Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Fast, Reliable Chimney Sweep Across University
A standard chimney sweep in University, FL runs between $189 and $279 for a single flue with a standard masonry fireplace. That includes creosote removal, a Level 1 inspection, and full clean-up with shoe covers and drop cloths on every visit. If you’re calling from a 1950s or 1960s attached home near Fletcher Avenue or 22nd Street, you already know the houses here have quirks. Tight street access, shared masonry stacks, and decades of humid Florida air all shape what a chimney needs. Call (850) 290-0897 and we’ll give you a written price before any work starts.
Why Kindling Chimney Tampa Is University’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
We work on the kinds of chimneys University actually has: brick stacks on attached single-family homes from the 1950s through the 1980s, many of them never re-lined and several sharing flues with a neighbor’s appliance. That’s not a generic chimney profile. It’s a University chimney profile, and our Chimney Sweep team builds every visit around it. Danny Cortes leads our crews here. He’s the one who walks the roof, checks the crown, and tells you plainly when a chimney can wait and when it can’t.
Every technician arrives background-checked, in uniform, and follows the C.A.R.E. values: shoe covers and drop cloths go down on arrival, nothing gets moved without asking, and a photo of the clean-up is taken before the crew leaves. That matters when you’ve got kids’ toys underfoot and a dog who’s already suspicious of strangers. The Cedarwell Care Promise means you get a written price before work begins, every time, no exceptions. And our 365-Day Done Right Promise means if a sweep or repair isn’t right, we come back and make it right. We’re part of the Cedarwell family of companies, established in 2003, and each location is independently owned and operated.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Maintenance in University
Chimney Maintenance in University means something specific: keeping a masonry chimney watertight and drafting correctly through a climate that fights it all year. High humidity, salt air off Tampa Bay, and heavy afternoon thunderstorms work together to wear down mortar, rust dampers, and saturate creosote so it hardens into a glaze. A well-maintained University chimney isn’t just swept; it’s checked at the crown, the flashing, the flue liner, and the smoke chamber. Most homeowners here need maintenance attention annually, and a combined sweep with a Level 1 inspection runs $189 to $279 for a standard single flue.
Annual Sweep and Smoke Chamber Care
We remove creosote and soot from the flue, smoke shelf, and firebox. In University, where skip-year cleanings are common, we regularly find third-degree creosote tar glaze in shared flues that a brush alone won’t remove. That’s when we talk about chemical treatment or mechanical removal options before the situation gets worse.
Crown, Cap, and Water Intrusion Checks
We inspect the chimney crown for hairline cracks, the cap for rust or missing mesh, and the flashing where the chimney meets the roof. University’s summer downpours push water into any small opening. Catching a cracked crown in April costs far less than a spalled flue liner in October.
Chimney Sweep Services in University
Chimney Sweep Services in University go beyond running a brush up the flue. Because so many homes here were built between the 1950s and 1980s, we’re often dealing with clay tile liners that have spalled, dampers rusted shut by humidity, and creosote that storms have baked hard. A standard sweep of a masonry fireplace runs $189 to $279 for a single flue. If the flue hasn’t been cleaned in several years or has glazed creosote, the job takes longer and the written price reflects the extra labor before we start.
Creosote and Soot Removal
We remove creosote at every grade: fluffy first-degree soot from regular use, granular second-degree deposits, and the hardened third-degree tar glaze that forms when wet creosote bakes in Florida heat. University’s humidity doesn’t just add creosote; it changes how it behaves in the flue.
Level 1 and Level 2 Inspections
A Level 1 inspection comes with every sweep and covers the accessible portions of the chimney’s interior and exterior. When a home has changed hands, a previous fire is suspected, or shared flue cross-contamination is a question, a Level 2 inspection gives us the camera view inside the flue so paperwork, a repair plan, and evidence are all in one place.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in University
When a University chimney needs more than a sweep, we use materials from Copperfield, DuraFlex, and HeatShield. These aren’t patch kits. A HeatShield application seals hairline cracks in a clay liner and stops flue gas from finding its way into wall cavities or a neighbor’s side of a shared stack. Copperfield caps hold up to salt air and storm-driven rain better than cheap hardware-store versions. DuraFlex liners give older University homes a properly sized flue without tearing out masonry. We keep common parts stocked for quick turnaround on University jobs, so a cracked cap or a missing damper doesn’t leave your fireplace out of use for weeks.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Sweep Problems We See in University Homes
- Shared flue cross-contamination: In attached homes from the 1950s and 60s, a neighbor’s gas water heater or dryer can vent into the same masonry stack as your fireplace. When that shared flue is dirty, backdrafts push their exhaust into your living space, not just up the chimney.
- Third-degree creosote glaze from skip-year cleanings: University’s humidity keeps creosote damp long enough to harden into a tar layer that a standard brush sweep strips poorly. Waiting two or three seasons between sweeps turns a $219 job into a mechanical removal problem.
- Rusted dampers from humid air: The subtropical climate keeps dampers damp almost year-round. We regularly find throat dampers rusted in the open or closed position, which wastes cooled air in summer and pulls smoke back into the room in winter.
- Cracked crowns after storm season: Heavy downpours leak into unsealed crowns, freeze-thaw cycles never happen here but repeated wet-dry cycles split mortar anyway. Water gets behind the flue liner, and the next thing you notice is a water stain on the ceiling of an attached neighbor’s wall.
Pricing for Chimney Sweep in University, FL
A standard chimney sweep with a Level 1 inspection runs $189 to $279 for a single flue in University. That’s the honest range. If you have a second flue, a roof with steep pitch, or a fireplace that hasn’t been cleaned in years, the written price goes up because the labor does. Level 2 inspections, which use a camera to check the flue liner and look for cross-contamination in shared stacks, run $150 to $250 when added to a sweep. HeatShield liner repair typically starts around $600 and up depending on the size of the damaged area. We don’t give phone quotes that change at the door. You get a written price before work starts, and if the 365-Day Done Right Promise is ever needed, we make it right. Call (850) 290-0897 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near University
Our crews serve University and the surrounding Tampa area, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, and Town ‘n’ Country. If you’re a few miles out, call us anyway. Scheduling and dispatch are coordinated from our Miami office, and crews run University routes regularly.
Serving University, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the University area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Sweep in University
If you smell gas, dryer exhaust, or wood smoke when your own fireplace isn’t in use, your shared flue likely lacks proper separation and your neighbor’s appliance is backdrafting into your side of the stack. That’s a real and common finding in University’s attached 1950s and 60s homes, where both flues share one masonry chimney. A Level 2 camera inspection confirms it, and the fix can be as simple as isolating the appliance connector or adding a correctly sized cap. Call (850) 290-0897 and we’ll look at the whole stack, not just your side.
Because University’s climate combines high humidity, salt air, and heavy summer rain, all of which accelerate creosote hardening, mortar deterioration, and damper rust faster than a dry climate would. A sweep removes surface creosote, but it doesn’t seal a cracked crown, check for spalled flue tiles, or address a shared flue that’s pulling exhaust from next door. An annual sweep paired with a visual inspection catches water damage before it becomes a liner replacement. That’s the difference between a $189 maintenance visit and a $3,000 rebuild.
It rarely delays the job because we plan roof access before we arrive. In University, many 1950s homes sit close together with narrow side yards and power lines near the roofline. Our crews carry ladder stabilizers and roof pads for steep pitches, and we know which streets off Fletcher Avenue and 22nd Street need a second person on the ground. A tight street might add a few minutes. It won’t add a surprise charge.
No, but you need a sweep who knows how those liners fail and how to clean them without damaging the surface. HeatShield is a ceramic coating applied inside an existing flue; we sweep it with poly brushes rather than wire and check for cracks at the edges. A Gelco liner has its own joint system that shouldn’t be scraped aggressively. Our technicians work with both, and if the liner is already compromised, we’ll show you camera evidence before recommending any repair.
The crown, the cap, and the flashing fail most often. University’s heavy afternoon storms drive water into unsealed crowns, split mortar, and rust out cheap caps within a few seasons. The flashing where the chimney meets a steep 1950s roof is another common leak point, especially on attached homes where water travels into a neighbor’s ceiling. We check all three on every visit because catching them early is a $200 fix instead of a $1,500 repair. Call (850) 290-0897 and we’ll get yours on the schedule before the next line of storms rolls through.
Written by Danny Cortes, Owner at Kindling Chimney Tampa, serving University and the surrounding Tampa area.