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.
Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Irving, TX | Flint Chimney Co Dallas
We provide independent Gelco chimney cleaning and repair across Irving, from Valley Ranch to Las Colinas and the older brick neighborhoods near MacArthur Boulevard. The one thing that separates our Gelco work here: we know what ten years of skipped cleanings and occasional holiday fires does to a Gelco flue, because we’ve pulled stage-three glazing out of enough Irving chases to recognize it on sight. Most Gelco jobs in Irving start with our Chimney Inspection in Irving before we quote anything, so you know exactly what’s in the flue and what can wait. Call (361) 492-4099 for a written price before any work begins.
Why Irving Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
Hank Delano, our owner, learned the firebox and flue trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, then spent two decades putting that training to work on Dallas County roofs. He and our crew have cleaned and inspected hundreds of Gelco systems across Irving, which means we know the corner spalling, damper rust, and tile cracking patterns these specific components develop without leaning on brand-authorized service protocols. We carry Gelco flue tiles, top-sealing dampers, and refractory panels that match the original dimensions, and when a Gelco part is discontinued we source equivalent-grade aftermarket ceramic or refractory components that match the thermal ratings. You get brand-familiar service in Irving without the authorized-dealer markup or the upsell pressure. We’re independent, not manufacturer-affiliated, and our written guarantee covers every repair for a full year.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Irving
- Vertical hairline cracks in Gelco clay tile liners. Irving’s North Texas clay soil moves with wet-dry cycles, and foundation shift transfers straight up the chimney. Gelco tiles crack vertically under that stress, letting creosote seep behind the tiles where a brush can’t reach. We find this in brick-veneer homes from the 1960s through 1980s more than anywhere else in the metro. A Level 2 camera inspection shows the crack before we recommend anything.
- Corner spalling on Gelco cast-in-place caps. Irving’s humid subtropical winters don’t get brutally cold, but the freeze-thaw swings we do get, combined with spring humidity, degrade the cementitious mix on Gelco caps faster than in drier Texas cities like Fort Worth or Plano. Corners flake first. Left alone, water gets into the flue and accelerates everything else.
- Seized or stiff Gelco top-sealing dampers. Sporadic burning means the damper sits closed for months, sometimes years. Rust forms on the pivot rod, creosote glaze builds where the plate meets the frame, and the damper won’t seal. We see this constantly in Irving homes where the fireplace gets used four or five times a winter, then ignored until Thanksgiving.
- Cracked Gelco firebox panels at side wall seams. Homes with prefab Gelco assemblies suffer thermal shock when the occasional hot fire follows months of total idleness. The refractory panels expand and contract unevenly, and the seams crack. It’s a repair that often gets misdiagnosed as a full rebuild, but replacing the panel is frequently enough.
- Hidden creosote glazing in interior chases. This one’s Irving-specific and worth its own section below. If your Gelco flue runs through conditioned attic space instead of an exterior wall, the creosote behaves differently, and a standard sweep can miss it entirely.
Gelco Service in Irving: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Here’s what most chimney companies in Irving won’t tell you, because they don’t open enough interior chases to see it: Valley Ranch and Las Colinas are full of 1990s-era homes where Gelco chimneys were built using interior chase designs. That means the flue runs through conditioned attic space, not an exterior masonry wall. And that changes everything about creosote. In an exterior chimney, the flue stays closer to outside air temperature, so creosote condenses and cools more evenly. In an interior chase, the flue has a warm side and a cooler side, and during sporadic winter burning the creosote doesn’t bake off. It glazes. By the time we get a camera down a Gelco flue behind a Valley Ranch chase, we’re often looking at stage-three creosote that would never form in an exterior chimney burning the same amount of wood. The homeowner burned twice a year for a decade and figured the chimney was fine because it’s out of sight. It’s not fine. It’s just hidden. Our tech inspected a Gelco ceramic flue in a brick-veneer home off MacArthur Boulevard in Valley Ranch where the owner hadn’t burned wood in eight years. We found a fully glazed layer of stage-three creosote coating the Gelco tiles from sporadic holiday fires, and a top-sealing Gelco damper seized open by rust. After mechanical creosote removal and installation of a replacement Gelco damper, the chimney passed a Level 2 inspection without needing liner replacement. That’s the difference between knowing Irving’s housing stock and just running a brush up a flue.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in Irving
We work on Gelco ceramic flue tile liners in both standard square and rectangular profiles, Gelco cast-in-place chimney caps, Gelco top-sealing dampers, and Gelco refractory firebox panels. On repair jobs, we use Gelco-branded replacement tiles, caps, and damper assemblies when they’re still available and make economic sense. For older or discontinued Gelco components, we source equivalent-grade aftermarket ceramic or refractory parts that match the original dimensions and thermal ratings. We only recommend a full rebuild when the existing Gelco flue or firebox is beyond safe repair and a patch would create recurring callbacks under Irving’s soil movement conditions. That line is usually clear on camera, and Hank will show you exactly where it sits before any quote is issued.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterGelco Service Pricing in Irving
A standard Gelco chimney cleaning and Level 1 inspection in Irving typically runs $180 to $340, depending on flue condition, access, and whether the damper needs mechanical attention. A Level 2 camera inspection for Gelco systems adds $125 to $250, and we recommend it for any Irving chimney that hasn’t been serviced in five years or more, especially interior-chase builds. Creosote removal for glazed stage-three buildup runs $300 to $600, because mechanical removal takes time and we don’t shortcut with chemicals that won’t touch glaze. Damper replacement on Gelco top-sealing units adds $350 to $650 including parts and labor. Every quote is written before we start, under The Garrison Standard, and the number we put on paper is the number you approve. Call (361) 492-4099 and we’ll send a background-checked, uniformed tech to your Irving home to give you an exact written price. Estimates are free.
Serving Irving, TX - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Irving 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 – Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Irving
Sporadic burning is exactly why a camera inspection matters here. Light use lets creosote sit in the flue through Irving’s humid spring and hot summer, where it corrodes and hardens rather than burning off. A Level 2 inspection shows us whether that buildup is surface-level or glazed, and whether the Gelco tiles have cracked behind it. If the flue’s clear, Hank will tell you. If it’s not, he’ll show you exactly why. Call (361) 492-4099 to schedule an inspection, and we’ll give you the camera findings in plain words before quoting any repair.
When the pivot rod is rusted to the point of binding, or the plate won’t seat flush after we remove the creosote glaze, replacement is the only repair that holds. We clean the damper assembly first during a sweep, then test the seal. If it still leaks or sticks, you’ll see the replacement on the written quote. For an Irving Gelco damper that’s sat closed for years, the rust often wins. Call (361) 492-4099 for a damper evaluation, and we’ll tell you whether it’s a cleaning or a swap before you spend anything.
In most cases, yes. A vertical hairline crack in a Gelco clay tile liner can often be addressed with a resurfacing product like HeatShield or a properly sized replacement tile, depending on the extent of the damage and where it sits in the flue. Full demolition is the last resort, not the first recommendation. We only call for a rebuild when the liner is beyond safe repair, and we’ll put the camera footage in front of you so you can see the reason. Call (361) 492-4099 for an inspection and we’ll give you the options without padding the ticket.
Irving sits lower and holds more humidity than those cities, and the freeze-thaw cycles we do get hit the cementitious mix on Gelco caps harder when moisture has already worked into the surface. The corners spall first, then the cap starts letting water into the flue. Fort Worth and Plano dry out faster, which slows the same degradation. We see it every winter in Irving, and the fix is a properly crowned replacement cap before the flue takes on water damage. Call (361) 492-4099 and we’ll inspect the cap while we’re on the roof, no separate trip charge.
Yes, and Valley Ranch and Las Colinas are the epicenter. We regularly open Gelco flues in Irving homes that haven’t seen an Irving Chimney Sweep in ten or twelve years, because the fireplace never got heavy use and the homeowner assumed no use meant no maintenance. The problem is the opposite: light, occasional burning creates the worst glazed creosote, especially in interior chases. If your Irving home has a Gelco chimney you haven’t serviced in years, call (361) 492-4099 and we’ll inspect it before the next time you even think about striking a match.
Service Areas Near Irving
In addition to Irving, our crews cover Gelco service in Dallas, Gelco service in Carrollton, plus Highland Park, Lakewood, and Duncanville. We run routes across Dallas County weekly, so scheduling for Irving homes stays tight. For the full Irving service area, or any Gelco question, see our Gelco sales & service page.
Book Your Gelco Service in Irving Today
If you’ve got a Gelco chimney in Irving that hasn’t been inspected in years, don’t wait for the next freeze or the next fire. Call (361) 492-4099 now and we’ll send a uniformed, background-checked tech with a written price before any work starts. The Garrison Standard applies to every job, every time.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner at Flint Chimney Co Dallas, serving Irving and Dallas County since 2002.