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 Inspection Across Pasadena
A standard chimney inspection in Pasadena typically runs $149 – $389, depending on the level of inspection your chimney needs and the age of the structure. Most inspections here take 45 – 90 minutes on site, and you’ll have a written report with photos before the tech leaves your driveway. If you live in Pasadena and haven’t had your chimney looked at in a few years, call (626) 657-5513 to get a flat inspection price agreed before we even book the appointment.
We know Pasadena chimneys. The pre-1940 Arts and Crafts and Spanish Colonial homes that define neighborhoods like Bungalow Heaven, Madison Heights, and the Historic Highlands often have original masonry chimneys that were built for coal and wood. Decades of seismic activity plus modern gas appliances make these structures a different job than what you’d find in newer construction. That’s why every inspection we do in Pasadena starts with the whole system, not just the firebox.
Why Flint Chimney Co Pasadena Is Pasadena’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Flint Chimney Co Pasadena operates under the Garrison Standard, the same code every Garrison Partners location follows. Since 2002, that has meant one thing: everything goes in writing before a single tool comes off the truck. The inspection price you approve is the inspection price on your invoice. No door-knock adjustments, no “while we’re here” add-ons you didn’t ask for.
Every technician we send into Pasadena is background-checked and uniformed. You’ll know who’s walking through your door before they ring the bell. Our Chimney Inspection team documents findings with a camera inspection and a photo report you can see for yourself. If the flue liner has a crack, you’ll see the crack. If the smoke chamber needs parging, you’ll see that too. We don’t ask you to take our word for anything.
Our phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No voicemail trees. No “leave a message and we’ll call you back.” When you call (626) 657-5513, a person picks up and schedules your inspection. That matters when you’ve been burned by no-show chimney companies before.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Flue Inspection in Pasadena
A Chimney Flue Inspection in Pasadena is a focused look at the interior liner that channels smoke and combustion gases safely out of your house. On original 1920s chimneys in neighborhoods like Bungalow Heaven and Madison Heights, that liner is often clay tile that has shifted, cracked, or separated entirely from decades of minor earthquake movement. You cannot see that from the firebox, and you cannot see it from the roof. It takes a camera.
We run a camera down the full length of the flue and record what it finds. The footage gets included in your written report. If the liner is intact and only needs a sweep, we’ll say so plainly. If it needs a stainless steel reline using something like DuraFlex, we’ll show you why on the screen and in the photos before you approve a dollar of repair work.
A flue inspection in Pasadena typically runs $149 – $249 when bundled with a standard sweep, and $199 – $389 as a standalone Level 2 inspection with a full written report. The price depends on chimney height, accessibility, and whether an animal cap has prevented previous inspections.
What the Camera Shows
The camera catches three things a visual check cannot: hairline cracks in clay tile liners, third-degree creosote glaze that a brush won’t remove, and animal nests wedged mid-flue. On a Spanish Colonial Revival in the San Gabriel Valley corridor, we commonly find hidden offset joints where two flue tiles have shifted out of alignment. That gap lets heat and gases reach the surrounding masonry.
When Pasadena Homeowners Need It
Schedule a flue inspection before your first fall fire, after any earthquake you actually felt, or when you buy an older Pasadena home. Real estate transactions here routinely require a Level 2 inspection, and for good reason. A clay tile liner that separated in the 1994 Northridge quake can still be hanging there today, waiting for a hot fire to expose it.
Chimney Fire in Pasadena
A Chimney Fire in Pasadena is the event every inspection is designed to prevent, and it is more common here than most homeowners assume. The mild, dry climate means chimneys get used sporadically, which lets creosote build up in layers that harden into a glaze. When a fall Santa Ana wind finally pushes you to light a fire, that glaze can ignite at temperatures that crack flue liners and send flames through the brickwork.
Chimney fires rarely announce themselves with a dramatic roar. Many are slow-burning and quiet, doing structural damage before you ever see a flame. That’s why our inspections here focus on the firebox, the flue liner, and the smoke chamber as one connected system. A clean firebox with a glazed-up flue is still a chimney fire waiting for the right weekend.
If you suspect you’ve had a chimney fire in Pasadena, an inspection runs $199 – $389, and we will document everything with camera footage. If you’re not sure, the price is the same, and the report will tell you definitively whether the chimney is safe to use. Call (626) 657-5513 and we’ll get you on the schedule.
What a Pasadena Chimney Fire Leaves Behind
The damage pattern on a Pasadena chimney fire is usually smoke chamber parging that has cracked and fallen away, plus creosote that has expanded into a puffy, honeycomb texture inside the flue. We look for both. The smoke chamber is the area most contractors skip entirely, and on original Craftsman bungalows it is often unparged brick from 1923.
The Safe Answer After a Fire
No one should tell you a chimney is safe after a fire without camera evidence. We won’t. If the flue liner survived, we’ll show you the footage. If it didn’t, we’ll recommend a repair or relining using material specified for your chimney, never whatever is cheapest on the truck. The decision stays yours, backed by a report you can hold in your hand.
Trusted Brands We Service in Pasadena
When a Pasadena inspection reveals a liner that needs replacing, we work with materials from manufacturers that stand behind their products. DuraFlex stainless steel liners cover most relining jobs on original masonry chimneys. HeatShield is the brand we specify for repairing damaged clay tile liners without a full rebuild. For crown repair and waterproofing on Pasadena’s exposed brick chimneys, we use Gelco sealants and Olympia Chimney components, chosen because they hold up under Southern California sun and the occasional hard rain season. We stock common parts locally so Pasadena customers aren’t waiting on a shipment from back east. The brand gets specified by your chimney’s condition, never by our margin.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Pasadena Homes
- Unlined or undersized flues on pre-1940 masonry chimneys. Original Pasadena chimneys were built for coal and wood fires, not the high-efficiency gas appliances now venting into them. The liner often isn’t sized for modern exhaust temperatures or gas volume, which means condensation, accelerated deterioration, and a code compliance issue that shows up on inspection reports.
- Clay tile flue liners cracked from seismic movement. Bungalow Heaven and Madison Heights sit on soil that transfers earthquake energy straight into masonry. Hairline cracks in a clay tile liner often follow the mortar joints, and you cannot see them without a camera. A Level 2 inspection is the only way to document what the last quake actually did.
- Squirrel and chimney swift nests in uncapped flues. Original chimneys throughout Pasadena lack proper caps, and every spring, squirrels and swifts build in the flues of Craftsman bungalows from the Historic Highlands to the Arroyo Seco. A fall fire with a nest blocking the flue pushes smoke back into the house and can ignite the nest into a full chimney fire.
- Third-degree creosote glaze in seldom-swept flues. The mild Pasadena climate means some fireplaces get lit once or twice a year, and creosote builds in layers that harden into a tar-like glaze. A brush cannot remove it. Only a camera inspection will catch it before it catches fire.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Pasadena, CA
A Level 1 visual inspection in Pasadena runs $149 – $199 and covers the accessible portions of your chimney, firebox, and exterior. A Level 2 inspection, which includes camera work through the full flue and is what most older Pasadena homes need, runs $249 – $389. A Level 3 inspection, which involves removing portions of the chimney or surrounding masonry to access hidden components, starts at $500 and depends heavily on the scope of the opening required. The number you get on the phone is the number you pay. We write it down before we book, and it includes the report and the photos. Call (626) 657-5513 for a free estimate on your specific chimney.
We Also Serve Cities Near Pasadena
From our Pasadena service area, we cover Altadena, San Gabriel, Temple City, and Rosemead with the same written-price policy and the same camera-equipped trucks. If you’re just outside the city line and wondering whether we’ll come out, call (626) 657-5513 and ask. Most of the time, the answer is yes, and the inspection price is the same flat number we’d quote to a neighbor in Pasadena.
Serving Pasadena, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Pasadena 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 Inspection in Pasadena
Every two years at minimum, even if you never light a fire. Unlined or clay-tile-lined chimneys from the 1920s deteriorate whether or not they’re used, and Pasadena’s sporadic earthquake activity adds stress that a visual look from the ground misses. A camera inspection every other fall will catch flue liner cracks and animal entry before either one becomes a fire hazard. Call (626) 657-5513 to schedule one.
A Level 1 inspection is visual and covers the accessible portions of the chimney without tools or camera work, while a Level 2 inspection adds a camera scan of the full flue interior, the smoke chamber, and the exterior crown and cap. For any pre-1940 Pasadena chimney, we recommend Level 2, because original clay tile liners often hide cracks that only a camera will reveal. The price difference in Pasadena is roughly $100 – $200, and the Level 2 report is the one you’d want for a real estate transaction or after an earthquake.
Yes, and it’s one of the most common inspection findings we report in Bungalow Heaven. Original chimneys there often lack caps entirely, which is why squirrels and chimney swifts nest in the flues every spring. A properly sized cap keeps animals and water out, and we install them as part of a standard inspection follow-up when the flue is otherwise sound.
Sometimes, but not always. Spalling bricks alone usually signal water intrusion, which can wait a few months if the flue liner itself is intact. The risk is that the water damage has already reached the flue, and you won’t know that without a camera inspection. If the liner is cracked, waiting means every fire you light pushes heat and gases through the gaps. Get the inspection done now, then decide. Call (626) 657-5513 for a flat-price quote.
A camera inspection shows the inside of the flue liner, the smoke chamber, and the offset joints between flue tiles, none of which are visible from the firebox or the roof. On Spanish Colonial Revival homes in Pasadena, clay tile liners often have hidden separations where seismic movement has shifted the tiles out of alignment. The camera documents it, and the photo report shows you exactly what we’re seeing.
If you own an older home in Pasadena and you haven’t had the chimney inspected in the last two years, call Flint Chimney Co Pasadena at (626) 657-5513. You’ll get a flat price in writing before we book, a camera inspection with a photo report, and a straight answer on whether your chimney is safe to use. If it isn’t, you’ll see the evidence yourself and decide what happens next.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner at Flint Chimney Co Pasadena, serving Pasadena and nearby communities since 2002.