Chimney Sweep & Repair in Northfield, IL

Chimney Sweep and Repair in Northfield, IL

Northfield sits in the middle of the North Shore, bordered by Winnetka, Glencoe, Northbrook and Glenview, with the Middle Fork of the North Branch running through it and tree cover over most of the village. If you are opening the fireplace for the season, call 847-994-4388 or book online. We serve the 60093 zip code and the surrounding North Shore communities.

Two Different Housing Stocks, Two Different Chimneys

Northfield is split between the houses that were built here in the 1950s and 1960s and the much larger houses that have replaced some of them over the last twenty years. That split decides almost everything about a chimney appointment in this village.

The original houses have masonry chimneys that were sized for a mid-century furnace and a water heater venting together, and many of them also have a factory-built fireplace added later. The newer houses generally have sealed direct-vent gas appliances that do not need sweeping at all, but do need servicing: burners, ignition, glass and the vent termination outside. Tell us which kind of house you have when you book and we will schedule the right visit.

The Oversized Water Heater Flue

This is the finding Northfield homeowners are least likely to expect and the one with the most direct safety consequence. When a high-efficiency furnace was installed and vented out a side wall, the water heater was often left venting alone into a chimney sized for two appliances. Exhaust that used to move up quickly now cools on the way, condenses, and the moisture attacks the liner and the 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 that is venting an appliance producing carbon monoxide. The correction is a properly sized stainless liner. We inspect the utility flue at the same rate as a fireplace, and we would rather find this before the furnace runs all winter than after.

Tree Canopy, Draft and What Gets In

Northfield keeps its trees, and that is part of why people live here. It also means chimney tops spend decades under branches. Two things follow. Overhanging limbs disturb the air above a flue and can turn a fireplace that used to draft cleanly into one that pushes smoke into the room on windy days, which owners usually read as a dirty chimney. And an open or damaged cap under heavy canopy collects leaves, nesting material and the occasional animal.

We measure the termination height and check what is around it during the inspection. Where the chimney falls short, the correction is usually a stack extension or a different cap, not a rebuild.

What We Repair and Maintain in Northfield

• 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 chase covers on factory-built units.
• Gas fireplace, direct-vent and gas log service — valves, log sets, ignition and venting, by NFI-certified technicians.
• 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 and custom caps sized to the flue.
• 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 Northfield, including the Happ Road corridor, the neighborhoods along Willow and Winnetka Road, and the blocks bordering Winnetka, Glencoe, Northbrook and Glenview — plus the surrounding North Shore.

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.

Northfield Chimney Questions

We replaced our furnace and the chimney is only used by the water heater now. Is that a problem?

Usually yes. A flue sized for a furnace and water heater together is oversized once the furnace vents out the side wall. The exhaust cools, condenses and damages the flue from the inside. The correction is a liner sized to the appliance, and we inspect that flue at the same rate as a fireplace.

Our fireplace smokes into the room on windy days. Does it need sweeping?

Sometimes, but under Northfield tree cover it is at least as often height and obstruction. We measure the termination and check the surrounding branches and rooflines. If the flue is short, the fix is normally an extension or a different cap rather than anything structural.

We have a sealed gas fireplace in a newer house. Does it need anything?

Not sweeping, but yes to service. Burners, the ignition system, glass and the vent termination outside all need periodic attention, and a direct-vent termination can be obstructed. Our NFI-certified technicians handle gas appliances specifically.

We never use the fireplace. Do we still need an inspection?

Yes, and the reason changes. Unused flues are not a creosote problem, they are a water, nesting and liner problem. The furnace and water heater flue also keeps venting whether the fireplace does or not.

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 and crown 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.