Get in touch Village of Lake Zurich, IL!
Winter is coming to Lake Zurich! Be prepared and safe this burning season by having your chimney cleaned and inspected! Call 847 994 4388 or email today!
Helping you to safely enjoy your winter in your area by the fire is our number one priority. Fill out the form below, and we will provide you with a chimney sweep quote today!
If you are a Lake Zurich resident, you know that winters are long and nothing says coming home like an evening around the fire. Whether you gather around the fireplace alone or with your family, you are creating memories that will last forever. If you are looking for a chimney cleaning service, look no further than Chimney Monkey. You won’t be disappointed. We look forward to working with you soon!
Contact your local chimney sweep
You can call our office from Monday to Friday from 8am – 9pm at 847 994 4388
Chimney Sweep and Repair in Lake Zurich, IL
Lake Zurich is built around its lake, and that produces two very different kinds of chimney in the same village: older lakefront houses that began as summer cottages and were converted for year-round living, and a large amount of subdivision building from the 1980s onward with factory-built fireplaces. Call 847-994-4388 or book online. We serve the 60047 zip code and the surrounding communities, including Hawthorn Woods, Deer Park, Kildeer, Barrington and Long Grove.
Converted Cottages and Added Heat
A house that started as a seasonal cottage and became a year-round home usually had heat added to it rather than designed into it. That shows up as a chimney or flue serving an appliance it was never sized for, a wood stove connected into a fireplace flue, or a flue added during a renovation with clearances that were not checked.
These are the appointments where the inspection earns its fee, because what matters is what is actually connected rather than what anyone remembers being connected. We document the flue, the connector and the clearances, and we say plainly when something should be corrected before the next fire.
Lake Exposure and the Top of the Chimney
Chimneys near the water take driven rain and wind from directions a sheltered chimney never does. The windward face stays wet longer and goes through more freeze-thaw cycles, so joints open there first while the other faces look fine. Crowns, caps and the top course of brick take the worst of it.
We look at the whole water path rather than the one thing you noticed. Where the masonry is still sound, repointing and a proper crown with a drip edge will add years to it. Where it is not, we say so rather than selling another skim coat.
Newer Subdivisions and Factory-Built Systems
The subdivisions built from the 1980s onward mostly have factory-built fireplaces with metal chimneys in a framed chase. Those are listed assemblies with a service life: refractory panels crack, chase covers rust through at the seams, and pipe sections work loose at the couplers. Rust streaks down the siding beside a chase are the diagnosis showing itself from the driveway, and a stainless cover with a cross break and proper overhang solves that one permanently.
What We Repair and Maintain in Lake Zurich
- 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.
- Wood stove and insert service — connector pipe, liner and clearance checks.
- 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.
- Chimney caps and spark arrestors — stock, custom and multi-flue caps sized to the flue.
- Water heater and furnace chimney liners — correctly sized stainless liners for appliance flues.
- 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 Lake Zurich, including the lakefront neighborhoods, the subdivisions off Rand and Old McHenry Road, and the areas bordering Hawthorn Woods, Deer Park, Kildeer, Barrington and Long Grove.
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.
Lake Zurich Chimney Questions
We have a wood stove connected into the fireplace flue. Is that acceptable?
It depends on how it was done. The connector, the liner size and the clearances all have to be right, and in converted houses they frequently are not. The inspection documents what is actually there and tells you what needs correcting before the next fire.
One side of our chimney looks much worse than the others. Why?
That is usually exposure. The face taking driven rain stays wet longer and goes through more freeze-thaw cycles than the sheltered faces, so joints open there first. Near the lake it is the normal pattern and it tells us where to start.
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.
How much does a chimney sweep cost in Lake Zurich, 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. Relining, masonry repairs, crowns and chase covers 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.