Frequently Asked Questions

We lay down protective covers, run a rotary sweep system up your flue to remove creosote buildup, then conduct a level-2 camera inspection from top to bottom. You get photos, a plain-English verdict, and a written condition report. The whole process takes 60 to 90 minutes for a standard fireplace system. We've done this since 1984, and the 400th job gets the care of the first.

The National Fire Protection Association says annually, and we agree, especially given Houston's humidity cycles. Our Gulf Coast moisture, combined with temperature swings from January freezes to August heat, accelerates mortar deterioration and creosote absorption. Even if you only use your fireplace a few times each winter, that annual inspection catches what you can't see from the hearth.

You can buy a brush and try, but we don't recommend it, and we won't sell you the job of fixing what gets missed. Houston's two-story ranch homes and pier-and-beam construction make roof access genuinely dangerous without proper equipment. More importantly, a DIY brush won't reveal a cracked flue liner, deteriorated mortar joints, or creosote glazing that our camera inspection catches. We work in your house the way we'd work in our mother's, and that means not letting you take a fall or miss a fire hazard.

Most single-fireplace homes in Houston, from Deer Park to Humble, take 60 to 90 minutes from arrival to departure. Historic homes with multiple flues, or properties in South Houston with significant creosote buildup from unseasoned wood use, can run two hours. We'll tell you when we book, and we'll be there when we say.

Clear the hearth area of decorations, ashes, and furniture within about six feet. Don't use the fireplace for 24 hours beforehand, we need a cool system. We bring our own covers, vacuums, and protection for your floors. If you have questions about your system's history, previous repairs, or that odd smell from last winter, write them down, we'll go through each one.

We primarily install DuraFlex stainless steel liners and specify HeatShield cerfractory sealant for resurfacing damaged clay flues. Both are listed to UL standards and handle Houston's temperature swings and humidity without the corrosion issues we see with lesser products. We choose materials the way we choose our people, trained journeymen, proper materials, no shortcuts.

Yes, particularly for homes near the Ship Channel or in Pasadena where industrial particulates accelerate rust. Gelco's stainless steel and copper caps carry a lifetime warranty against corrosion, and their mesh design keeps out the squirrels, raccoons, and leaf debris we see clogging flues across Harris County. A proper cap installed by someone who knows mortar, that's Krafted right.

HeatShield is a cerfractory resurfacing compound, essentially giving your existing clay flue tiles a new, smooth interior surface. It works when the structure is sound but the surface is cracked or eroded. A full DuraFlex stainless liner is a new pipe inside your chimney, the right choice when tiles are missing, shifted, or the flue is unlined. Our camera inspection shows you which applies to your situation, no guessing.

We specify Olympia Chimney's stainless steel liner systems for certain factory-built fireplace installations and for their specialized flex-rigid products in tight clearance situations common in 1970s Houston tract homes. Every product we install, we stand behind it. That's been true since 1984.

Texas does not have a statewide chimney sweep license, which means anyone with a brush and a truck can claim the title. We hold CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) certification for every sweep on our team, carry general liability and workers compensation insurance, and we're bonded. Ask to see documentation, any sweep worth hiring shows it without hesitation.

At minimum, general liability of $1 million per occurrence and workers compensation coverage for anyone on your roof. We're insured and bonded, and we add you as a certificate holder on request. In a city where two-story homes are standard and summer thunderstorms make roofs slick, this isn't paperwork, it's protection for your home and the people working on it.

Ask for their CSIA certification number, proof of insurance, and check how long they've been at their current business address. We've been at our Houston location since 1984, we sponsor the county fair and the church roof fund, and we answer the phone with a person. A company that plans to be in town in thirty years acts like it, and they don't mind you checking.

Same-day service is often available for true emergencies, smoke backing up into the home, visible chimney fire, or structural damage after a storm. We prioritize calls from Humble, Channelview, and across our service area based on safety risk. Call (877) 516-5603, we'll tell you honestly if it's a same-day situation or if we can schedule you within 24 to 48 hours. We'll be there when we say.

Smoke filling your living room, flames visible in the flue, bricks falling from the chimney exterior, or water actively pouring through the fireplace after a Gulf Coast storm. Strange odors or a drafty fireplace are urgent but not emergent, we'll get you scheduled promptly. If you're unsure, call us, we'll talk it through and tell you straight whether you need us tonight or next Tuesday.

We answer the phone evenings and weekends for emergency calls, and we schedule standard appointments Monday through Saturday. True emergency response outside business hours is available for active safety hazards. We're not a 24-hour dispatch center, we're a local company that lives here too, but we've been known to roll out at 8 PM on a Saturday when a family's smoke alarm won't stop.

The Keystone Standard, applied to chimneys: 90 days, in writing, no arguing. If our sweep missed something that shows up within that window, or a repair we performed isn't holding up, we come back. No paperwork, no arguing. We've honored this since 1984, and it's why our customers in Bellaire and Jacinto City call us back decade after decade.

Our workmanship is guaranteed for 90 days under the Keystone Standard. Product defects in DuraFlex liners, Gelco caps, or HeatShield applications carry their own manufacturer warranties, typically 10 years to lifetime depending on the product. If something fails, we sort out whether it's installation or product, and we handle the claim, you don't get stuck in the middle. We stand behind it.

Call us. We'll come back and make it right, or we'll refund your money. In thirty-nine years across Houston, we've had perhaps a dozen customers ask us to return, and we've done so every time. A square deal isn't complicated, it's just not common anymore. The hearthstone is the stone the whole home gathered around, we don't forget what that means.

We guarantee we'll be there when we say. During peak season, October through January, our schedule in Houston, West University Place, and surrounding areas books 7 to 14 days out. We'll give you a specific appointment window when you call, not a four-hour wait, and we'll call if traffic on the Gulf Freeway delays us. Your home first, we work in your house the way we'd work in our mother's.

Written by the team at Hearthstone Chimney Co. of Houston, serving Houston, Jacinto City, Galena Park, Cloverleaf, Aldine, West University Place, Pasadena, South Houston, Bellaire, Channelview, Humble, and Deer Park since 1984.