Downey Chimneys, Checked From the Cap Down
Ask for a Downey Roof Check
Send your name, number and street. We call back with a Downey day and ask whether the chimney is brick or a metal chase.
Downey ZIP Codes We Visit
Give us the street when you call. In a coastal ZIP, the roof check gives more time to rust on the cap and flashing.
What to Book in Downey
On a 1950s Downey ranch house, the roof check and an inspection together cover the crown outside and the flue within.
Chimney Sweep in Downey
Creosote and soot out of the flue, after the cap and crown have been checked from the roof.
Learn MoreChimney Inspection in Downey
Roof first, then the flue: cap, crown, flashing and liner, with a rust note on every metal part.
Learn MoreChimney Repair in Downey
Crown, mortar and liner repair, starting with the top of the stack where sea air and rain get in.
Learn MoreFireplace Inspection in Downey
Firebox, refractory panels and damper, including the damper hinge that damp air rusts shut.
Learn MoreFireplace Repair in Downey
Refractory, damper and hearth repairs, in the order the inspection photos set out.
Learn MoreChimney Level 2 Inspection in Downey
Camera scan for a sale or after a quake, with the roof-level photos a buyer will ask about.
Learn MoreChimney Cap Installation in Downey
Stainless caps with spark arrestor mesh, the metal grade picked for how close you are to the water.
Learn MoreChimney Flashing Repair in Downey
Step and counter flashing at the roof line, in metal that will not stain the brick in sea air.
Learn MoreChimney Masonry Repair in Downey
Repointing and brick work where salt and damp have softened the joints near the top of the stack.
Learn MoreChimney Rebuilds in Downey
Partial or full rebuilds when the top courses are too far gone to repoint.
Learn MoreFireplace Cleaning in Downey
Firebox, glass and hearth cleaned, with the damper worked open and shut before we leave.
Learn MoreGas Fireplace Cleaning in Downey
Burner, pilot, logs and glass, plus a look at the vent cap on the outside wall or roof.
Learn MoreGas Fireplace Repair in Downey
Pilot, thermocouple, valve and ignition faults, including corroded contacts in coastal homes.
Learn MoreFireplace Remodel in Downey
New surround, mantel or insert conversion, with the flue checked before the finish work goes on.
Learn MoreFireplace Inserts in Downey
Gas, wood or electric inserts with a stainless liner and a cap rated for the coast.
Learn MorePellet Stove Repair in Downey
Auger, igniter, blower and control board work on pellet stoves.
Learn MoreWood Stove Repair in Downey
Baffles, firebrick, gaskets and stove pipe, with the pipe's exterior run checked for rust.
Learn MoreGas Logs in Downey
Vented or ventless log sets sized to the room, with the gas line and damper clamp.
Learn MoreWhat the roof check finds in Downey
Homes older than 1980 make up over 8 in 10 here, and half were up by 1959, mostly single-story ranch houses on tree-lined streets. Low roofs make for an easy climb, yet overhanging branches can still drop debris around a cap. Early summer low clouds and a marine-moderated climate keep Downey milder than the far inland valleys. Dry fall gusts test poorly fastened caps, and unreinforced masonry around here took a beating in the 1933 Long Beach quake.
The Houses
On our Downey visits: ranch homes on one level, shaded tract streets, plus apartments and condos along corridors.
On the Roof
Crown and top joints on fifties brick, the cap and its screen, leaf debris under tree-lined streets, and flashing after any re-roof.
Which Metal
Mild marine air still rusts bare steel with time, so replacing a Downey cap in stainless avoids doing the same job twice.
Same Day, Nearby
Downey visits often share a day with Pico Rivera, Norwalk, Lynwood.
Start at the Top
Book a roof check for your Downey chimney.
One visit covers the roof check, the sweep and the inspection. The photos and the rust note come with it.