Chimney Sweep Bros sweeps, inspects, relines and repairs chimneys across Palos Hills. We are insured, based nearby in Orland Park, and open seven days a week from 7:00am to 7:00pm. Call (708) 432-3430.
City services and permit information are available from the City of Palos Hills.
What Palos Hills chimneys are like
Palos Hills is a compact, mature city of mostly post-war and mid-century housing, and it sits right up against the Cook County Forest Preserves — Moraine Valley Community College, on College Parkway, is literally surrounded by them. That combination of settled mid-century masonry and heavy adjacent woodland produces a fairly predictable set of chimney problems.
The forest preserve is on your roof
Living beside the Palos preserves means mature tree cover, and mature tree cover means two things for an open flue: debris and animals. We pull leaf litter, twigs and nesting material out of uncapped Palos Hills chimneys routinely. Both are blockages, and a blocked flue does not fail gracefully — it pushes smoke and carbon monoxide back into the room the next time you light a fire.
Squirrels and raccoons treat an uncapped chimney as an ideal nest: warm, sheltered, vertical, and out of reach of anything that would bother them. If you can hear scratching, do not light a fire to drive them out. Call us, and then put a cap on it so it does not happen again.
The mid-century masonry problem
The other half of it is age. A 1950s or 1960s masonry chimney in Palos Hills is now sixty-odd winters old, and the weak point is not the brick, it is the mortar joints between the clay flue tiles inside. They wash out gradually. Nothing dramatic happens; you simply end up with gaps in the liner, and a gap in the liner is a direct route for heat and carbon monoxide into the wall cavity. It is invisible from the room and only a camera finds it. See chimney inspection.
Chimney services we provide in Palos Hills
- Chimney sweeping — under a sealed HEPA vacuum, Level 1 inspection included.
- Chimney inspection — Level 1 and Level 2 with a camera up the flue.
- Chimney repair and masonry — spalling brick, failed mortar, tuckpointing, rebuilds.
- Chimney relining — stainless liners sized to the appliance.
- Caps and crowns — stopping water before it does the damage.
- Gas fireplace service — the flue still matters, because carbon monoxide does.
- Dryer vent cleaning — the full duct run.
Frequently asked questions
I can hear something moving in my chimney. What do I do?
Do not light a fire to drive it out. Living against the Palos forest preserves means squirrels and raccoons, and an uncapped flue is an ideal nest. Call us — we will clear it and then cap the flue so it cannot happen again.
Why does my chimney keep filling with leaves?
Because it is uncapped and you live next to a forest preserve. Leaf litter and twigs fall straight down an open flue and pack in. It is a blockage, which means smoke and carbon monoxide come back into the room rather than going up. A cap is the permanent fix.
My house is from the 1960s. What is likely wrong with the chimney?
The mortar joints between the clay flue tiles. After sixty winters they wash out and leave gaps in the liner — and a gap in the liner lets heat and carbon monoxide into the wall cavity. It is invisible from the firebox and only shows up on a camera inspection.
How much does a chimney sweep cost in Palos Hills?
A sweep with a Level 1 inspection starts at $179, and we confirm the price before we begin. The full list is on our pricing page.
Do you charge travel to Palos Hills?
No. We are based just over in Orland Park and there is no travel surcharge.
Do I need a cap if my chimney has never had one?
If you live in Palos Hills, yes. The tree cover here makes an open flue a collection point for debris and a nesting site for animals. A cap is the cheapest part of the chimney and it prevents the most common problem in the area.
Can you sweep a chimney I have not used in years?
Yes, and do it before you light it rather than after. Unused chimneys are where we most often find nests, fallen masonry and crowns that have been quietly letting water in for years.
Do you work weekends in Palos Hills?
Yes, seven days a week, 7:00am to 7:00pm, at the same rate as a weekday.
Book a chimney sweep in Palos Hills
Call (708) 432-3430 — open seven days, 7:00am to 7:00pm — or book online. Prices are on our pricing page and confirmed before work begins.
From our blog: What a Chimney Sweep Actually Does (Start to Finish)
From our blog: what it actually costs to put off a chimney repair in Palos Hills.
From our blog: Is Your Chimney Leaning or Pulling Away From the House? What It Means