Question 1

Why does my fireplace backpuff smoke into the room when the wind picks up?

Accepted Answer

That's the most common call we get here, and it's usually wind off the Santa Susana Pass rather than a dirty flue. When Santa Anas push through, a short or wind-shielded flue can lose draft and reverse, pushing smoke back down into the room. We check flue height relative to the roofline, the cap and how exposed it is, and whether the house is pulling makeup air from the chimney because it's sealed up tight. Sometimes it's a cap or height correction, sometimes it's as simple as cracking a window on the windward side and warming the flue before lighting. Either way, we want to see it before you assume the chimney needs relining.

Question 2

My house is a 1960s ranch with a brick hearth and a clay-tile flue. What usually turns up on an inspection?

Accepted Answer

On the older tract ranches and split-levels, the two things we find most are cracked or spalling crown mortar up top and deteriorated clay tile joints inside. Our summers are long, hot and dry, and that bakes the crown wash until it checks and opens up. Once water gets in through the crown it travels down between the liner and the brick, which is how you end up with staining on the firebox face or a damp smell in the room. We also see worn firebox mortar joints and smoke shelf buildup on fireplaces that have burned every winter since the house was built and never been swept properly.

Question 3

We're in a two-story on the north edge with a metal firebox in a stucco chase. Is that different to service?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it fails differently. Factory-built units in stucco chases depend heavily on the chase top and its sealant, and that sealant is exactly what the sun here destroys first. When it shrinks and cracks, water sits on the chase pan and works into the chase cavity, rusting the pan and sometimes the top of the firebox. We also look at the stainless or galvanized liner sections, the firebox refractory panels for cracking, and the factory cap and screen. These are manufactured systems, so repairs mean matching the correct components for that unit, not rebuilding masonry.

Question 4

We back up against the Simi Hills — how important is the spark arrestor screen?

Accepted Answer

Important, and it's worth checking before you light the first fire of the season. Hillside neighborhoods along the Simi Hills sit in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and the screen on your cap is the thing keeping embers from leaving the flue. We check that the mesh is intact, not rusted through, not blown loose at a corner, and not packed with soot or creosote to the point that it chokes draft. A clogged arrestor causes smoking problems too, so it tends to show up as a draft complaint before anyone thinks about embers.

Question 5

How fast can you get out here, and can you do same-day?

Accepted Answer

Outside the burning season we can usually get to you within a few days, and same-day does happen when there's an opening. From November through March it tightens up considerably, because there are no mandatory no-burn days in Ventura County and people here burn freely once the inland nights turn cold. The crowd hits in October and again after the first real cold snap. If it's an active problem — smoke in the room, water coming down the chimney, a cap you can see is damaged from the ground — tell us that when you call and we'll work it in sooner than a routine sweep.

Chimney Sweep in Simi Valley, CA

Chimney work in Simi Valley, CA

Chimney Sweep services in Simi Valley

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