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.
Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Evanston, IL | Sandstone Chimney Sweep
If you own a Gelco fireplace insert in Evanston and need it cleaned, inspected, or repaired, we’re the team to call. We service every Gelco model line across 60201, 60202, 60203, and 60204, from wood-burning inserts in century-old Victorians to gas units in mid-century ranches. What makes our Gelco work different here isn’t some corporate affiliation. It’s that we’ve opened enough Gelco inserts in Evanston’s older homes to know exactly how Lake Michigan humidity and original clay tile liners interact with these units, and we charge a fair price for honest work. Call (833) 589-7835 for a free estimate.
Why Evanston Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
Norm Sobieski, our owner, grew up in Albany Park tending a coal-converted fireplace with his grandfather. He learned the mechanical side at Truman College, then spent years working chimneys across Chicago’s northwest neighborhoods before starting Sandstone. That background means something when we pull a Gelco insert in Evanston: we’re not guessing at what the flue collar should look like or how the damper assembly seats. We’ve seen it.
We’re an independent Gelco sales & service provider, not a manufacturer-authorized shop. That independence keeps our advice straight. If a Gelco insert needs a $40 gasket, we’ll tell you. If the clay tile liner behind it is shot and the insert isn’t worth saving, we’ll tell you that too. We stock OEM Gelco collar gaskets, damper parts, and blower components for the models we see most in Evanston, and we keep quality stainless aftermarket adapters on hand for discontinued pieces. Evanston homeowners call us because the tech who shows up can actually explain what he found, show you photos, and hand you options rather than a hard sell.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Evanston
- Corroded flue collars where Gelco inserts meet original clay tile liners. In Evanston’s 1920s-era homes, the stainless collar on a Gelco wood insert fastens to a clay tile liner that’s been absorbing lake moisture for 90 years. The joint rusts, the seal fails, and creosote glazes above the connection. We see this constantly in the Ridge Historic District and along the lakefront.
- Intermittent pilot lights on Gelco gas inserts during humid winters. Evanston’s damp lake air fouls thermopiles and pilot assemblies. Your Gelco gas insert lights sometimes, then won’t, or the burner delays. Cleaning the pilot and checking millivolt output usually sorts it, unless the thermopile has corroded through.
- Seized blower kits clogged with soot and pet hair. Gelco blower fans in Evanston ranches and bungalows pull air through short flues, collecting fine soot, dust, and dog hair. They seize, the insert runs hotter than it should, and that heat bakes creosote into glaze inside the short mid-century flue.
- Hardened insert door gaskets causing smoky burns. Gelco door gaskets are fiberglass rope. They harden with age and heat, the door loses its seal, and the insert pulls air from the wrong places. The fire burns cooler, smokes more, and creosote deposits faster. Freeze-thaw cracks in the crown above make this worse.
- Missing or damaged caps and rain entry. Gelco inserts need proper termination at the top. In Evanston, spring freeze-thaw cycles crack masonry crowns, and without a solid cap that moisture finds its way down into the insert and its venting. We install stainless multi-flue caps and replace corroded Gelco cap assemblies.
Gelco Service in Evanston: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Here’s what a generic Gelco page won’t tell you about Evanston specifically. In the Ridge Historic District, many of those stately four-squares and early-1900s brick homes had coal-to-oil conversions done in the 1940s. When that happened, an oil flue was often run through the chimney right beside the original fireplace flue, then abandoned when gas or electricity took over. That oil flue is still sitting there, uncapped, behind or alongside where a modern Gelco insert now vents. We find them regularly. On one Ridge four-square, our tech pulled a Gelco wood insert to find the flue collar corroded where it met the original clay tile, glazed creosote above the joint, and an abandoned oil flue beside it pulling cold lake air down into the house. We resealed the collar, removed the glazed creosote, capped and sealed the old oil flue, and installed a proper multi-flue cap. The insert drafts cleanly now, and the fireplace stopped back-puffing on cold lake-wind days. That’s not a sequence you’ll find in a generic chimney cleaning guide. It’s what actually happens in Evanston.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in Evanston
We clean, inspect, and repair the full Gelco residential lineup: wood-burning fireplace inserts, gas fireplace inserts, fireplace glass door and screen assemblies, and insert blower and fan kits. For parts, our approach is blunt. Where Gelco still makes the OEM component (collars, gaskets, dampers, blower motors), we use it. Where Gelco has discontinued something or priced it like it’s made of gold, we use quality aftermarket stainless adapters and caps that fit properly and hold up. We’ll always tell you which route we recommend and why. Nothing gets recommended without camera evidence you can look at yourself. Your flue is a system, not just a pipe, and the insert is only one part of it.
See the difference
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AfterGelco Service Pricing in Evanston
What you’ll pay for Gelco chimney cleaning in Evanston depends on what we find and what the unit needs. A standard Gelco insert cleaning and inspection runs $180 to $340. If creosote has glazed inside the liner, mechanical removal adds to that. Gasket replacement, collar resealing, blower repair, and crown or cap work are separate line items we quote before any work begins. A flue cap installation typically falls between $150 and $450 depending on the cap style and chimney configuration. We don’t do bait pricing. The estimate is free, and it includes a camera inspection so you see what we see. Call (833) 589-7835 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
Serving Evanston, IL — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Evanston 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 – Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Evanston
Not always. We need to see the liner’s condition on camera first. Clay tile liners in 1920s Evanston homes often have cracked or spalled tile joints, but some are still serviceable. If the liner is intact and sized correctly for your Gelco insert, we clean it and keep the system working. If it’s cracked, glazed, or the mortar joints have opened up, we’ll recommend relining with a stainless system sized for the insert. No one should tell you to reline without camera proof. Call (833) 589-7835 and we’ll put a camera in your flue and show you exactly what’s there.
Because pilates and thermopiles foul faster in Evanston’s humid lake air, especially in older homes where the chimney draws moisture. The thermopile gets coated, millivolt output drops, and the gas valve won’t stay open. Cleaning helps in mild cases; a corroded thermopile needs replacement. We carry the common Gelco thermopile and pilot assembly parts, so most of these calls get resolved in one visit. Call (833) 589-7835 if your Gelco gas insert has been flaky this winter.
Yes. We cap and seal abandoned oil flues throughout the Ridge Historic District and across Evanston. The process is straightforward: we locate the flue, confirm it’s abandoned, seal the top with a proper cap, and seal the cleanout or connection point inside the home. This stops downdrafts, prevents pest intrusion, and keeps cold lake air from coming down the chimney. It’s one of the most common services we do on older Evanston homes, and it typically takes less than an hour once we’re on site. Call (833) 589-7835 to schedule.
Repair first. The blower is a replaceable component, not a reason to scrap the insert. We pull the blower kit, check whether it’s clogged with soot and pet hair or if the motor itself has seized, and either clean it or swap in an OEM Gelco replacement. The insert itself is usually fine. If the blower seized and the unit has been overheating, we’ll also check for glazed creosote in the flue because that’s the real fire risk. Call (833) 589-7835 and we’ll diagnose it properly.
It affects the chimney around the insert. Freeze-thaw cycles crack masonry crowns, and cracked crowns let water into the flue system and behind the insert’s surround. Before any Gelco insert install in Evanston, we check the crown, the flashing, and the flue condition. If the crown is cracked, the installation won’t hold up until that’s addressed. A flue is a system, not just a pipe. Call (833) 589-7835 and we’ll inspect the whole thing, not just the firebox.
Service Areas Near Evanston
We work throughout Evanston and into the surrounding neighborhoods. Evanston service area coverage includes all four ZIP codes, and we regularly take calls from Gelco service in North Riverside and Gelco service in River Grove as well. If you’re nearby and have a Gelco insert acting up, call and we’ll tell you straight whether it’s in our range.
Book Your Gelco Service in Evanston Today
A clean flue isn’t a luxury, it’s just what a working fireplace requires. If your Gelco insert in Evanston needs a cleaning, a repair, or an honest second opinion, call (833) 589-7835. We’ll schedule a visit, put a camera in the flue, and show you exactly what needs doing and what doesn’t. Free estimates, no scare tactics.
Written by Norm Sobieski, Owner at Sandstone Chimney Sweep, serving Evanston and the surrounding area. Independent Gelco service provider. Not manufacturer-affiliated or authorized.