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 Tujunga, CA | Imperial Chimney
Imperial Chimney provides independent Gelco fireplace and chimney cleaning across Tujunga, including the 91042 and 91043 ZIP codes, with Gelco service in Sunland also available nearby. We’re not a manufacturer rep or an authorized dealer – we’re the crew that actually gets called when a Gelco cap screen packs solid with brush debris or a gas-log conversion in an old canyon cottage starts drafting poorly. Call (866) 253-3809 to book a sweep or inspection, and we’ll tell you straight what the flue actually needs.
We work on Gelco factory-built fireplaces, inserts, and cap assemblies in Tujunga’s hillside homes every season, and the patterns here are predictable once you know the terrain. Steep lots, dense brush, and wood heat on cool canyon nights all shape how these systems fail – and how we clean them. If you want a deeper look at what we do with the Gelco line, see our Gelco sales & service background.
Why Tujunga Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
Noel Carrasco, our owner, has been cleaning and inspecting chimneys across the LA basin for going on two decades. He learned the trade through the HVAC and building systems program at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, and he’s spent enough winters in Tujunga to know what the foothills do to a flue. His approach hasn’t changed much: if it’s in the flue, he’ll tell you straight – no upsell, no vague “concerns.”
What that means for a Gelco owner in Tujunga is simple. We know the model lines that went into these mid-century canyon homes, we carry or can source OEM-compatible components quickly, and we don’t recommend work the chimney doesn’t need. The Tujunga service area we cover includes the sloped lots and canyon streets where rooftop access is half the job.
Our crews spend their winters in Tujunga canyon cottages, which means we know how these systems behave under the area’s brush-and-wood-heat conditions and what fails first. That field time beats any spec sheet.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Tujunga
- Glazed creosote in metal and clay flues. Years of intermittent wood burning on cool canyon nights bakes tars onto the flue walls. Then a hot fire hits that glazed layer and you’ve got a chimney fire waiting. We scrape and sweep it back to bare surface before it gets there.
- Spark arrestor screens packed with char and brush debris. On a hillside lot, wind pushes embers and dry brush fragments against the uphill face of the cap. A screen that looks clean from the yard can be plugged solid on the back side. We pull and clean the whole assembly, not just the visible edge.
- Seized or corroded top-mount dampers. Gelco factory-built fireboxes from the 1960s and 70s often have dampers that no longer close fully. Cold canyon air and moisture drop down the flue all night. We free what’s salvageable and replace what isn’t.
- Cracked mortar crowns and flashing on exterior stacks. The foothill’s temperature swing, plus wind-driven rain, works on masonry joints year after year. Water gets in, freezes or expands, and the crown spalls. We document what we find and quote repointing or crown repair when it’s needed.
- Gas-log conversions in old Gelco fireboxes venting through dirty flues. This is common in Tujunga homes that switched from wood to gas decades ago. The burner went in, but the creosote from the wood-burning years stayed. We pull the logs, sweep the flue, and confirm the venting path is actually safe for the appliance sitting in it.
Gelco Service in Tujunga: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Here’s something we see in Tujunga that flatland chimney sweeps rarely deal with. On sloped lots, the chimney stack often sits below the ridge line on the downslope side of the house. Wind-driven embers and debris don’t hit the Gelco cap from across the yard – they come from above and drop onto the uphill face. A screen that looks fine from the ground can be packed solid where you can’t see it. That’s not a hypothetical; we’ve pulled caps in the hills above Foothill Boulevard where the uphill side was nearly a solid wall of charred brush fragments and creosote dust, while the downhill face looked almost new. If you own a Gelco fireplace in the 91042 canyons, your cap needs checking from the uphill side, not just a glance from the driveway — the same Gelco service in Shadow Hills hills demands. We clean and inspect with that slope reality in mind.
We fit OEM Gelco components where they’re still available for a given firebox or termination, and quality aftermarket caps, dampers, and liners when the original part is discontinued. But we won’t sell a part to cover a failed firebox. If the metal has warped or the flue tile is cracked, we say so and quote the rebuild or liner instead of a cosmetic patch.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in Tujunga
Our Gelco coverage in Tujunga includes the factory-built wood-burning fireplaces with metal fireboxes and top-vent terminations that builders installed in 1960s and 70s hillside homes. We also service Gelco direct-vent gas fireplaces – the common replacement when a masonry firebox was converted to gas logs – plus wood and gas inserts set into retrofitted masonry fireplaces, with Gelco service in Burbank handled by the same crews. Multi-flue Gelco cap and spark arrestor assemblies are routine for us, especially in the canyon reaches of 91043.
For parts, we lean OEM where the component is still made. When it isn’t, we use aftermarket caps, dampers, and liners that meet or exceed the original spec – but only where the underlying firebox and flue are sound. Fast turnaround matters in Tujunga, so we keep common cap screens and damper components ready for the units we see most.
See the difference
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After
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AfterGelco Service Pricing in Tujunga
A standard Gelco chimney cleaning and Level 1 inspection in Tujunga runs between $189 and $289. If the flue hasn’t been touched in years and we’re dealing with heavy creosote, expect $300 to $450. Cap screen cleaning or replacement adds $75 to $220 depending on the model and access. A Level 2 camera inspection runs $250 to $400 – we use it when a home just changed hands, a conversion was done years ago with no documentation, or we find something suspicious during the sweep. Every estimate comes from what we see, not a menu. Call (866) 253-3809 for an exact quote – estimates are free.
Serving Tujunga, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Tujunga 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 Tujunga
Yes, and we see this constantly in 91042. The gas burner may not create new creosote, but the years of wood smoke tars baked onto the flue wall are still there. Those tars ignite at high temperatures, and if you ever switch back to wood, or if the flue runs hot enough, they become a hazard. We pull the logs, sweep the flue, and confirm the liner condition before anything burns again. Call (866) 253-3809 if you want a look.
If your home sits below the ridgeline on a sloped lot, wind-driven embers and debris hit the uphill face of the cap from above. Your neighbor on a flatter street never sees that. We inspect and clean the entire screen, not just what’s visible from the yard.
For a unit that’s been maintained and hasn’t changed since the last sweep, yes – a Level 1 covers the accessible firebox, damper, and cap. If the home is new to you, or the fireplace was converted to gas years ago with no paperwork, step up to a Level 2. The camera shows what the eye can’t. We’ll tell you which one fits your situation before any work is booked.
In Tujunga, we’re often working on steep hillside driveways, narrow canyon streets, and rooftops that need ladder levelers and long hose runs. Some homes have the stack set below the ridge, which means carefully accessing the cap from the slope side. It’s not a surcharge situation; it’s time and equipment. We account for it honestly in the quote.
Every year at minimum, before the heavy burn season. If you burn nightly through the cooler months, twice a season isn’t excessive. The brush-heavy air here means more particulate on the cap screen, and the foothill’s temperature swings mean more creosote condensation inside the flue. We’ll set a schedule that matches how you actually use the fireplace. Call (866) 253-3809 to get on the calendar.
One field example worth sharing. On a sloped-lot canyon cottage off the upper end of Honolu Street, our tech found a 1950s masonry fireplace that had been converted to gas logs years earlier. The Gelco insert sitting in it was venting into a flue still carrying a thick glazed creosote layer, with the spark arrestor screen on the cap packed solid from the uphill side. We pulled the logs and burner, swept and scraped the flue back to bare masonry, replaced the failed cap screen, and documented the cracked crown for repointing before the owner burned anything again.
Service Areas Near Tujunga
Beyond Tujunga, our Gelco work reaches homes in Burbank, Studio City, Sunland, and La Crescenta. We also handle comparable foothill and flatland jobs in Shadow Hills and Lake View Terrace. For coastal work, see our Gelco service in Manhattan Beach, and for homes east of downtown, our Gelco service in East Pasadena covers that side of the basin.
Book Your Gelco Service in Tujunga Today
If your Gelco fireplace hasn’t been inspected this year, the canyon season will tell you soon enough. We’re taking Tujunga appointments now. Call (866) 253-3809 for a free estimate, and we’ll put you on the calendar when it works for you – before the Santa Ana winds pick up.
Written by Noel Carrasco, Owner at Imperial Chimney, serving Tujunga and the surrounding foothills for nearly two decades.