Before & After Gallery - Alcott Chimney Fresno

Chimney Cleaning Before & After in Fresno, CA

We could tell you our sweeps are thorough, but the photos do a better job. Below are real chimney cleaning jobs we’ve handled around Fresno, Clovis, and the foothill communities: what we found, what we did, and what the flue looked like when we packed up. No stock photos. No rehearsed props. Just the work, documented because homeowners deserve to see exactly what they’re paying for.

Call (559) 215-1714

Recent Transformations

Heavy Creosote Removal in a Woodward Park Fireplace

BeforeAfter

The homeowner had burned several cords of pine over two winters without a sweep. The flue had accumulated a quarter-inch of glazed creosote, the tar-like buildup that causes most chimney fires, especially in Fresno’s dry winter air. We ran a rotary cleaning head with stainless steel cables at low speed to break the glaze without damaging the 1970s clay liner, then hand-brushed the smoke chamber and smoke shelf. After a Level 1 inspection confirmed the liner was sound, we fired a test burn. The draft pulled clean and the glass stayed clear.

Animal Nest Extraction from a Tower District Flue

BeforeAfter

A Tower District homeowner called because the fireplace smelled like wet hay every time the air conditioning kicked on. We found a dried bird nest and roughly three gallons of twigs, feathers, and droppings wedged at the flue offset where the chimney changes angle. We extracted everything by hand, vacuumed the smoke shelf and firebox with a HEPA filter, and fogged the flue with a mild deodorizer approved for masonry. The smell was gone within a day, and we recommended a stainless chimney cap to keep the next generation of starlings out.

Gas Fireplace Deep Clean and Ember Bed Restoration in Clovis

BeforeAfter

Gas fireplaces collect soot more slowly than wood, but they collect it just the same. This Clovis unit had been running since 2011 without service. The ceramic fiber logs were blackened, the ember bed had compacted into a solid gray mat, and two burner ports were partially clogged, which caused uneven flame height. We removed and gently brushed each log, blew out the burner ports with compressed air at low pressure, replaced the ember material with fresh rock wool, and tested the thermocouple and safety pilot. The flame pattern returned to what the manufacturer intended.

Smoke Chamber Parging After a Level 2 Inspection in Fig Garden

This sweep in Fig Garden started routine and turned into a repair. The homeowner smelled smoke inside the living room on cold startups, which usually means a drafting problem, not a dirty flue. During the Level 2 inspection we ran the camera and found the smoke chamber parging was crumbling between the corbelled brick courses, creating turbulence that pushed smoke back into the room. We stripped the loose material, applied a fresh coat of high-temperature parging, and smoothed the transition from smoke shelf to flue. The cold-start odor disappeared.

Copperfield Cap Install After a Rain Leak in Sunnyside

The chimney itself was fine. The problem was that it had never been capped, and Fresno’s winter rain was funneling straight down the flue into the firebox, where it pooled and rusted the damper assembly. We swept the flue, removed the corroded damper plate, and installed a Copperfield cap sized to the exact outside diameter of the tile crown. The customer picked the stainless model with a slip-in base so it could be removed for future sweeps. Six months later, the firebox stays dry and the damper opens without complaint.

Pre-Season Safety Sweep in a Madera Ranches Home

This customer hadn’t used the fireplace since 2021 but wanted it ready before relatives visited for the holidays. The flue had a moderate but consistent layer of soot and early-stage creosote flaking at the tile seams, and the chimney top was covered with pine needles from overhanging branches. We swept the full run, cleaned the crown and chase area, replaced the rain cap gasket, and performed a Level 1 inspection with photos. The customer received a written report the same day and lit the first fire without a single backdraft.

Want Results Like These?

Every job above started with a phone call and a written price before any work began. Whether it’s an annual sweep or a repair that’s been put off too long, we’ll show you photos of what we find and explain what actually needs doing. Call (559) 215-1714 to schedule a chimney cleaning or inspection in Fresno. A live person answers every call.

Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner at Alcott Chimney Fresno, serving Fresno since 2002.