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 Sweep in Pasadena: What to Know First
A DuraFlex chimney sweep in Pasadena typically runs $189 – $329 for a standard open-flue fireplace, and we usually complete the job in 60 – 90 minutes. That price includes a full creosote removal pass, a camera check of the liner, and a written report on the liner’s condition. We’re an independent DuraFlex service provider, not a factory arm, which means we tell you what the liner actually needs instead of what moves a parts invoice.
This page is for Pasadena homeowners who have a DuraFlex stainless liner in their fireplace, wood stove, or furnace flue and want it swept without the liner getting scratched, knocked loose, or voided out of warranty by careless cleaning. If that’s you, call (626) 657-5513 and we’ll give you a ballpark price over the phone before anyone schedules a visit.
How DuraFlex Products Fail – and How We Fix Them
- DuraFlex 316Ti liner creosote buildup in Pasadena’s damp winters. Pasadena’s coastal influence means fires burn cooler and wetter than they do in the high desert. The 316Ti alloy handles that fine, but the cooler flue gases condense creosote faster than you’d see in, say, Palmdale or Lancaster. We see glaze-grade creosote in these liners after a single season when the wood is anything less than fully seasoned. Fix: full mechanical sweep with poly brushes sized to the liner ID, followed by a camera pass to confirm zero glaze remains.
- DuraFlex Pro model liner cap clogs from sycamore and oak droppings. The Pro line has a round mesh cap that catches fine ash well but packs with leaf litter fast in neighborhoods like Madison Heights, Oak Knoll, or anywhere with mature Canary Island pines. When that cap clogs, draft drops and smoke rolls back into the house. Fix: cap removal, debris cleanout, reinstall with the mesh checked for warping.
- DuraFlex 304 alloy liner pitting from previous soot left too long. Soot is acidic. It will eventually eat at 304-grade stainless if it sits for years between sweeps. We find pitting most often in Pasadena homes bought from sellers who only swept for the sale. Fix: if pitting is surface-level, we sweep and note the erosion in the report so you can track it. If it’s through-wall, we tell you plainly and price a replacement before hazing the liner.
- Improper prior sweeps scoring the liner walls. A steel brush on a stainless liner is a bad combination. Steel bristles scratch the interior, and those scratches become creosote nucleation points. The fix starts with a camera inspection to check whether the liner has been steel-brushed before this Sweep. If it has, we explain exactly what amount of wall erosion is present and switch to a poly brush going forward.
- DuraFlex smooth-wall liner with rivet-point buildup. The smooth-wall models have ridge points at the coupling bands where the sections lock together. Creosote builds there even when the rest of the liner is clean. A visual check from below often misses it. Fix: post-sweep camera pass specifically paused at each coupling band to verify no buildup remains above the connector. This is the kind of thing a rushed sweep will skip and a warranty claim will deny.
Styles & brands we work with





Our DuraFlex Chimney Sweep Process
- 1
You call (626) 657-5513. A live person answers. We ask what kind of liner you have, the fireplace type, and the last sweep date.
- 2
We confirm the ballpark price. The number you hear on the phone is the number you’ll see on the written quote before any work begins. No door-price games.
- 3
The technician arrives in the window given. Uniformed, background-checked, and carrying brushes sized for DuraFlex 5.5″, 6″, and 7″ liners.
- 4
Camera inspection first. We run a FlexSnap or similar inspection camera down the liner to map ridges, catches, and previous scratches. This tells us whether we’re dealing with open-flue debris or glaze-grade creosote.
- 5
The sweep itself. Poly brushes only on stainless liners, never steel. We work top-down on the roof for open flues, but on liner systems we work bottom-up through the cleanout when access allows. Drop cloths go down before a single tool comes off the truck.
- 6
Final camera pass and the written report. You see the after images. If the liner is sound, the report says so. If it’s not, the report says that too, and the price to fix it comes in writing before anyone tries to sell you anything.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterWhat DuraFlex Chimney Sweep Costs in Pasadena
Here’s what we quote most often, with real numbers, not ranges that hide the truth:
- Standard DuraFlex sweep, open-flue fireplace: $189 – $249, includes camera inspection and written report.
- DuraFlex sweep with glaze-grade creosote removal (second pass with chemical treatment): $289 – $329.
- Sweep plus cap cleanout or replacement on a Pro model: $249 – $299.
- DuraFlex liner camera-only inspection, no sweep: $125.
What moves the price: roof pitch, liner height (a two-story Pasadena Craftsman on a steep roof costs more than a one-story ranch), and how much glaze has fused to the liner wall. We will never quote you a liner replacement based on nothing but smoke smell or a rust spot on the cap. You’ll see the camera images. Call (626) 657-5513 for a free estimate, and we’ll tell you the exact number before anyone schedules a truck.
Why Pasadena Homeowners Call Flint Chimney Co Pasadena for DuraFlex Work
Because we put everything in writing before the work starts. Every DuraFlex sweep gets a written price, a written scope, and a written report when we finish. Our 365-Day Done Right Promise means that if we miss a creosote pocket or a liner defect that should have been caught, we come back within the year and make it right at no charge. No argument. No re-inspection fee. It’s the same Garrison Standard every Garrison Partners location follows, and it’s the reason Pasadena homeowners who’ve been burned by no-show chimney companies end up sticking with us.
We also carry the full parts range for DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco, so if your liner has a problem, we can often fix it the same day without waiting on a distributor. If a DuraFlex part is backordered, we tell you up front and give you the option of an OEM-equivalent aftermarket piece that meets the same spec, with the trade-off spelled out in plain words. We never swap parts silently, and we never install a brand we can’t warranty.
Finally, our technicians are trained to work on stainless liners without scratching them. That sounds like a small thing, but it’s the difference between a liner that lasts twenty years and one that starts pitting in five. Hank Delano and his crew have swept and inspected DuraFlex liners in Pasadena homes from Arroyo Seco bungalows to the tract houses east of the Rose Bowl. The flue either draws or it doesn’t. Let’s find out which.
FAQs
No. DuraFlex’s warranty covers manufacturing defects, not routine maintenance, and skipping sweeps is actually the fastest way to void a warranty claim later. The key is using the right brush. Steel brushes on stainless liners are what cause damage that manufacturers will cite to deny a claim. We use poly brushes sized to the liner diameter, and we document every sweep with camera images you can keep for your records. If you ever need to make a warranty claim, you’ll have the evidence.
The answer comes from a camera inspection, not from smoke smell or age alone. We look for three things: pitting through the alloy wall, warped coupling bands, and cracks at the weld seams. Surface pitting means the liner has years left and needs a sweep. Through-wall erosion means replacement. We show you the images before we quote any repair, so you’ll make the call with the liner’s actual condition in front of you. Call (626) 657-5513 to schedule the camera pass.
Most open-flue DuraFlex sweeps in Pasadena take 60 to 90 minutes from drop cloth to final camera pass. Glaze-grade creosote removal adds another 20 to 30 minutes because we apply the chemical treatment and make a second pass. If we’re doing a sweep plus a cap cleanout, plan on about two hours. We’ll tell you the window when you book, and we’ll be inside it.
Both. We install DuraFlex liners when the old one has failed and we sweep them once they’re in service. We’re an independent DuraFlex service provider, not a factory-authorized shop, which means we’re free to tell you when a liner does not need replacing, even if that costs us a sale. If a HeatShield or Gelco system would serve your fireplace better for less, we’ll say so and quote both options.
The liner glazes over. Then draft drops, smoke backs up, and the liner’s stainless interior starts to pit from acidic soot. In Pasadena, with our damp winter air, a skipped year is enough to start the process. By the third skipped sweep, you’re usually looking at a full liner replacement instead of a maintenance sweep. A sweep costs a few hundred dollars. A new liner costs thousands. Call (626) 657-5513 and we’ll get you on the schedule before the next burn season.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner, Flint Chimney Co Pasadena at Flint Chimney Co Pasadena, serving Pasadena and nearby areas.