Des Plaines chimneys work a long, hard season - months of wood heat, deep cold, and freeze-thaw prying at the mortar the whole time. Our techs sweep, inspect on camera, and repair yours properly, so every fire burns in a flue known to be sound - licensed and insured, with free estimates.
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From the fall sweep before the first fire to a midwinter liner repair, these are the six chimney services Des Plaines homeowners book with us. This page covers chimney in Des Plaines, IL end to end — the services, the local picture and the ZIP codes served.
Sweep & Cleaning
Chimney Sweep
The full professional sweep: rotary brushes scrub the flue from top to bottom while a HEPA vacuum keeps every speck of soot sealed in — the visit that keeps a chimney safe to burn in. Around Des Plaines, we check flue tiles that freeze-thaw and thermal cycling may have cracked. For chimney sweep in Des Plaines, IL, one call books the visit and a local tech takes it from there.
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Sweep & Cleaning
Chimney Cleaning
In Cook County, months of steady burning leave serious buildup behind every season. Creosote, soot and ash removed from the flue, smoke shelf and firebox — the deep clean that kills the campfire smell and the fire risk with it. Chimney Cleaning in Des Plaines, IL runs on one standard: done properly, checked, and shown to you before we leave.
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Repair
Chimney Repair
Any chimney, any problem — leaks, cracks, crumbling brick, bad draw. In Des Plaines, spalled brick and crumbling mortar joints top the winter repair list. Diagnosed on camera first, then repaired properly with the right materials. Chimney Repair in Des Plaines, IL runs on one standard: done properly, checked, and shown to you before we leave.
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Inspection & Care
Chimney Inspection
A full inspection of flue, liner, cap, crown, flashing and firebox — camera inside the flue, with a plain-language report of what is safe, what is not, and what can wait. In Cook County, lake-effect damp hides inside the flue, so the inspection checks the damper, smoke shelf and tile joints as closely as the top. Chimney Inspection in Des Plaines, IL runs on one standard: done properly, checked, and shown to you before we leave.
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Install & Replace
Chimney Cap Installation
A quality stainless cap keeps rain, birds and sparks where they belong. Fitted to your flue, secured properly, and screened against animals. The screen keeps raccoons, squirrels and nesting birds out of an idle summer flue, while keeping rain and snow melt out of the liner. The crews behind chimney cap installation in Des Plaines, IL are the same ones who cover the ZIP codes listed below.
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Repair
Chimney Liner Repair
Cracked tiles, gaps at the joints, a liner that is shifting — liner faults found on camera and repaired so hot gases stay inside the Des Plaines flue where they belong. In Des Plaines, thermal cycling is the liner fault we find most often on camera. Chimney Liner Repair in Des Plaines, IL starts with a real look at the problem — never a guess over the phone.
Get a free estimateNeed something else — a damper, a blower, a smoke problem, a bird in the flue? We cover all 27 fireplace specialties. Call (888) 258-0797 and describe it.
A chimney in Des Plaines works from the first cold night to the last thaw, then sits damp through a humid summer. Deep freeze-thaw, lake moisture and heavy wood heat do the damage here. This is what we actually find, and what we check on every visit.
Plenty of Des Plaines homes burn wood as real heat for months, not decoration, and steady burning lays down creosote - the glazed kind fastest, from low, smoldering fires. That buildup can ignite inside the flue and crack liners. Regular sweeping removes it, and a camera check shows what it coated.
Freeze-thaw works mortar joints loose until they recess, crack and fall out in chunks across Cook County. Open joints let more water in, which freezes and opens them further, and heat starts reaching places it should never reach. Repointing sound joints early is a repair; waiting turns it into a rebuild.
Older Des Plaines chimneys were lined with clay tiles that expand and contract with every fire. A bitter-cold flue meeting a hot fire, season after season, cracks tiles and opens gaps at the joints. Those faults hide inside the chimney, which is why we diagnose liners on camera, not by guessing.
On the coldest mornings, a chimney full of cold, heavy air can push down instead of drawing up, so the first fire in a Des Plaines home spills smoke into the room until the flue warms. A blocked cap, cracked liner or tightly sealed house makes it worse. We diagnose the cause in order.
Des Plaines sits in Cook County, and the ZIP list at the bottom of this page covers 2 serviceable ZIP codes — 60016 through 60018. The closest served neighbors are Rosemont, Park Ridge, Niles, and every one of them is covered by the same crews, the same day, under the same number: (888) 258-0797.
Same-day service, free estimates, licensed & insured — and a flue you can see on camera, clean from top to bottom.
At least once a year if you burn regularly, and sooner if wood is real heat in your home - roughly every cord burned is a good guide. A long Midwest heating season lays down serious creosote, and the glazed kind is a flue-fire risk. The sweep also checks the liner, cap and damper.
Meltwater is the usual cause in Des Plaines: snow and ice sit on the crown, then thaw water soaks into split crowns, open mortar joints and failed flashing, showing up as stains, peeling or a damp smell indoors. We trace the entry point from the top down and repair the actual source, not just the stain.
Be careful, and leave the fireplace off until the top is checked if the cap is buried or the fire burns oddly after a big snow. A blocked cap means the flue cannot vent properly, and exhaust can spill into the room. Once the cap and vent are cleared and checked, the fireplace can go back into service.
Do not light a fire. Raccoons, birds and squirrels nest in open flues across Illinois in spring and summer, and a nest blocks the draft and holds moisture against the liner. Lighting under a blockage pushes smoke and carbon monoxide into the room. We remove the blockage, check for damage, and fit a screened cap.
Not until it has been looked at. Cracked flue tiles, gaps in mortar, creosote buildup and freeze-thaw damage are all invisible from the room. An inspection checks the firebox, flue and chimney top end to end, gives you a plain-language report, and tells you honestly what is sound and what needs work before the first fire.
No — and be wary of anyone who does. Every chimney fails differently, so a phone price is a guess that changes at your door. Our estimates are free: a tech looks at the actual problem, then gives you one clear price before any work starts.
Chimney Service Co is a national company with local technicians serving Des Plaines street addresses across the ZIP codes below — same-day service and free estimates, every day 8 AM – 8 PM. More of Illinois is covered from our Illinois page. The Des Plaines list below covers 2 ZIP codes, 60016 through 60018.
Don't see your ZIP? Des Plaines also uses P.O. Box and single-organization ZIP codes that have no street addresses — call (888) 258-0797 and we will confirm coverage for your street address on the call.
Also serving nearby: Rosemont, IL · Park Ridge, IL · Niles, IL · Mount Prospect, IL · Morton Grove, IL · Harwood Heights, IL.
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