Before & After Gallery - Flint Chimney Co Pasadena

Chimney Cleaning Before & After in Pasadena, CA

Photos don’t need a sales pitch. A chimney either drafts clean or it doesn’t, and the difference shows in the flue, the firebox, and the way the house smells the first cold night in November. We document every job because the before-and-after is honest evidence, not marketing. Here’s what actual chimney cleaning work looks like around Pasadena, Altadena, and the San Gabriel foothills.

Call (626) 657-5513

Recent Transformations

Sweep After Years of Wood-Burning Buildup

We see this in older Pasadena homes around Bungalow Heaven and Madison Heights where fireplaces get used every winter. The creosote had glazed in spots, which a basic brush sweep alone won’t remove. Our technician ran a rotary chain whip through the flue first to break up the hardened layer, then finished with a standard wire brush pass and a full HEPA vacuum of the smoke chamber and firebox. The homeowner said the difference was immediate: no more smoky backdraft on startup, and the living room stopped holding that faint campfire smell for days after each burn.

Chimney Inspection That Caught a Hidden Obstruction

A customer called us because her chimney was smoking into the living room on the first fire of the season. The flue looked fine from the top and bottom, but a camera scan revealed a mass of nesting material and leaf debris wedged about halfway up. We removed the obstruction fully, swept the flue, and installed a properly sized cap with a mesh screen so birds could not get back in. The cap was a small addition, done the same visit, with the written price given before any of it started.

Heavy Soot Removal from a Converted 1920s Fireplace

This fireplace in the Linda Vista area had a damper that would not fully open because soot and old ash had packed the mechanism. That forces smoke back into the room even when the flue itself is relatively clear. We cleaned the entire firebox by hand before running the sweep, worked the damper free, and vacuumed years of fine ash from the smoke shelf. The homeowner had been quoted a damper replacement by another company; the damper was fine once we could actually see it.

Sweep and Smoke Chamber Clean for a Pre-Sale Inspection

Real estate transactions around Pasadena move fast, and chimney inspection findings can hold up a closing. This Altadena property had a creosote layer in the smoke chamber that a basic sweep would have missed, because smoke chambers are wider than the flue and require separate attention. We performed a Level 2 inspection with the camera, swept both the flue and the smoke chamber, and provided photo documentation for the buyer’s file. Written price before the work, report and photos after, no surprises in between.

Want Results Like These?

If your chimney hasn’t been swept in a while, or you’re seeing smoke backdraft, odors, or just want a camera inspection before buying or selling a home, call us. We’ll give you a written price before any work starts and you’ll see the before-and-after for yourself. Reach us at (626) 657-5513.

Written by Hank Delano, Owner at Flint Chimney Co Pasadena, serving Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley since 2002.