrest area. Converse sits far enough from the coast that storms roll through hard and fast, leaving chimneys exposed on rooflines with caps that catch wind-driven rain. That local context matters when we inspect a fireplace, because what looks like a simple cleaning often reveals a crown that cracked during last spring’s severe thunderstorm and has been leaking into the brick veneer ever since.
Why Kindling Chimney San Antonio Is Converse’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Families in Converse keep calling us back because we write down the price before we start, and we write down exactly what we’ll protect while we’re inside the home. Shoe covers go on at the door. Drop cloths go down before the ladder. Nothing gets moved without asking, and our technicians follow the C.A.R.E. values on every visit: Courtesy, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence. That’s not a slogan we printed on a flyer. It’s the check-in list our crew runs through before a single tool comes off the truck.
Our reputation in Converse comes from honest camera inspections. When Danny Cortes hired and trained the Converse crew, the rule was simple: show the homeowner the inside of their chimney before asking them to spend another dollar. If the flue is clean, we say so. If it needs a sweep, we show you the creosote on the camera screen and explain the cost before any work begins. The Converse service area gets the same live-person phone answer at 2 a.m. as it does at 2 p.m., because a live person answers every call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No voicemail trees, no callbacks that arrive three days later.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Maintenance in Converse
Chimney Maintenance in Converse means more than an annual brushing here, because the region’s hot, humid summers and occasional hailstorms create a specific failure pattern: creosote hardens into a glaze while the fireplace sits unused from May through October, and storm damage to caps and crowns goes unnoticed until the first rain finds a way inside. We handle maintenance as a two-part job: clean what’s inside the flue, then verify what’s protecting the flue from above. Most standard chimney maintenance visits in Converse run $139 to $229, depending on flue type and how much creosote has built up since the last sweep.
Storm-Damage Check Before the First Fire
Before Converse families light the first fire of the season, we check the crown, cap, flashing, and damper for signs that severe weather did more than knock over a trash can. Hail-cracked crowns are the most common finding, and they rarely show themselves until water streaks appear on a ceiling below the chimney. Our maintenance visits include a visual inspection of the roofline and a camera pass through the flue when the homeowner wants proof of condition.
Pest and Creosote Prevention
Converse’s long idle season invites wasps, birds, and squirrels into uncapped or damaged flues, and hardened creosote from last winter’s fires makes the inside of the chimney sticky and acidic. We clean the flue to remove the hardened glaze, check the cap for gaps from hail or wind, and recommend a cap screen only when we see evidence that pests have been getting in. No scare tactics, just a straight answer about what the camera shows.
Chimney Sweep Services in Converse
Chimney Sweep Services in Converse begin with a flat written price that covers the full sweep of one flue, the drop cloths, the vacuum containment, and a photo of the cleaned firebox before we leave. A standard sweep in Converse runs $159 to $269, and we use professional-grade brushes sized to the flue, not a one-size-fits-all head that misses corners. Most jobs take under two hours, and we leave the hearth cleaner than we found it, with the ash and soot contained by our HEPA-filtered vacuum system rather than blown into the living room.
Creosote and Soot Removal
Converse fireplaces that burn regularly through winter build up first-degree creosote that hardens over the humid summer into a second-degree glaze. Dry brushing alone won’t remove that glaze, so we use rotary loop tools that scrape the flue walls without damaging clay tile or metal liners. Soot removal comes standard with every sweep, and we take a camera photo down the flue afterward so you can see the clean surface with your own eyes.
Annual Sweep and Fireplace Cleaning
The National Fire Protection Association recommends a chimney inspection and sweep at least once a year, and in Converse that timing matters because of the idle season that follows winter. We recommend booking your annual sweep in September or October, before the first cold snap, so the flue is clean and dry when you’re ready to burn. The fireplace cleaning includes the smoke shelf, damper, firebox, and the full length of the flue, all backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Converse
When a Converse chimney needs more than a sweep, we repair with materials built to last in Texas weather, not patched with whatever is on the truck. We stock parts from DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Olympia Chimney, which means a damaged cap or deteriorated flue liner can often be repaired the same week we diagnose it. Kindling Chimney Sweep is part of the Cedarwell family of companies, established in 2003, and that Cedarwell Care Promise extends to every Converse job: a written price before work begins, shoe covers and drop cloths on arrival, and a photo of the clean-up before the crew leaves. If a HeatShield liner resurfacing or DuraFlex liner replacement is what the camera shows, we’ll quote the exact cost and timeline before scheduling the repair.
Common Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Converse Homes
- Hail-cracked chimney crowns. Converse’s occasional severe hailstorms leave small fractures in the cement crown that sits on top of the chimney. These cracks let rainwater seep behind the brick veneer, and by the time a ceiling stain appears, the crown has been leaking for months.
- Displaced caps after severe thunderstorms. Wind-driven rain pushes caps off or bends them just enough to let water run directly down the flue. We responded to a Windcrest home where a recent hailstorm had displaced a chimney cap and cracked the crown mortar. Our technician found water running down the flue and staining the ceiling below, so we replaced the cap, sealed the crown with a weatherproof compound, and cleaned the first-degree creosote that had hardened over the summer, restoring a proper draft before the first cold snap.
- Flashing that pulls away from the brick. Galvanized flashing nailed into mortar joints works loose over years of expansion and contraction. After a storm, the flashing can separate from the brick enough to channel roof water behind the chimney chase, and homeowners often misread the resulting ceiling stain as a roof leak.
- Hard, glazed creosote from the summer idle. A fireplace that burns all winter, then sits through Converse’s humid summer, turns soft sooty creosote into a shiny, tar-like glaze that a standard brush won’t remove. The fix is a rotary loop cleaning, followed by a camera check to confirm the flue walls are clear.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for Chimney Sweep in Converse, TX
We Also Serve Cities Near Converse
Our crews serve Converse and the surrounding area, including Universal City, San Antonio, Bulverde, and New Braunfels. If you live just outside Converse or know someone in a neighboring city who needs a chimney checked after a storm, call (361) 491-3153 and we’ll schedule a visit with the same written-price promise and the same crew standards.
Serving Converse, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Converse 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 Converse
After any hailstorm with stones large enough to dent a car or crack a shingle, a chimney in Converse should be inspected within a few weeks, because standing water in a cracked crown will keep seeping into the brick until it’s repaired. You don’t need to rush the same day. But the longer a displaced cap or cracked crown sits, the more water moves behind the brick veneer, and the repair bill grows with it. Call (361) 491-3153 and we’ll schedule a storm check that fits your week.
Brick-veneer chimneys built in Converse during the 1980s typically have original clay tile flue liners, and after forty years those tiles often show hairline cracks from repeated heating and cooling plus storm-driven moisture. The more urgent problem we see is the crown mortar on top: it was poured decades ago, and hail plus Texas sun has left it pitted and fractured. A cracked crown on a 1980s Converse chimney usually costs less to seal than the ceiling repair that follows if it’s left alone.
Yes, a chimney sweep can remove hardened, glazed creosote using rotary loop tools that scrape the flue walls without damaging the underlying clay tile or metal liner. Converse’s humid summer turns soft creosote into a tar-like glaze that a standard wire brush simply can’t cut through. Our Converse sweeps include rotary loop removal when the camera shows second-degree glaze, and the cost is reflected in the written quote before work begins, not added on afterward.
You would look for small chips or pits in the cement crown on top of the chimney, visible from the roof or with binoculars from the ground, especially after a storm with quarter-size or larger hail. Hairline cracks are harder to spot from below, but early signs inside the house include a faint water stain on the ceiling near the fireplace, a musty firebox smell after rain, or rust on the damper. A Level 2 inspection with a camera settles it, because the video shows the crown condition from the top down.
Before the first fire after Converse’s long idle season, check that the cap is still seated, the damper opens and closes, and the firebox doesn’t smell musty or sour, which would signal water intrusion over the summer. If any of those checks fail, skip the fire and call (361) 491-3153 for a sweep and inspection. Burning in a chimney that’s been compromised over the summer can push smoke and moisture into the wrong places, and a camera check costs less than the damage it can prevent.
Call Kindling Chimney San Antonio for Your Converse Chimney Sweep
When you call about a Converse chimney sweep, you’ll reach a live person who can schedule a visit, explain the written-price promise, and answer questions about what the crew will do inside your home. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every sweep, inspection, and repair we do in Converse, and the Cedarwell Care Promise puts shoe covers on your floors, drop cloths under our equipment, and a photo of the clean-up in your hands before we leave. Call (361) 491-3153 for a free estimate today.
Written by Danny Cortes, Owner at Kindling Chimney San Antonio, serving Converse with camera-verified inspections, storm-damage checks, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise.