Level 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.
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Before
AfterFast, Reliable Fireplace Services Across Arlington Heights
Fireplace services in Arlington Heights typically run $180-$650 depending on whether you need a routine gas fireplace tune-up or full firebox rebuild, and most non-emergency appointments book within 3-5 business days. Our crews are dispatched from the Chicago office and work Arlington Heights daily, so we know the postwar ranch neighborhoods from Recreation Park to Scarsdale and the split-level streets off Rand Road. If your fireplace smells like sulfur, drafts poorly, or you’re considering switching from wood to gas, call (331) 202-2419 - we quote every job in writing before any work starts, and every visit includes a camera-scan inspection with a documented photo record.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Why Level Two Chimney Arlington Heights Is Arlington Heights’s Preferred Fireplace Services Company
We’ve completed more than 38,000 chimney inspections and cleanings since 2009, and a significant share of those have been in Arlington Heights’s ranch-home neighborhoods where the same chimney problems show up again and again. Our Arlington Heights customers leave reviews that mention the same things: the tech showed them the camera footage before quoting anything, the written price matched the final bill, and someone actually answered the phone at 8 p.m. when they called about a draft problem.
Dispatch and scheduling run from our Chicago office, but our crews are in Arlington Heights multiple times per week. That matters when you need a part - we stock common damper assemblies, firebox refractory panels, and gas valve kits for the brands most common in local homes, so we’re not ordering from a warehouse and making you wait two weeks. Background-checked, uniformed technicians carry license information on every page and every truck, and you’ll get a text when yours is on the way.
The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies to every Arlington Heights job: if it’s not done right, we make it right. No exceptions.
Our Fireplace Services in Arlington Heights
Gas Fireplace Service
Gas fireplace service in Arlington Heights runs $180-$280 for a standard tune-up and safety check. Most units we see are direct-vent inserts installed in original masonry fireplaces that were never properly lined for gas operation - a setup that works until it doesn’t. We check gas pressure, thermopile output, venting integrity, and the condition of any transition fittings between the insert and the existing flue. In Arlington Heights’s 1960s ranches near Euclid Avenue, we regularly find corroded vent connectors where the original clay tile has been shedding moisture for years. Every gas service includes a written scope, written price, and documented photo record under Clause 4 of the Haven Standard.
Wood Burning Fireplace
Wood-burning fireplace cleaning and inspection in Arlington Heights costs $220-$320 for a Level 2 camera-scan service. The housing stock here - postwar ranches and split-levels built 1950-1978 - was designed for oil heat, not wood fires. Original 6-8 inch clay tile flue liners are often cracked from decades of freeze-thaw cycles, and many homeowners don’t discover the damage until smoke starts backing up into the living room. We see third-degree creosote - a tar glaze no brush can remove - more often than you’d expect, usually because someone’s been burning green wood or choking the air supply to “make it last.” Our camera finds it. We show you. Then we quote.
Fireplace Insert
Fireplace insert installation in Arlington Heights ranges $2,800-$4,500 for a complete system with proper liner, depending on flue height and whether the existing firebox needs refractory panel replacement. This is one of our most common Arlington Heights jobs because so many original masonry fireplaces are drafty, inefficient, and venting into deteriorated clay tile. A properly sized insert with a stainless steel liner - we source through Olympia Chimney and DuraFlex - transforms that old firebox into a sealed combustion system that cuts heat loss up the chimney. We measure, we camera-scan, we quote in writing. No insert gets ordered until you’ve seen the footage and approved the scope.
Damper Repair
Damper repair or replacement in Arlington Heights typically costs $280-$520. The original throat dampers in these postwar homes are often rusted solid from decades of condensation, or the cast iron has cracked from thermal shock. A stuck-open damper wastes heat all winter; stuck-closed is a carbon monoxide risk if you’re burning anything. We stock top-sealing dampers and traditional throat replacements for the most common Arlington Heights fireplace dimensions, so most repairs finish same-visit. Every damper job includes a draft test and a written warranty.
Firebox Repair
Firebox repair in Arlington Heights runs $450-$1,200 depending on whether we’re replacing refractory panels, repointing mortar joints, or rebuilding a cracked hearth. The original firebrick in 1960s ranches near Windsor Drive has often spalled - flaked and crumbled - from years of direct flame exposure and moisture infiltration from above. We use HeatShield refractory materials where appropriate, and we document the full firebox condition with photos before quoting any rebuild.
Fireplace Conversion
Converting a wood-burning fireplace to gas in Arlington Heights costs $1,800-$3,800 for a direct-vent gas insert with proper liner, or $3,200-$5,500 for a full gas log set with vented or vent-free configuration depending on code compliance. The critical question in these older homes is whether the existing flue can safely vent the new appliance - and in Arlington Heights, the answer is often no until we line it properly. We run the camera first. We show you what we found. Then we quote the conversion that actually works.
Before
AfterTrusted Brands We Service in Arlington Heights
We stock and install materials from DuraFlex, HeatShield, Olympia Chimney, and Gelco - sourced through the Haven buying network to keep customer prices honest. For Arlington Heights homeowners, that means common parts like damper assemblies, refractory panels, and stainless flex liners are typically on the truck, not on order from a distant warehouse. If your fireplace is a factory-built unit from Heatilator, Majestic, or Lennox, we carry the service manuals and common failure parts for those too. Fast turnaround matters when your heat source is down in January.
Common Fireplace Services Problems We See in Arlington Heights Homes
- Orphaned water heaters on oversized clay tile flues. When the original oil furnace was swapped for high-efficiency gas, the water heater was often left venting into a flue built for a much larger appliance. Flue gases cool too fast, condense, and eat through the original 1960s clay tile. We find white efflorescence on exterior brick and sulfur odor inside - a pattern so common in Arlington Heights ranches that our techs check the appliance lineup before pulling the first brush.
- Cracked clay tile from freeze-thaw cycles. Arlington Heights sits in the upper Midwest continental climate zone, where winter temperatures cross 32°F dozens of times per season. That cycling destroys aging mortar and clay flue tile, causing spalling, joint failure, and tile cracking that turns a routine cleaning into a structural repair conversation.
- Third-degree creosote misdiagnosed as routine buildup. Wood-burning fireplace owners in neighborhoods near Recreation Park often assume their annual “sweep and go” has them covered. But a quick brush can’t remove tar-glaze creosote, and it’s routinely missed until a Level 2 inspection camera proves otherwise. This is combustible material that a standard brush passes right over.
- Deteriorated firebox mortar and spalled brick. Original firebrick in 1950s-70s construction has reached or exceeded its engineered service life. We find missing mortar joints, heat-compromised refractory panels, and cracked hearths that the homeowner never noticed because the damage is hidden behind a decorative screen.
Pricing for Fireplace Services in Arlington Heights, IL
| Service | Typical Range in Arlington Heights |
|---|---|
| Gas fireplace tune-up and safety check | $180 - $280 |
| Wood-burning fireplace Level 2 inspection and cleaning | $220 - $320 |
| Damper repair or replacement | $280 - $520 |
| Firebox repair (refractory panels, repointing) | $450 - $1,200 |
| Fireplace insert installation with liner | $2,800 - $4,500 |
| Wood-to-gas conversion (direct-vent insert) | $1,800 - $3,800 |
| Full gas log set with venting | $3,200 - $5,500 |
What moves the price: flue height, accessibility (steep roof pitch, tight chase), condition of existing liner, and whether the firebox needs refractory work before any insert or gas set goes in. We quote every job in writing before work starts - Haven Standard Clause 1 - and we never add scope mid-job without a second written approval. Free estimates. Free Second Opinion on any competitor’s written quote. Call (331) 202-2419.
We Also Serve Cities Near Arlington Heights
Our Fireplace Services crews work daily across the northwest suburbs, including Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Glenview, and Lake Zurich. Each market has its own housing stock and its own common failure modes, but the inspection standard stays the same: camera down the flue, written price before work starts, documented record when it’s done. If you’re in one of these neighboring communities and found us searching for Fireplace Services in Arlington Heights, we cover your area too - just mention your city when you call.
Serving Arlington Heights, IL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Arlington Heights 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 - Fireplace Services in Arlington Heights
You can keep using it only if a Level 2 inspection camera confirms the tile is intact, properly aligned, and free of combustible deposits. In Arlington Heights’s 1950s-1970s ranches, we find cracked, shifted, or missing clay tile on roughly half the inspections we perform - damage that a quick brush-and-go sweep would never catch. If the tile is compromised, we quote a stainless steel liner or a properly sized insert with its own venting, and we show you the camera footage before recommending anything. Call (331) 202-2419 for a free inspection quote.
The sulfur odor is almost always an orphaned water heater venting into an oversized clay tile flue, a condition we see constantly in Arlington Heights’s postwar ranch neighborhoods. The water heater’s small volume of flue gas cools too quickly in the large flue, condenses, and produces sulfur dioxide that seeps back into the house through the fireplace opening. White efflorescence on the exterior brick is the matching external sign. We diagnose this with a Level 2 camera inspection and fix it with a properly sized liner - usually a same-day measurement, with footage you review before we quote. Call (331) 202-2419 if you’re smelling sulfur.
NFPA 211 recommends annual inspection for all fireplaces, and we strongly endorse that frequency for Arlington Heights’s older housing stock. The combination of original clay tile, decades of freeze-thaw damage, and the creosote buildup from green or unseasoned wood means conditions can change significantly in a single burning season. Third-degree creosote can form in as little as one winter of restricted-air burning. We include a Level 2 camera inspection with every cleaning, so you’re not guessing about flue condition. Call (331) 202-2419 to schedule.
A Level 1 is a visual check of accessible areas - what most “sweeps” offer with a flashlight. A Level 2, which we perform on every Arlington Heights visit, adds a camera scan of the full flue interior, inspection of attics and crawl spaces where accessible, and documentation of all findings with photos. A Level 3 is invasive - removal of building materials to access concealed areas - and we only recommend it when a Level 2 reveals evidence of serious hazard that requires full exposure. For Arlington Heights’s 50-70 year old chimneys, Level 2 is the appropriate baseline, not an upsell. Every Level 2 we perform is archived under Haven Standard Clause 4.
Yes, and it’s one of our most common Arlington Heights jobs - but only after a Level 2 camera inspection confirms the flue can safely vent the new gas appliance, or after we install a proper liner. Many original clay tile flues are too large, too damaged, or too unlined for direct-vent gas operation. We quote insert-based conversions starting at $1,800 and full gas log sets from $3,200, always with written scope and warranty before work begins. Call (331) 202-2419 for a free conversion assessment.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Level Two Chimney Arlington Heights, serving Arlington Heights since 2009.