Arlington Heights, IL | Chimney Sweep & Service

Chimney Sweep and Repair in Arlington Heights, IL

Arlington Heights is large enough to contain almost every kind of chimney we work on, and that is the single most useful thing to know before booking. What your visit involves depends far more on which part of the village you live in than on anything else. Call 847-994-4388 or book online. We serve the 60004 and 60005 zip code and the surrounding communities, including Mount Prospect, Palatine, Buffalo Grove, Rolling Meadows and Prospect Heights.

Three Housing Eras, Three Kinds of Chimney

The older neighborhoods near downtown have full masonry chimneys with clay liners, some of them original. The post-war ranch and split-level blocks have shorter masonry stacks that frequently vent both a fireplace and an appliance. The newer subdivisions and townhome developments are dominated by factory-built systems with metal chimneys in a framed chase.

Those three fail in completely different ways and take different amounts of time, which is why the useful thing a visit produces is not a price so much as a documented condition report telling you what you actually have and what it needs. Tell us whether your fireplace is wood-burning, gas or a factory-built unit when you book so we schedule the right amount of time.

Short Stacks and Wind-Dependent Smoking

Ranch and split-level construction puts a chimney top closer to its own roof than a two-story house does, and a flue has to terminate high enough above that 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.

The Utility Flue After a Furnace Replacement

A lot of Arlington Heights houses vented the furnace and water heater into one masonry flue. When a high-efficiency furnace was installed and taken off the chimney, the water heater was often left venting alone into a flue now badly oversized for it. The exhaust cools, condenses, and the moisture works on the liner and mortar from the inside.

We inspect the utility flue at the same rate as a fireplace. This is the condition homeowners are least likely to know about and the one with the most direct safety consequence, because what comes out of an appliance flue includes carbon monoxide.

What We Repair and Maintain in Arlington Heights

• Level 1 and Level 2 chimney inspections — a documented condition report on the flue, firebox and chimney exterior, with photographs.
• Chimney cleaning and sweeping — creosote removal and draft correction on wood-burning fireplaces and stoves.
• Water heater and furnace chimney liners — correctly sized stainless liners for appliance flues.
• Chimney relining — for cracked, offset or missing clay tile.
• Prefabricated fireplace service — refractory panels, dampers, chimney sections and couplers on factory-built units.
• Chase cover and chimney cap replacement — stainless covers with a cross break and proper overhang.
• Brick and mortar repair and tuckpointing — repointing joints before water gets behind the brick.
• Crown repair and replacement — with a drip edge, so water leaves the chimney instead of soaking into it.
• Firebox and smoke chamber repair — parging voids and rebuilding deteriorated fireboxes.
• Chimney caps and spark arrestors — stock, custom and multi-flue caps sized to the flue.
• Gas fireplace and gas log service — valves, log sets, ignition and venting, by NFI-certified technicians.
• Chimney leak repair — finding the actual entry point before anything gets sealed.
• Dryer vent cleaning — including long and rooftop runs.

Areas We Cover

All of Arlington Heights, including downtown and the blocks around Arlington Heights Road, the post-war neighborhoods off Golf and Central, the subdivisions north of Palatine Road, and the areas bordering Mount Prospect, Palatine, Buffalo Grove, Rolling Meadows and Prospect Heights.

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.

Arlington Heights Chimney Questions

We just bought the house and have no idea when the chimney was last serviced. Where do we start?

With an inspection rather than a sweep. If the technician finds it does not need sweeping, the visit is billed at the inspection rate, and you get a documented condition report either way.

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.

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, so the exhaust cools and condenses on the way up and damages the liner and mortar. The correction is a liner sized to the appliance.

How much does a chimney sweep cost in Arlington Heights, IL?

A chimney sweep runs $300 to $350 and includes the Level 1 inspection. An inspection on its own is $200 to $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. Typical rates as of September 2026.

Do you charge for the inspection?

Yes. You are paying for a documented answer: photographs, a camera survey of the flue where conditions allow, and a written explanation of what needs correcting now versus what can wait. That report is yours 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, relining, 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.