Before & After Gallery - Kindling Chimney San Antonio

Chimney Cleaning Before & After in San Antonio, TX

Photos tell the truth faster than any sales pitch. Before a sweep, a San Antonio chimney can hide a quarter inch of glazed creosote, a rusted damper, or a nest packed into the flue. After, the flue is bare to the masonry and the firebox looks like it did when the masons finished. Here are representative jobs from our crews, with the problem, the plan, and the result spelled out plainly.

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Level 2 Inspection After a House Purchase in Terrell Heights

The buyers were told the chimney was “fine.” Our camera scan found a cracked flue tile at the 9-foot mark and a damper plate that had been rusted open for at least two winters. We documented everything, quoted a stainless liner replacement, and sent the buyers photos they could actually read. The seller ended up covering the liner, and the family moved in knowing their first fire would not be their last. That is the difference between a visual proof page and a verbal assurance.

Heavy Creosote Removal in an Alamo Heights Fireplace

Three seasons of oak and cedar fires had left a tacky, tar-like glaze running from the smoke shelf to the cap. The flue opening was visibly narrowed. We ran rotary rods for the glazed sections, hand-scraped the firebox, and dropped the creosote into sealed bags so nothing touched the floor. After photos show clean masonry joints and a flue you can see down to the ash pit. If the creosote were this thick in a San Antonio home, a single hot fire and an open damper are all it takes to turn a chimney into an oven pipe.

Animal Nest Removal from a Vacant Rental on the West Side

The property manager had tried to rent the house for six weeks. Every showing stalled at the fireplace smell. Our technician pulled a full squirrel nest, three feet of twigs and matted fur, from just above the smoke shelf. We swept the flue, sanitized the firebox, and installed a screened cap so the squirrel could not return. The unit rented in eight days. We hear from property managers in San Antonio that a dead animal smell is a show-stopper, but it is one of the cheapest fixes in the trade.

Firebox Masonry Repair in a 1960s Ranch Home Near Woodlawn Lake

The firebrick at the rear of the firebox had spalled so badly you could see the rough framing behind it. The homeowner had stopped using the fireplace because sparks were coming through the cracks. We removed the loose brick, re-mortared the firebox with refractory cement, and cut the replacement brick to match the original layout. The result looks like a fresh installation, and the homeowner can burn again without holding a fire extinguisher. We do not recommend burning in a firebox with exposed framing, period.

Smoky Fireplace Fix in a Two-Story Home in Stone Oak

The family could not use their upstairs fireplace without the smoke alarm going off. The flue was clean enough, which meant the problem was not creosote. Our tech measured the flue dimensions against the fireplace opening and found the ratio was off by over 30 percent, a common problem in taller San Antonio homes with interior chases. We installed a top-sealing damper and a custom smoke guard, then tested it with a smoke pencil. The upstairs stays clear now. Not every smoke problem is a dirty chimney; sometimes the chimney was built wrong.

Rusted Damper and Cap Replacement in a 1990s Home in Shavano Park

The damper had been rusted shut for so long that the handle broke off in the homeowner’s hand. The cap was worse, with the mesh pulled apart and the base plate warped. We installed a new top-sealing damper and a stainless cap with proper animal mesh, then swept the flue while everything was open. The fireplace drafts better than it ever did, and the utility bill dropped because warm air stopped bleeding into the flue.

Want Results Like These?

Call Kindling Chimney San Antonio at (361) 491-3153. We will schedule a sweep or inspection, put a written price in your hand before any work starts, and send you photos of your own flue before and after. Shoe covers go down on arrival. The clean-up photo is sent before the crew leaves.

Written by Danny Cortes, Owner at Kindling Chimney San Antonio, serving San Antonio since 2003.