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.
DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning in New Braunfels, TX | Kindling Chimney San Antonio
We provide independent DuraFlex Chimney Sweep in New Braunfels and inspection across the area, and the work here looks a little different than it does in neighboring cities. Limestone chimneys in Gruene and downtown hold moisture in ways that newer construction doesn’t, and oak and mesquite smoke leave a creosote profile that bonds hard to smooth-wall liners. If you own a DuraFlex liner in this area, you need a crew that knows both the alloy and the local flue conditions. Call (361) 491-3153 to talk through what your chimney needs.
Why New Braunfels Residents Choose Us for DuraFlex Service
DuraFlex liners show up in two very different kinds of New Braunfels homes. The first is a 19th-century limestone house where the original clay flue finally gave out, and a 316Ti liner went in to keep the fireplace usable. The second is a 2000s-era prefab in Meyer Ranch or Copper Ridge where the factory chase cover has warped under Texas sun and the liner behind it needs attention. We service both every week. Danny Cortes, our owner, came up through the trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and spent nearly two decades working chimneys across the Southwest before settling into San Antonio and the Hill Country. That background matters because DuraFlex work in New Braunfels requires reading how limestone mortar moves in spring rains and how a flex liner responds to a hard Hill Country freeze. DuraFlex sales & service is a core part of what we do, and we treat every liner as its own case rather than a routine sweep.
Styles & brands we work with
Common DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in New Braunfels
- Pinhole corrosion at the welded seam. Years of acidic oak and mesquite creosote sitting on a 316Ti liner produces small perforations, often along the weld line. We see this most in limestone chimneys where a missing rain cap lets moisture mix with the creosote and turn it corrosive before the next sweep.
- Ovalized or kinked flex liner sections. New Braunfels’ older stone chimneys rarely have perfectly round flues. When a liner gets forced through an off-round 19th-century flue with limestone movement behind it, the wall can deform. That creates a spot where creosote collects faster and brushes can’t fully reach.
- Sagging or detached insulation wrap. On DuraFlex Pro double-ply liners in unlined masonry chimneys, humidity swings loosen the wrap over time. Without a proper top plate holding everything in tension, the insulation slips and leaves cold spots that concentrate creosote.
- Aluminum liner failures from wrong-fuel installations. We’ve pulled aluminum liners from mid-century ranches where a homeowner converted to a wood stove and kept the gas-rated liner in place. Pinholes and seam separation follow, and sometimes the liner is beyond saving. The fix is a proper 316Ti replacement, not a patch.
- Creosote caked behind a chimney swift nest. In Gruene and other older neighborhoods, uncapped limestone chimneys collect swift nests every spring. A standard cleaning often misses what’s packed behind the nest, so we inspect first, remove the obstruction, then sweep the liner wall clean.
DuraFlex Service in New Braunfels: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
In New Braunfels’ Gruene Historic District, many limestone chimneys still lack rain caps, so chimney swifts nest inside during spring. We frequently remove dried swift nests from DuraFlex liners and install custom multi-flue caps to prevent repeat blockage, a problem far less common just 15 miles south in San Antonio’s newer construction. Here’s why that matters for anyone with a DuraFlex liner: a swift nest inside the flue doesn’t just block draft, it traps creosote against the liner wall and holds moisture in place for months. By the time winter fires start again, that creosote has hardened into a glaze that a standard sweep won’t break. We opened a liner off Gruene Road last fall and found a collapsed nest twelve feet down with creosote caked over it so thick the homeowner’s smoke was backing into the living room. The fix involved removing the nest, running a rotary whip through the 316Ti wall, and installing a stainless multi-flue cap over both flues. No more smoke, no more swifts. That’s the difference between a generic sweep and service built around how New Braunfels chimneys actually fail.
DuraFlex Models & Products We Service in New Braunfels
We work on the full DuraFlex line: the 316Ti single-ply smooth-wall liner, the Pro double-ply pre-insulated model, the SW flexible liner in 5.5″ through 12″ diameters, and the aluminum liner built for gas appliances only. For parts we source genuine DuraFlex components such as liner sections, top plates, rain caps, and connectors through national distributors, which keeps alloy and fit consistent. When a legacy liner is no longer produced, we use UL-listed 316L or AL29-4C aftermarket parts only when they match the original material and diameter. If the liner is over 15 years old with pitting or seam cracks, Danny’s position is straightforward: full replacement beats another patch. We carry the most common DuraFlex components in our local stock so we’re not waiting on a distributor for routine New Braunfels repairs.
See the difference
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AfterDuraFlex Service Pricing in New Braunfels
Most standard DuraFlex chimney cleanings in New Braunfels run between $189 and $349, depending on liner condition, height, and whether we’re removing a nest or heavy glaze at the same time. A Chimney Inspection in New Braunfels, which we recommend before any liner repair, typically runs $199 to $399 and includes camera footage of the flue. What drives the cost here more than anything is moisture: New Braunfels liners in uncapped limestone chimneys often need extra creosote removal and cap work that dry-climate liners don’t. Every quote is written down before we touch anything, and the Cedarwell Care Promise covers shoe covers, drop cloths, and a photo of the clean-up before we leave. Call (361) 491-3153 for a free estimate on your specific liner.
Serving New Braunfels, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the New Braunfels 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 – DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning in New Braunfels
Yes, when the brush matches the liner diameter and the technician knows the wall condition first. We inspect with a camera before choosing the brush type, because a liner with pitting or seam cracks needs a gentler approach than a clean 316Ti wall. The smooth-wall finish on DuraFlex handles poly or rotary brushes fine when sized correctly. If you’re not sure what’s inside your flue, call (361) 491-3153 and we’ll check before we sweep.
No. DuraFlex aluminum liners are rated for gas appliances only, and using one with a wood-burning insert will cause pinholes and seam failure, sometimes within a single season. We see this pattern in mid-century New Braunfels ranches converted to wood stoves. The correct liner for wood is 316Ti stainless. If you’re converting to wood, call (361) 491-3153 for a look at what’s currently installed.
We reset the liner and replace the top plate and clamp when needed, then verify the connection with a camera. Freeze-thaw movement in New Braunfels can shift the liner just enough to break the seal where it meets the cap, letting water run down the outside of the liner. Left alone, that moisture feeds corrosion. It’s a common call for us in January and February, and most jobs are done in a single visit.
Not the liners themselves, but the chase covers and surrounding flashing absolutely do. We’ve pulled warped galvanized chase covers off prefab chimneys in Meyer Ranch and Copper Ridge that let rainwater run straight down onto the liner. The 316Ti liner holds up, but the moisture entry around it causes problems that look like liner failure. We replace the chase cover and inspect the liner behind it as part of the same service call.
Yes, and in most cases removing the wrap would be a mistake. The insulation is part of the liner’s performance, and we sweep the interior wall without disturbing the outer wrap. If the wrap has sagged or detached, which we see in unlined masonry chimneys in older New Braunfels homes, we address that separately after the sweep. Call (361) 491-3153 for a free estimate if you suspect the wrap has shifted.
Service Areas Near New Braunfels
We serve New Braunfels and the surrounding Hill Country communities. New Braunfels service area covers Gruene, downtown, Meyer Ranch, and the neighborhoods along Loop 337. We also work regularly in San Antonio, Converse, Live Oak, and Fair Oaks Ranch. If you’re in one of these areas and need DuraFlex work done, DuraFlex service in Converse and DuraFlex service in San Antonio are both available through our crew.
Book Your DuraFlex Service in New Braunfels Today
If your DuraFlex liner hasn’t been inspected in the last year, or you’ve noticed smoke backing into the room, now is the time to act. A clean flue is the quietest safety feature in your home, let’s make sure yours is doing its job. Call (361) 491-3153 for a free estimate, and we’ll get your New Braunfels chimney on the schedule.
Written by Danny Cortes, Owner at Kindling Chimney San Antonio, serving New Braunfels since 2003.