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 Schertz
A standard chimney sweep in Schertz runs $159 – $269 for a typical masonry fireplace with one flue. That price includes a full interior brushing, creosote and soot removal from the firebox and smoke chamber, and a visual check of the damper, cap, and flue liner. If you’re in Schertz and your fireplace hasn’t been swept in over a year, call (903) 515-5079 and we’ll get you on the schedule before the next cold snap.
We know Schertz. We know the ranch-style homes along FM 1518, the older brick-veneer neighborhoods like Ashley Place, and the newer builds north of Wiederstein Road. This matters because the house you live in dictates what’s happening inside your chimney. Our Chimney Sweep team works across the Schertz area every week, and we stock the parts and tools on the truck to handle the specific failure modes this climate produces.
Why Alcott Chimney San Antonio Is Schertz’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Ruben Castellano founded Alcott in 2002 with a simple rule: a homeowner should never have to wonder who’s coming to their door. Every technician who arrives at a Schertz home has passed a background check and identity verification. Before the visit, you’ll have the tech’s name and photo sent to you. At the door, they show a photo ID badge. Always.
Written pricing before work begins is how we operate in Schertz, and everywhere else we serve. You’ll get a dollar figure on paper before a single tool comes off the truck. No surprise line items at the end. No “we found something else while we were up there” unless you’ve already approved the number.
When Schertz homeowners search for a sweep, they want two things: certainty about who’s showing up and certainty about what it costs. We deliver both. Ruben built the company around that idea, and it’s why our repeat-call rate in the Schertz and Cibolo corridor is what keeps our schedule full through burning season.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Services in Schertz
Chimney Services in Schertz means more than running a brush up a flue. The work changes depending on the house, the wood you burn, and how the Hill Country climate has treated your masonry over the past 12 months. A standard sweep here includes removing creosote and soot from the firebox, smoke shelf, damper, and flue, then checking the cap and crown for rust or cracking. Most Schertz jobs with one masonry flue land between $159 and $269.
Creosote Removal and Annual Sweeps
Schertz homeowners burn a lot of cedar and oak. Those woods produce a heavy, sticky creosote that builds faster than the lighter soot from softer species. We remove it with rotary whips and hand brushes sized to your flue, and we’ll tell you honestly if the buildup has reached a stage where a brush alone won’t cut it. Catching it before it glazes saves you from a much more expensive problem later.
Fireplace Cleaning and Level 1 Inspection
A fireplace cleaning in Schertz usually pairs with a Level 1 inspection, which is the visual check of all accessible parts of the chimney. We’re looking at the damper, the flue liner, the firebox, and the exterior masonry. In older Ranch-style homes along Cibolo Creek, this is where we catch rusted dampers and early freeze-thaw cracking before they become dangerous or destructive.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Chimney Sweep Certified in Schertz
Chimney Sweep Certified work in Schertz follows the same standard on every job: verified technician at the door, written price before work begins, and a written guarantee on any repair we perform. Our sweeps are trained on the specific conditions this part of Texas throws at chimneys, from cedar-heavy creosote to humid summers that corrode dampers along Cibolo Creek. A standard certified sweep in Schertz runs $159 – $269 for most single-flue masonry fireplaces.
Soot and Creosote Removal Done Right
Soot removal is straightforward. Creosote removal in Schertz is different because of what gets burned here. Level one creosote brushes out. Level two needs more aggressive tools. Level three, the tar-like glaze that forms when oak and cedar fires deposit repeatedly without sweeping, requires a rotary whip and sometimes chemical treatment before it releases. We’ll show you what we found before we start, so you’re not making repairs blind.
The Schertz-Specific Sweep
Every Schertz sweep includes a check of the damper operation, because we know that summer humidity along Cibolo Creek seizes dampers nearly every fall. If yours is rusted shut, we’ll tell you exactly what it costs to free it or replace it, and that number will be on paper before you decide. Nothing gets recommended without you seeing why.
Trusted Brands We Service in Schertz
We install and service the trade brands chimney professionals actually specify, not box-store substitutes. On Schertz jobs, that most often means DuraFlex liner systems when a clay flue has cracked beyond repair and Famco caps and dampers when humidity has done its work. We also carry Copperfield components for masonry repairs. Having the right parts on the truck means fewer return trips and faster completion for Schertz homeowners, especially during the busy weeks after Thanksgiving.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Schertz Homes
- Third-degree creosote from cedar and oak. The heavy, sticky tar glaze these woods produce builds fast, and when it blocks the draft, smoke backs up into the living room on the first cold snap. Most Schertz homes burning oak weekly need sweeping every 30 – 40 fires, not once a year.
- Rusted-shut dampers after humid summers. Homes along Cibolo Creek and the lower-lying areas of Schertz see this almost annually. The damper plate corrodes during the humid months, and the first fall fire reveals it won’t open.
- Freeze-thaw cracks in clay flue liners. Older Ranch-style homes, particularly those built in the 1970s and 1980s, have clay liners that crack when winter freezes follow wet weather. The crack isn’t visible from the firebox, but a Level 2 inspection with a camera finds it.
- Crown and flashing leaks at the roofline. Summer storms and the occasional hard freeze work on the mortar crown and sheet-metal flashing. Water gets in, runs down the flue, and causes damp odors and masonry deterioration over time.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in Schertz, TX
A standard chimney sweep in Schertz runs $159 – $269 for a single-flue masonry fireplace. Two-story homes, steep roof pitches, and chimneys with heavy third-degree glazing push toward the upper end. A Level 2 inspection, which we recommend when there’s been a chimney fire, a freeze-season scare, or a property transfer, runs $300 – $500 in Schertz and includes a camera scan of the entire flue. Any repair quote is separate, written, and delivered before work begins. Call (903) 515-5079 for a free estimate on your specific setup. You’ll get a real number, not a “pricing depends” answer.
We Also Serve Cities Near Schertz
Our Chimney Sweep in Schertz coverage extends to the surrounding communities. We regularly schedule jobs in Cibolo, Converse, San Antonio, and Boerne. If you’re in one of those areas and your chimney needs attention, the same pricing, same verification standard, and same written guarantee apply. Call and we’ll get you routed to the right tech.
Serving Schertz, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Schertz 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 Schertz
If you burn oak or cedar more than once a week through the winter in Schertz, sweep every 30 – 40 fires or at least once mid-season and once after the burning season ends. These woods deposit heavy, sticky creosote that a single annual sweep won’t keep up with. Call (903) 515-5079 and we’ll set you on a schedule that fits how much you actually burn.
Summer humidity, especially in lower-lying areas along Cibolo Creek, corrodes the damper plate and hinge mechanism. When you go to open the damper for the first fall fire, it’s rusted shut. This is one of the most common repair calls we get in Schertz between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We’ll free it if it’s salvageable or replace it with a Famco damper if it’s not, and the price will be in writing before we touch it.
Rarely. A Level 1 inspection is visual and only covers accessible parts. Freeze-thaw cracks in a clay flue liner are usually hidden inside the flue passage, and you need a Level 2 inspection with a camera to see them. If your Schertz home is from the 1970s or 1980s and you’ve never had a camera scan, it’s worth the $300 – $500 to know what’s inside before the next hard freeze.
Often, yes, but not always. We remove glazed creosote with a rotary whip and sometimes a chemical treatment that breaks down the tar-like layer. If the creosote has caused a chimney fire and the liner is cracked, the situation changes. We’ll show you the camera footage before recommending anything, so you’re never deciding blind. Call (903) 515-5079 for a quote on your specific flue condition.
Yes. Even occasional fires in Schertz deposit enough creosote from oak and cedar to matter, and the humidity and freeze-thaw cycles work on your masonry whether you burn or not. A Level 1 inspection paired with a sweep is the cheapest way to know whether your damper, crown, and liner are still doing their job. For most Schertz homes, that runs $159 – $269.
We drove out to a 1980s brick-veneer ranch in Savannah Square after the first hard freeze. The homeowner had burned oak all winter but never had the flue swept. Our tech found third-degree creosote glaze in the clay flue liner and a rusted damper from summer humidity. We removed the tar glaze with a rotary whip, freed the damper, and recommended a Level 2 inspection before the next burn season. That sequence of failures, cedar-heavy creosote plus Cibolo Creek humidity, is the defining pattern for Schertz chimneys, and we see it every year.
In Schertz, the first cold snap after Thanksgiving triggers a wave of calls from homeowners discovering dampers rusted shut by summer humidity, especially in neighborhoods along Cibolo Creek where moisture levels make this nearly annual. Homes near the creek, and in older pockets like Ashley Place and Savannah Square, consistently show more damper corrosion and crown leakage than higher, drier parts of town. If you haven’t touched your fireplace since last winter, the smart move is to book a sweep before the next cold snap hits and you find out the hard way.
If you need a straight answer about your chimney in Schertz, call (903) 515-5079. You’ll reach a live person, any hour, not a voicemail. We’ll get your address, your chimney type, and a few details about what you burn and how often. Then we’ll give you a real price range before we ever step on your property.
Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner at Alcott Chimney San Antonio, serving Schertz and the surrounding communities since 2002.