Chimney Sweep in Morton Grove, IL

Chimney Sweep and Repair in Morton Grove, IL

Morton Grove went up mostly between the late 1940s and the 1960s: brick ranches, bungalows and split-levels, built solidly, with heating systems that have been replaced two or three times since. Every one of those replacements changed what the chimney was being asked to do. Call 847-994-4388 or book online. We serve the 60053 zip code and the surrounding communities, including Niles, Skokie, Glenview, Park Ridge and Des Plaines.

The Appliance Flue Nobody Looks At

Most Morton Grove calls turn on the utility flue rather than the fireplace. The original chimney was sized for a mid-century furnace and a water heater venting together. Once a high-efficiency furnace was installed and vented out a side wall, the water heater was left venting alone into a flue far larger than it needs. Exhaust cools before it reaches the top, condenses, and the moisture attacks the liner and mortar joints from the inside.

What we find is white staining and deteriorating joints inside the flue, soft mortar at the top, and in the worst cases a liner shedding into a flue venting an appliance that produces carbon monoxide. The correction is a properly sized stainless liner. This is a documented safety condition rather than a maintenance preference, and we inspect the utility flue at the same rate as a fireplace.

Split-Levels, Short Stacks and Draft

Split-level and ranch construction puts a chimney top closer to the roof than a two-story house does, and a flue has to terminate high enough above its own roof and clear of anything nearby to draft reliably. Where it does not, the symptom is a fireplace that behaves on calm days and pushes smoke into the room when the wind is up.

Owners tend to treat that as a temperamental fireplace. It is usually geometry. We measure the termination height and the surrounding obstructions during the inspection, and where the chimney falls short the correction is typically a stack extension or a different cap, not a rebuild.

Later Subdivisions and Factory-Built Fireplaces

The newer sections of the village have factory-built fireplaces with metal chimneys running through a framed chase. Those are listed assemblies with a service life rather than an indefinite one: refractory panels crack, chase covers rust through at the seams, and pipe sections work loose at the couplers, none of it visible from the family room. Rust streaks down the siding beside a chase are the diagnosis showing itself from the driveway. Some of these are straightforward parts replacements; some mean the system has reached the end of its life and the honest recommendation is replacement rather than another repair. We will tell you which, and show you the photographs that say so.

What We Repair and Maintain in Morton Grove

• Level 1 and Level 2 chimney inspections — a documented condition report with photographs.
• Water heater and furnace chimney liners — correctly sized stainless liners for appliance flues.
• Chimney cleaning and sweeping — creosote removal and draft correction.
• Prefabricated fireplace service — refractory panels, dampers, chimney sections and couplers.
• Chase cover and chimney cap replacement — stainless covers with a cross break and proper overhang.
• Brick and mortar repair and tuckpointing, and crown repair and replacement with a drip edge.
• Firebox and smoke chamber repair — parging voids and rebuilding deteriorated fireboxes.
• Gas fireplace and gas log service — by NFI-certified technicians.
• Chimney leak repair — finding the actual entry point before anything gets sealed.
• Dryer vent cleaning — including long runs through finished basements.

Areas We Cover

All of Morton Grove, including the neighborhoods around Dempster and Waukegan Road, the blocks near the Forest Preserve and the North Branch, and the areas bordering Niles, Skokie, Glenview and Park Ridge.

Why Our Inspections Are Paid

We charge for inspections because the inspection is the service: we document what is actually happening with photographs and, where conditions allow, a camera survey of the flue, then explain what is urgent, what is maintenance and what can reasonably wait. A free estimate prices a known job. A diagnostic inspection determines what the job actually is. The report is yours whether or not we do the repair.

Who You Are Hiring

Chimney Monkey has been in business since 2017 and works out of Buffalo Grove. We are members and sponsors of the National Chimney Sweep Guild — our partner Brett Conklin serves on the NCSG board as an at-large director through 2027 — and we belong to the regional North Central Chimney Guild. Our technicians are NFI certified across wood-burning, gas and pellet appliances, we have SPRAT-certified technicians for rope-access work, and our crew trains through the year. One of our three partners is a U.S. military veteran. More than 1,100 Google reviews.

Morton Grove Chimney Questions

Our furnace vents out the side of the house now. Does the chimney still matter?

Yes, if the water heater still vents into it. A flue sized for two appliances is oversized for one, and the exhaust cools and condenses on the way up, which damages the liner and mortar. The correction is a liner sized to the appliance.

My fireplace smokes into the room when the wind blows. Is the chimney dirty?

Sometimes, but on ranches and split-levels it is more often termination height and nearby obstructions. We measure it. If the flue is short, the fix is usually an extension or a different cap rather than anything structural.

How do I know whether my fireplace is masonry or factory-built?

Look at the firebox. Masonry fireboxes are laid brick with mortar joints. Factory-built units have smooth refractory panels, usually with a metal frame around the opening and a rating label inside. Send a photo and we will tell you before we come out.

There are rust streaks on the siding next to my chimney chase. Is that serious?

It means the chase cover is failing and water is getting into the chase. It is not an emergency today, but it damages framing and insulation you cannot see. A stainless cover with a cross break and proper overhang solves it permanently.

Do you charge for the inspection?

Yes. The inspection is the service: we document what is actually happening with photographs and, where conditions allow, a camera survey of the flue, then explain what is urgent, what is maintenance and what can wait. You keep that report whether or not we do the repair.

Our Prices

Typical rates as of September 2026. Prices change, so call 847-994-4388 to confirm current pricing. A chimney sweep runs $300–$350 and includes the Level 1 inspection. An inspection on its own is $200–$300, and the same range covers a utility chimney serving a furnace or water heater. A Level 2 inspection with a camera survey of the flue is around $300. Fireplace liners are sized per flue, and most complete jobs land between $3,000 and $4,000; a utility flue liner for a furnace or water heater typically runs $3,000–$3,800. Masonry repairs, chase covers and factory-built system work are quoted in writing after the inspection, because pricing an unknown condition is guessing. Call 847-994-4388 to book or to confirm current pricing.