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.
Fast, Reliable Chimney Sweep Across Upland
Chimney sweeping in Upland costs between $139 and $309 for a standard fireplace cleaning with a Level 1 inspection, and most homes in the 91784, 91785, and 91786 ZIP codes can be serviced within one to two days of calling. If your flue hasn’t been touched in years, or if you’ve noticed drafting problems during those cold January nights when the Santa Anas die down, the real cost is usually higher because older Upland flues frequently need relining before a brush can safely go up. That’s where we come in. Corona Chimney Sweep doesn’t just clean your chimney – we repair what we find, using the same contractor-grade materials supply houses stock, and Nolan Ferris has built the team around that single idea. Call (855) 382-6159 for a free estimate and we’ll tell you straight what your fireplace needs.
Why Corona Chimney Sweep Is Upland’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Upland homeowners keep calling us back because we show up when we say we will, and we don’t leave a problem half-solved. Our techs work the entire Upland grid weekly, from the mid-century ranch homes along Foothill Boulevard in 91786 up to the newer two-story builds tucked into the San Antonio Heights foothills in 91784. We know the housing stock here – the original brick and block masonry fireplaces, the manufactured fireboxes in the 1970s-1990s hillside homes, and the unlined single-wythe flues hiding in the older neighborhoods. That local knowledge means we arrive already knowing what to expect.
Our customers in Upland consistently mention two things: the tech showed them the camera footage, and the problem got fixed the same visit. We don’t sweep and refer. Chimney Sweep work, liner repair, masonry, caps, dampers – it all happens under one roof. When a 1950s ranch on the 91786 grid has a spalled flue, our crew doesn’t hand you a business card for a mason. We quote the fix, schedule it, and complete it.
We’re based in Corona, which puts Upland well inside our normal service radius without the long lead times you get from companies that only run through the Inland Empire a few days a month. Most Upland jobs get on the schedule within a couple of business days, and Nolan Ferris personally reviews every job that involves a liner decision. That’s the oversight that keeps our Upland work consistent.
Styles & brands we work with
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in Upland
Gas Fireplace Cleaning in Upland is a job we handle constantly, especially in the foothill ZIPs where 1980s and 1990s two-story homes run gas log sets and inserts. The firebox gets coated with a fine mineral dust that bakes onto the ceramic logs, the burner ports clog, and the pilot assembly gets grimy. A full gas fireplace cleaning here runs $129 to $199, which includes vacuuming the firebox, cleaning the logs and burner, checking the thermocouple and thermopile, and verifying the venting draft.
Log Set and Burner Service
We remove the log set, clean each piece by hand, and inspect the burner ports for clogs. In Upland’s dry air, the real issue is dust accumulation, not soot. If the pilot flame is yellow and lazy, that’s a telltale sign of dirty burner ports or a failing thermocouple.
Venting and Draft Check
A gas fireplace in a foothill home can have venting issues just like a wood burner. We check the termination cap for debris, verify the draft with a smoke pencil or manometer when the setup calls for it, and make sure combustion gases are leaving the house. Wind-driven debris in Upland means caps get blocked more often than people expect.
Chimney Maintenance in Upland
Chimney Maintenance in Upland is not a yearly optional – it’s an every-season reality because of what the local environment does to an unused flue. A standard maintenance visit in Upland runs $149 to $229 and includes a Level 1 inspection, visual check of the cap and crown, removal of surface debris from the smoke chamber, and a draft test. What maintenance catches here is rarely creosote. It’s palm frond fibers packed into the cap, eucalyptus leaves decomposing against the flue tile, and cracked crowns letting rain into the brickwork.
Annual Sweep and Level 1 Inspection
Every fireplace should get a Level 1 inspection once a year, even when you burn infrequently. In Upland, where the fireplace sits dark from May through October, mice and birds move in. The inspection catches nests before your first November fire turns them into a chimney fire or a carbon monoxide problem.
Debris Removal and Cap Service
The Santa Ana winds hammer Upland’s foothill neighborhoods and the flat grids equally. After a wind event, we find caps that look like a bird’s nest made of palm fronds and tree litter. We clean the cap, check the mesh, and replace damaged caps rather than patching around a problem.
Trusted Brands We Service in Upland
We don’t install whatever the big-box store has on the shelf. In Upland, our liner work uses HeatShield resurfacing for qualifying flues and DuraFlex stainless flexible liners for relining jobs where rigid systems won’t fit the mid-century layouts. We also service and install components from Olympia Chimney and Famco. Because Upland has so many older homes with non-standard flue dimensions, flexible liner systems are often the only way to get a code-compliant vent into a 1950s ranch without tearing out the masonry. And when a chimney qualifies for HeatShield instead of a full liner replacement, that’s a repair option most sweep-only crews can’t offer.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Upland Homes
- Packed chimney caps from Santa Ana winds. Palm frond fibers and eucalyptus leaves get forced into the cap mesh during a wind event, blocking the draft and making the fireplace behave like it has a flue full of creosote. This happens throughout Upland, but worst in the foothill ZIPs where wind funnels through the canyons.
- Unlined single-wythe brick flues in the 91786 grid. Mid-century ranch homes were often built with brick flues and no clay liner. Creosote works into the mortar joints, spalling starts, and the flue becomes a fire hazard that no brush can fix. These jobs need a liner before any cleaning happens.
- Third-degree creosote hiding behind first-degree buildup. Because Upland fireplaces get used so rarely, the surface creosote looks like a light dusting. But near the damper, where temperatures dropped during that last fire, we often find glazed third-degree creosote that a standard sweep won’t remove. This is a chimney fire waiting for the next hot burn in Upland’s dry air.
- Debris clogging gas fireplace vents. Foothill homes with gas logs or inserts get wind-blown debris packed into the termination cap. The fireplace still lights, but combustion gases back up into the house. The fix is cap cleaning and a draft verification, not a new log set.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Upland, CA
Expect to pay $139 to $309 for a standard chimney sweep in Upland, including the Level 1 inspection that comes with every cleaning. Gas fireplace cleaning is $129 to $199. Full relining with a DuraFlex system in an older Upland home typically runs $1,800 to $3,400 depending on flue length and access, and HeatShield resurfacing lands between $900 and $2,200 where conditions qualify. The mid-century ranch homes in 91786 skew toward the higher end on liners because access is tight and flues are often odd-sized. Call (855) 382-6159 for an exact quote – every estimate is free, and you’ll see the camera footage before you approve any repair.
We Also Serve Cities Near Upland
Our Upland route covers the full 91784, 91785, and 91786 ZIP codes and extends into the neighboring communities of San Antonio Heights, Claremont, Montclair, and Rancho Cucamonga. If you’re just outside the Upland border, check our Chimney Sweep in Upland page for the full local breakdown. Same crews, same brands, same straight answers.
Serving Upland, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Upland 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 About Chimney Sweep in Upland
Once a year, even if you only burn a handful of evenings each winter. Upland’s real problem is debris – palm fronds, eucalyptus leaves, bird and rodent nests – that builds up during the months the fireplace sits idle. A yearly sweep also catches unlined flue deterioration in older 91786 ranch homes before it becomes a hidden fire hazard. Call (855) 382-6159 and we’ll get you on the schedule.
Sometimes, but not always. Many mid-century Upland ranches were built with single-wythe brick flues and no clay liner. If the inspection shows stable mortar joints and no creosote penetration, a careful sweep can proceed. If spalling has started, the flue needs a HeatShield resurfacing or a DuraFlex liner installed before any brush goes up – sweeping a deteriorated unlined flue is dangerous and won’t make the chimney safe. We’ll tell you which situation you have after the camera inspection.
First-degree creosote is a dry, powdery soot that a standard brush removes easily. Third-degree creosote is a hard, glazed tar that forms when smoke cools too quickly – and it’s the one that fuels chimney fires. In Upland’s dry climate, and with fireplaces that get used infrequently, first-degree creosote near the smoke chamber can mask third-degree glaze near the damper. That’s why every sweep we do includes a Level 1 inspection, and why we recommend a Level 2 on older Upland homes that haven’t been serviced in years.
Yes. Gas fireplaces don’t produce creosote, but they still have venting systems that clog. In Upland’s foothill ZIPs, wind-driven debris packs into vent caps, and the mineral dust that settles on log sets clogs burner ports and makes the flame yellow and inefficient. We recommend gas fireplaces get cleaned every one to two years, depending on how much the pilot runs. Our gas fireplace cleaning is $129 to $199.
Santa Ana winds force palm frond fibers, eucalyptus leaves, and twigs into the cap mesh, creating a dense mat that blocks the draft. A blocked cap makes your fireplace smoke back into the room and can push carbon monoxide into the house. We see this weekly during wind season, and the fix is a cap cleaning and mesh inspection. If winds have hit your neighborhood hard, call (855) 382-6159 and we’ll check the cap and draft before you light the next fire.
Written by Nolan Ferris, Owner at Corona Chimney Sweep, serving Upland since 2006.