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 Leon Valley
A chimney sweep in Leon Valley typically costs $189 – $289 for a standard wood-burning fireplace, and $249 – $369 when your home has a second flue tied to an older gas furnace that gets swept at the same time. Most sweeps take 60 – 90 minutes once we’re on-site. If you’re calling from Leon Valley, we can usually schedule within 3 – 5 business days, and you’ll know the technician’s name and see their photo before we ever pull into your driveway. Call (903) 515-5079 and a live person answers, no voicemail queue.
Leon Valley’s housing stock is different from what you see in newer subdivisions around San Antonio. These are 1950s through 1970s ranch homes, many still on their original masonry chimneys with clay-tile liners that have been quietly deteriorating for half a century. We know these stacks. We know the dual-flue setups on Poss Road and the ranch-style layouts off Grissom Road. And we know what gets missed when a homeowner only calls for fireplace cleaning and nobody asks about the second flue.
Why Alcott Chimney San Antonio Is Leon Valley’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Homeowners in Leon Valley tend to be particular about who they let into their homes, and we’ve built our reputation around that expectation. Every technician on our Chimney Sweep team passes a background check and identity verification before they’re ever dispatched. When you book, you get the technician’s name and photo before the appointment. When we knock on your door, we show a photo ID badge. No exceptions, no unbranded truck showing up with a guy you weren’t told about. That’s the Threshold Standard, and it’s how we’ve operated since 2002.
Ruben Castellano leads the team, and he’s the first to say that a chimney company earns trust by showing its work. That’s why every Leon Valley job includes a written price before any work starts and a written guarantee on every repair. If a repair fails within the coverage period, the second visit is free. We don’t ask you to take our word on liner damage. We show you the camera footage, and you decide.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Sweep Services in Leon Valley
Chimney Sweep Services in Leon Valley start with what you expect: removing creosote, the tar-like buildup that causes chimney fires, and clearing soot so your fireplace drafts properly. But on these older ranch homes, a thorough sweep means more than running brushes through one flue. It means checking the chimney crown for cracking, looking for efflorescence on the exterior brick, and asking whether you even have a second flue you’ve forgotten about. A standard sweep with creosote and soot removal runs $189 – $289 in Leon Valley. A full annual sweep that includes both flues, exterior masonry check, and camera documentation runs $249 – $369.
Annual Sweep
If you burn wood even occasionally, the National Fire Protection Association recommends an annual sweep. In Leon Valley’s humid climate, creosote doesn’t just build up from heavy use; it also attracts moisture that makes it stick harder to flue walls. Most of our Leon Valley annual sweep appointments include the fireplace flue, the furnace flue when present, and a visual check of the crown and cap.
Fireplace Cleaning
Fireplace cleaning in a 1960s Leon Valley ranch often reveals more than ash. We regularly find crumbling mortar, signs of water intrusion, and animal nesting in the smoke chamber. We clean what’s there and document what we see, so you’re not guessing about the condition of your fireplace.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Chimney Cleaning in Leon Valley
Chimney Cleaning in Leon Valley is the most common service we perform, and it’s the one most likely to uncover a second problem homeowners didn’t know about. On a standard ranch from the 1960s or early 1970s, the fireplace flue and the old gas furnace flue run side by side inside the same masonry stack. People call us for fireplace cleaning, we check both, and that’s how we find a bird’s nest or a wall of creosote in the flue nobody has looked at in 30 years. A straight chimney cleaning in Leon Valley costs $189 – $289 for one flue. Adding the second flue brings it to $249 – $369.
Creosote Removal
Creosote stages come in three degrees, and third-degree creosote is the glossy, hardened buildup that is genuinely dangerous to remove with anything short of professional rotary equipment. We’re seeing it more in Leon Valley because mild winters mean shorter burn seasons, and short fires produce more condensation that bakes creosote onto the flue walls. We remove it and show you the before-and-after on camera.
Soot Removal
Soot is lighter than creosote but still coats the flue and reduces draft. In a Leon Valley home with a fireplace that hasn’t been used in a while, soot removal is often the first step before a deeper inspection. It’s included in our standard sweep pricing, not billed as a separate line item.
Trusted Brands We Service in Leon Valley
When a Leon Valley chimney actually needs a liner repair or replacement, we use the brands the trade specifies, not whatever is cheapest at the local hardware store. We stock and install DuraFlex liner systems, HeatShield resurfacing material, and components from Olympia Chimney. That means when you need a HeatShield reline on a 1960s clay-tile flue, we’re not ordering something generic and hoping it fits. We carry the right materials and we can quote you a real number, in writing, before anything is ordered.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Leon Valley Homes
- Both flues were never cleaned, only one. On dual-flue ranch chimneys, the furnace flue is the one homeowners forget. It gets blocked by animal nesting or creosote, and that creates a carbon monoxide risk that has nothing to do with the fireplace.
- Efflorescence and spalling brick. Leon Valley’s humidity drives moisture into older masonry, leaving white mineral staining (efflorescence) and eventually crumbled brick (spalling). If the crown is cracked, the problem accelerates.
- Clay-tile flue deterioration. Original clay tile liners crack under decades of thermal cycling. Flue tiles flake and fall, and the gaps become pathways for heat and gas into the walls. Camera inspection shows the damage plain as day.
- Nesting in the furnace flue. Squirrels and birds find their way into uncapped old flues. On Poss Road, we pulled a bird’s nest that completely blocked a 1963 home’s furnace flue; the homeowner had no idea because the furnace had been replaced years earlier and the flue was orphaned.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Leon Valley, TX
Here’s the math, straight up. A one-flue sweep in Leon Valley runs $189 – $289. A two-flue sweep runs $249 – $369. That covers creosote removal, soot removal, and a visual check of the accessible masonry. Level 1 inspection is included with every sweep. Level 2 inspection, which adds full interior camera scanning of the flue liner, runs $199 – $349 depending on whether we’re scanning one or both flues. Relining with HeatShield or a DuraFlex liner starts around $2,800 – $4,200, and you’ll see the camera footage that justifies it before we ask for a decision. Call (903) 515-5079 for a written estimate specific to your chimney. Estimates are free.
What changes the number is not mystery. It’s the number of flues, the degree of creosote or blockage, and whether your crown and cap are still doing their job. We give you the written price before any work starts, and that price is what you pay.
We Also Serve Cities Near Leon Valley
While this page is written for Leon Valley homeowners, our crews also serve nearby San Antonio, Schertz, Cibolo, and Boerne. If you’re just outside the city limits, call us and we’ll let you know exactly when we can get to you.
Serving Leon Valley, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Leon Valley 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 Leon Valley
Both flues should be swept at least once a year if you burn wood at all, and the furnace flue should be checked even if the fireplace is decorative. In a dual-flue Leon Valley ranch, skipping the second flue leaves a blockage in place that could vent carbon monoxide into the home. Call (903) 515-5079 to schedule both flues at the same appointment.
It is likely a problem worth checking, because clay-tile liners from that era are often cracked, spalled, or missing sections altogether, and the gaps let heat and gas reach the surrounding structure. The only way to know is a Level 2 camera inspection. We will not recommend a reline until we show you the footage. If the liner is sound, you’ll see that too, and you can keep your money.
Those white stains are efflorescence, a mineral deposit left behind when water moves through the masonry and evaporates. In Leon Valley’s humid climate, it means moisture is getting into the chimney, usually through a cracked crown or failing mortar joints. Left long enough, the brick starts to spall and crumble. A sweep and inspection will identify the water entry point before the damage gets structural.
Yes, a musty smell from a cold fireplace in Leon Valley humidity usually points to moisture in the flue, often combined with old creosote deposits that absorb water. It can also mean an animal nested in the flue while the fireplace sat unused. We’ll clean the flue and check the cap and crown to stop the odor at its source. Call (903) 515-5079 and describe the smell; we’ll tell you what we think it is before we even schedule.
A Level 2 inspection adds a full interior video scan of the flue liner, from the firebox to the top of the stack, along with a check of accessible attic and crawlspace areas around the chimney. A basic sweep includes a Level 1 visual check only. After a chimney fire, a home sale, or decades of deferred maintenance, a Level 2 is the right call. In Leon Valley, where pre-1980 homes often change hands with original liners intact, we recommend it before closing.
If your Leon Valley chimney hasn’t been looked at in years, call (903) 515-5079 today. You’ll get a straight answer, a documented inspection, and a written price before any work starts.
Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner at Alcott Chimney San Antonio, serving Leon Valley and surrounding communities since 2002.