Sweeping is the removal of combustible deposits from the entire smoke path — not just the straight section of flue that a brush can reach from the roof. A proper sweep covers the firebox, the throat, the smoke shelf where debris collects, the smoke chamber with its awkward corbelled walls, and the full length of the liner.

We select the method based on what is actually on the walls. Light first-degree soot brushes out conventionally. Flaky second-degree build-up usually needs a stiffer rotary head. Hard third-degree glaze — the shiny black tar that looks like poured resin — cannot be brushed off at all, and attempting it just polishes the surface. That requires chemical modification to make the deposit brittle, followed by rotary removal, sometimes over more than one visit.

• Full drop-cloth containment and HEPA-filtered negative air at the firebox
• Rotary or brush cleaning of liner, smoke chamber, smoke shelf, throat and firebox
• Damper cleaned, freed and tested for full open and close
• Creosote graded 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree and recorded in the report
• Level 1 visual inspection included at no additional charge
• Debris removed from site — nothing left in your bin

Inspection levels are not upsells invented by the industry. They are defined categories, and the correct level depends on circumstances rather than preference. Choosing too low a level is how a cracked liner gets missed before a house changes hands.

Every inspection at any level produces the same deliverable: a written report with labelled, date-stamped photographs, findings sorted into safety issues, maintenance items and items to watch, and a clear statement of whether the system is safe to operate as it stands.

A chimney cap does three jobs at once: it keeps rain out of the flue, it keeps birds, raccoons and squirrels out of the flue, and its mesh screen catches embers that would otherwise land on your roof. For a part that typically costs less than a single service call, it prevents an enormous share of the damage we are called out to repair.

We fit stainless steel rather than galvanised. Galvanised caps look identical on day one and are rusting within a few Florida summers; stainless is the only sensible specification in this humidity. Caps are sized to the flue rather than selected from whatever is on the truck, because an undersized cap restricts draft and an oversized one blows off.

• Single-flue, multi-flue and full-stack stainless covers
• Mesh sized to arrest sparks while preserving draft area
• Lockable and bolted fittings for wind resistance in a hurricane-exposed climate
• Removal of existing nests and blockage before fitting

The crown is the concrete slab at the very top of a masonry chimney that sheds water away from the brick. A correct crown overhangs the stack, slopes outward, and has an expansion joint where it meets the flue tile so the two materials can move independently. A great many crowns in this region are none of those things — they are thin mortar washes, poured flush with the brick, that crack within a few years and then admit water directly into the core of the chimney.

On a factory-built system the equivalent part is the chase cover: the metal lid on top of the framed chase. Thin galvanised covers rust through from the inside, pool water, and drain it into the framing. By the time a stain appears on a bedroom ceiling, the sheathing around the chase has often been wet for years.

• Crack repair with flexible crown sealant where the crown is structurally sound
• Full cast-in-place crown rebuild with proper overhang, slope and expansion joint
• Stainless chase cover fabrication with cross-break for drainage and drip edge
• Moisture assessment of surrounding framing before closing anything up

Mortar is designed to be the sacrificial element in a masonry wall. It is meant to be softer than the brick, so that movement and moisture damage the joints rather than the units themselves — joints being repairable and bricks being far less so. Tuckpointing is the process of grinding out failed mortar to a consistent depth and packing in fresh mortar, restoring both the weather seal and the structural bond.

Getting the mix right matters more than it looks. Modern high-strength Portland mortar used on an older soft brick chimney is harder than the brick around it, which forces all subsequent movement and moisture stress into the brick face instead. The result is spalling: brick faces popping off in flakes. We match mortar to the existing masonry for compressive strength first and colour second.

• Grinding and repointing of deteriorated joints to correct depth
• Replacement of spalled, cracked or displaced brick
• Rebuild of courses above the roofline where the stack has shifted or leaned
• Firebox refractory panel and firebrick replacement
• Hearth extension and mantel clearance corrections to meet code

Water reaches the inside of a house through one of five routes: a missing or damaged cap, a cracked crown or chase cover, failed flashing where the chimney meets the roof, the porous face of the brick itself, or condensation from an improperly vented appliance. Treating the wrong one is why leaks get "fixed" three times and keep coming back.

We diagnose before we seal — and where necessary, that includes a controlled water test, isolating each zone in sequence until the entry point reveals itself. Only then does sealing make sense.

When we do waterproof, we use a vapour-permeable siloxane masonry repellent rather than a film-forming sealer. This distinction is important: a film-forming product traps moisture already inside the wall, and in a humid climate that accelerates spalling instead of preventing it. A breathable repellent sheds liquid water while allowing vapour to escape.

• Zone-by-zone water testing to isolate the true entry point
• Step and counter flashing repair or replacement at the roof intersection
• Vapour-permeable siloxane repellent applied to brick and mortar faces
• Interior damage assessment and guidance on drying out affected framing

The liner is the only thing separating combustion gases from the structural timber packed around the chimney. Clay tile liners crack — from thermal shock, from a past chimney fire, from settlement, or simply from age — and a cracked liner allows heat and carbon monoxide to reach places they must never reach. This is not a cosmetic failure. A chimney with a breached liner should not be used until it is relined.

Relining also matters when the appliance changes. Putting a modern high-efficiency insert into a flue sized for an open fireplace produces a flue far too large for the gas volume, which lets exhaust cool, condense and deposit creosote at an accelerated rate. Correct sizing is part of the job, not an afterthought.

• Stainless steel rigid and flexible liner systems, insulated where required
• Correct sizing to the appliance rather than to the existing flue
• Cast-in-place resurfacing where a masonry flue can be restored in situ
• Post-installation camera verification of the full length

A factory-built fireplace is a listed appliance, which means it is only safe in the exact configuration it was tested in. Mixing manufacturers, substituting a generic part, or replacing a rusted panel with sheet metal from a hardware store voids the listing and, in many cases, your homeowner's insurance coverage for anything that follows.

We start by locating the data plate — usually inside the firebox or behind the lower grille — to identify the manufacturer, model and serial number, then source the correct listed component. If a unit has reached the end of its service life and parts are no longer manufactured, we will say so plainly rather than making a repair that cannot be made safe.

• Refractory panel and firebox floor replacement with listed parts
• Chase cover, storm collar and termination cap replacement
• Glass door, gasket, blower and damper component service
• Full unit replacement where the system is beyond serviceable life

Gas fireplaces feel maintenance-free, which is exactly why they get ignored for a decade. They still vent combustion products, still produce acidic condensate that attacks unlined masonry, and still depend on safety devices that drift out of calibration. A gas appliance venting into a deteriorated chimney is one of the more serious carbon monoxide risks in a home precisely because there is no smoke to warn you.

Log placement also matters more than most homeowners realise. Logs that have been rearranged — after a cleaning, or by a previous owner — can cause flame impingement, heavy sooting and dangerously incomplete combustion. Correct positioning is part of every service.

• Burner, pilot assembly and thermocouple cleaning and adjustment
• Venting path inspection for blockage, corrosion and correct termination
• Gas leak check at connections and testing of safety shutoff devices
• Log, ember and glass media cleaned and positioned to manufacturer specification
• Carbon monoxide readings taken during operation

An open flue is an ideal cavity: sheltered, vertical, warm and undisturbed. Chimney swifts nest in them, raccoons raise young in them, and squirrels fall into them and cannot climb back out. Any of these blocks the flue completely, which means the next fire pushes smoke and carbon monoxide into the room instead of up the chimney.

Chimney swifts are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act while nesting, and an active nest cannot legally be removed until the young have fledged. We will tell you that honestly, help you keep the fireplace safely out of service in the meantime, and return to clear and cap once removal is lawful.

• Assessment by camera before anything is disturbed
• Humane removal and full nesting-material clearing
• Deodorising and sanitising of the flue and firebox after removal
• Stainless cap fitted the same visit so it cannot recur

Clothes dryers cause thousands of residential fires a year in the United States, and failure to clean the vent is the leading contributing factor. Lint is extremely fine, extremely combustible, and it accumulates along the entire duct run rather than in the visible lint screen. Long runs, flexible foil ducting and roof terminations — all common in Orlando construction — accumulate faster and are harder to clear.

The warning signs are easy to spot once you know them: clothes taking two cycles to dry, the machine hot to the touch, a musty smell in the laundry room, or lint visible around the exterior vent hood.

• Full-length rotary brushing of the duct run, including roof terminations
• Exterior vent hood and damper flap cleared and tested for free movement
• Airflow measured before and after so you can see the difference
• Advice on replacing foil flex duct with rigid where it is causing repeat blockage

Some chimney problems cannot wait for business hours. If your house is filling with smoke, if you have heard a roaring sound from the flue, if a storm has moved the stack, or if water is running into the firebox during a downpour, call +1 321 300 760 immediately and a technician will answer.

If you suspect an active chimney fire: get everyone out of the house, call 911 first, and only then call us. An active flue fire can exceed 2,000°F and can spread into the structure through a cracked liner within minutes. Do not attempt to fight it yourself, and do not open the damper to look.

• Active or suspected chimney fires, including post-fire Level 2 damage assessment
• Smoke entering living space or carbon monoxide alarm activation
• Storm and hurricane damage — leaning stacks, lost caps, torn flashing
• Active water intrusion through the chimney during heavy rain
• Animals trapped inside a flue