Chimney Sweep in San Jose

Local notes

Chimneys in San Jose homes

The oldest San Jose chimneys, in Willow Glen, Rose Garden and Naglee Park, are unlined or tile-lined brick that has seen a century of fires, and cracked tiles are common. The 1970s and 1980s tract chimneys are usually sound but often have never been swept. Prefab units in the newer eastern neighborhoods have round metal flues that sweep quickly.

Creosote is what wood smoke leaves on the inside of a flue, and enough of it will burn. We seal the fireplace opening, run rotary brushes up the flue from the bottom with a vacuum on the firebox, then clean the smoke shelf and damper where the heaviest deposits settle. You see what came down.

Air and dust in San Jose

San Jose sits on the valley floor where an inversion layer traps smoke and dust, which is why the city posted some of the worst air readings in the Bay Area during the 2018 Camp Fire and the 2020 fire season. Homes in the Alum Rock and Almaden foothills also sit in the wildland interface. Grass pollen from the eastern foothills runs from March into June.

Getting to you

West San Jose and Cambrian are 15 minutes from our Cupertino base. Downtown and Willow Glen are 20. Almaden, Evergreen and Berryessa are 30 to 35 minutes. We group San Jose jobs by area so we can offer next-day slots most weeks.