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 Broadview, IL | Sandstone Chimney Sweep
DuraFlex chimney cleaning in Broadview runs $289 to $540 for most single-flue residential systems, and our inspections are part of the cleaning, not an add-on. We also handle DuraFlex repair in Maywood. Sandstone Chimney Sweep is an independent DuraFlex service provider, which matters here because Broadview’s flat-poured crowns and freeze-thaw cycles create specific failure patterns in flexible liners that generic sweep services never see coming. If your DuraFlex system needs attention, call (833) 589-7835 and we’ll give you a straight answer before we ever touch a brush.
We’ve worked on DuraFlex flexible stainless relining systems across Broadview’s mid-century brick chimneys for years. You can read more about our complete DuraFlex sales & service capabilities here. Norm Sobieski, our owner, grew up in Albany Park and cut his teeth on Chicago’s brick chimneys, so he understands what a 1950s exterior brick flue puts a liner through over sixty winters. The combination of DuraFlex product knowledge and Broadview-specific housing stock is what sets our service apart. We find it, we fix it, and we explain what we found in plain language.
Why Broadview Residents Choose Us for DuraFlex Service
Most chimney companies in Broadview treat a DuraFlex liner the same way they treat an original clay tile. They sweep it and leave. We don’t, because a flexible stainless liner is not the same animal as a clay flue. It has brackets, insulation blankets, top plates, and connectors, and each of those components fails in predictable ways when Broadview’s weather and construction details gang up on it.
What does that mean for you? Our techs know what a corroded bottom bracket looks like before it fails completely. We know how oversized 8×13 flues behave when an insulation blanket shifts. We stock DuraFlex-manufactured replacement parts locally, so a repair estimate turns into a finished repair without waiting three weeks on a distributor. And because Norm runs every service call with the same philosophy he grew up with in Albany Park, you get a straight explanation of what needs fixing now and what can wait. We bring that same approach to our DuraFlex in La Grange Park customers. No upselling, no scare tactics. That’s why homeowners from 60155 call us when their liner misbehaves.
Styles & brands we work with
Common DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Broadview
- Bottom support bracket corrosion: Broadview’s original 8×8 clay flues trap moisture from flat-poured crowns, and that water wicks down to the base of the chimney where the stainless support bracket sits. We pull out brackets that look like they’ve been in salt water for a decade. The fix is a new bracket and a crown repair so it doesn’t happen again.
- Sagging or shifting insulation blankets: In oversized 8×13 flues, the insulation blanket that wraps a DuraFlex liner can compress or slide over time. That creates cold spots where creosote-rich flue gas condenses on the exterior brick instead of venting out. You’ll smell it in the house during humid summer weeks before you ever see it.
- Top plate seal failure: When the top plate gasket fails at the crown line, water gets between the flexible liner and the old clay tile. In Broadview, where freeze-thaw cycles crack the clay anyway, that water accelerates spalling and pushes white efflorescence through the brick face. We see this constantly on 1950s bungalow blocks.
- Liner-to-appliance connector corrosion: Homes converted from wood burning to gas logs without a proper reline often have connector corrosion behind the insert. Draft spills follow, and that’s a carbon monoxide risk you can’t smell. We check the connector on every cleaning.
- Creosote buildup in convoluted liner walls: DuraFlex liners have corrugated walls that trap creosote differently than smooth clay tile. If a Broadview homeowner burns unseasoned wood or runs long, slow fires, the liner walls load up faster than expected. Spring cleaning is when we catch the worst of it.
DuraFlex Service in Broadview: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Here’s what nobody tells you about Broadview’s 1950s bungalow blocks. The chimney crowns on these homes were often poured flat, with no overhang and no drip edge. When rain hits a flat crown, it doesn’t shed. It sheets straight down the brick face. That’s why you see white efflorescence streaks running down so many Broadview chimneys. The streak is not just cosmetic. It means water has been moving through the masonry for years, and by the time you see it on the outside, the clay tile inside is almost certainly cracked behind the DuraFlex liner.
We serviced a bungalow near the Des Plaines River corridor last fall where exactly this had happened. The homeowner called for a routine sweep. Our crew pulled the sooted DuraFlex Pro flexible liner from an 8×13 clay flue and found the bottom support bracket heavily corroded from years of flat-crown water intrusion. A Level 2 inspection confirmed spalled tile and efflorescence on the brick face. We reset the liner with a new stainless bracket and insulation blanket, then rebuilt the crown with a proper overhang and drip edge. That call turned into a documented reline repair, but the homeowner knew exactly why every step was necessary because we showed them the camera footage.
For broader coverage details, see our Broadview service area page.
DuraFlex Models & Products We Service in Broadview
We work on the full range of DuraFlex product lines installed in Broadview homes, including the DuraFlex Pro Flexible Stainless Liner, the DuraFlex 316L Stainless Steel Liner, the DuraFlex Insulation Blanket Kit, and the DuraFlex Top Plate and Cap System. If you don’t know which model is in your flue, that’s fine. We’ll identify it during the cleaning and inspection.
For repairs, we use DuraFlex-manufactured components first. Where a quality aftermarket stainless fitting meets the same spec, we’ll use it and tell you we did. What we won’t do is hide a failing liner behind a clean bill of health. If your flexible liner is compromised, you’ll get an honest repair-or-replace estimate with camera evidence, not a patch job on a safety system. Your flue is a system, not just a pipe.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterDuraFlex Service Pricing in Broadview
DuraFlex chimney cleaning in Broadview starts at $289 for a standard single-flue system and runs up to $390 for larger or heavily soiled flues. A DuraFlex Level 2 inspection runs $390 to $540 when booked as a separate service, or we’ll bundle it with a cleaning for less. If we’re relining with a DuraFlex Pro or 316L system, budget $2,900 to $7,000 depending on flue length, diameter, insulation requirements, and whether the existing masonry needs crown work or tile breakout first.
What drives the price in Broadview specifically? Flat-poured crown damage, original 8×8 or oversized 8×13 clay tiles, and river-corridor moisture. These conditions turn a simple cleaning into a crown rebuild or insulation reset more often here than in neighboring higher-ground suburbs, including where we do DuraFlex repair in Bellwood. A free estimate covers the inspection, camera footage, and a written scope of work. Call (833) 589-7835 and we’ll give you exact numbers for your flue before any work begins.
Serving Broadview, IL — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Broadview area and know this community well, and we also provide DuraFlex in Westchester. Use the map below to see our full service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning in Broadview
Not necessarily. White efflorescence streaks on the brick face mean water has been moving through the masonry, and on Broadview’s flat-crown bungalows that water almost always reaches the flue tile and the top plate seal. The liner itself may still be serviceable, but the connection points and the clay tile behind it are almost certainly compromised. We’ll verify with a camera inspection. Call (833) 589-7835 to book a Level 2 inspection and get a straight answer.
You’ll usually notice the symptoms before you see the cause. Off-season chimney odor, visible moisture on the brick face after rain, or a draft that pulls poorly on cold days all suggest the insulation blanket has shifted inside an oversized flue. If the blanket compresses, flue gases condense on the cold exterior brick and bleed through the mortar. We check the insulation condition on every Broadview cleaning.
Yes, and you should. Gas log conversions without a proper reline leave connector corrosion and draft spills that a standard sweep won’t catch. We clean the liner, inspect the connector behind the gas insert, and let you know if the flue size actually matches the gas appliance it’s venting. The camera footage is yours to see. Call (833) 589-7835 for a free estimate.
Moisture. Low-lying parcels near the river corridor hold more groundwater, and when you combine that with flat-poured crowns that don’t shed rain, water migrates into the chimney base and sits on the support bracket. Stainless steel corrodes when it’s constantly wet, even 316L. The fix is a bracket replacement plus a crown rebuild with proper overhang, or the problem repeats in a few years.
When the liner is still serviceable, crown repair is almost always the right call. A properly rebuilt crown with overhang and a drip edge stops the water intrusion that’s slowly destroying everything behind it. Full rebuilding is only warranted when the brick itself has lost structural integrity. We’ll show you the camera footage and let you make an informed decision without pressure.
Service Areas Near Broadview
Sandstone Chimney Sweep serves Broadview and the surrounding Chicago area. If you’re in DuraFlex service in South Chicago, DuraFlex service in Summit, the Near North Side, the Chicago Loop, Lincoln Park, West Town, or the Near South Side, we can schedule your DuraFlex cleaning and inspection with the same local knowledge we bring to Broadview.
Book Your DuraFlex Service in Broadview Today
If your Broadview chimney has a DuraFlex liner that hasn’t been looked at in a while, or if you’ve got white streaks on the brick and a draft that doesn’t feel right, call (833) 589-7835. We’ll schedule your cleaning and inspection, send our team out, and show you exactly what the camera sees. Free estimates, straight answers, and no upsells.
Written by Norm Sobieski, Owner at Sandstone Chimney Sweep, serving Broadview and the surrounding Chicago area.