Gas fireplace service
Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repairLevel 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.
Why Long Beach Homeowners Choose DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning
We provide independent DuraFlex service in Long Beach, from Belmont Shore to Bixby Knolls, and we’ve worked on hundreds of coastal DuraFlex installations since 2002. What separates our DuraFlex work is the repair log we keep: we track failures by model year, liner type, and proximity to the water, so our recommendations come from Long Beach field data, not factory scripts. We are not affiliated with or authorized by DuraFlex. We’re an independent service provider that works on their liners every week, and we’re straightforward about what that means for you. Call (562) 317-7262 for a free estimate on any DuraFlex chimney cleaning or repair.
DuraFlex liners fail differently in Long Beach than they do inland. Salt air, marine-layer dampness, and decades of minor seismic settling create failure patterns you won’t find in a manufacturer’s brochure. If you own a home with a DuraFlex liner, this page tells you what we actually see in the field, what it costs to fix, and how we decide between a repair and a full replacement.
Why Trust Flint Chimney Co Long Beach for Your DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning?
Our techs handle DuraFlex aluminum and stainless liners daily along the Long Beach coastline. That repetition matters. A DuraFlex 316L liner on a bluff-top home in Naples corrodes differently than the same liner in a Bixby Knolls bungalow three blocks from the beach. We know what pinhole corrosion looks like when it’s caused by salt spray versus flue gas condensate, and that distinction changes the fix. Hank Delano, our owner, grew up in Los Angeles and picked up his trade fundamentals at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College before spending nearly two decades on chimneys across Southern California. He and our crew have run chimney sweep services and inspections in Long Beach for years, from Craftsman homes in Belmont Heights to newer builds near the waterfront. We maintain a running repair log of DuraFlex failures by model year and installation method, so when we recommend a repair on your liner, that recommendation is built on local field data.
Every DuraFlex job we take gets a written price before any work starts. That’s not a sales pitch. It’s our operating rule. The price on the invoice is the price you approved, and every repair carries a written guarantee valid for one full year. If a covered repair fails within that year, we return at no charge. No argument. That guarantee applies to DuraFlex liner repairs, cap replacements, and any other repair we perform.
Styles & brands we work with
Common DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning Problems We Fix in Long Beach
- Pinhole corrosion on 316L stainless liners. This is the most common DuraFlex failure we see in Long Beach, especially within a half-mile of the water. Flue gas condensate mixes with salt spray and sits on the liner wall. Over five to ten years, that mixture eats pinholes through 316L stainless. We find them most often just above offset elbows where condensate pools. A pinhole leak at that location lets carbon monoxide seep into wall cavities instead of venting out the cap.
- Crushed or kinked aluminum liners on gas fireplaces. DuraFlex aluminum liners are lighter and easier to bend than stainless, which makes them popular for gas logs, but that same flexibility means an installer in a rush can kink the liner during the original pull. A kinked liner restricts draft and causes backdrafting, where combustion gases push back into the living space instead of up the flue. We see this most on retrofits where the original masonry flue had tight offsets.
- Mortar joint seepage behind Duralok ceramic liners. The Duralok high-temp ceramic coated liner has a hard, smooth surface that resists creosote buildup, but the tradeoff is that the liner doesn’t flex the way stainless does. When a Long Beach chimney settles after seismic activity, the rigid Duralok sections can separate slightly at the joints, letting moisture seep into the surrounding masonry. The first sign is usually efflorescence, that white powdery deposit on the brick face, or water staining on the ceiling near the chimney chase.
- Disconnected slip joints on ProTech flexible liners. DuraFlex ProTech liners use hybrid couplers at elbows and offsets. Those slip joints are solid when installed correctly, but years of minor shaking from Long Beach earthquakes can work them loose. A separated slip joint lets flue gases escape into the chimney cavity. We find this on ProTech installations more often in older homes where the chimney itself has shifted, pulling the liner with it.
- Clogged rain caps and screens. Coastal air carries salt haze and fine soot that builds up on cap screens faster than most homeowners expect. We regularly pull caps in Long Beach where the screen is 70 to 80 percent blocked, which restricts draft and pushes smoke back into the house. A clogged cap screen also holds moisture against the liner top, accelerating corrosion at the termination point.
DuraFlex Parts & Our Repair-vs-Replace Approach
We use genuine DuraFlex components where fit and metallurgy matter: liner sections, couplers, top plates, and rain caps. Aftermarket adapters often mismatch the corrugation pitch on DuraFlex liners, which creates leak points at the joints. We don’t take that risk on your chimney. For chase covers and flashing, we fabricate or source 304 stainless equivalents when DuraFlex OEM parts are backordered, and we tell you which we’re using and why.
Our repair-vs-replace decision is honest. If a DuraFlex 316L liner has an isolated section of pinhole corrosion, we cut out the bad section and splice in a new liner segment with OEM couplers. If the corrosion runs the length of the liner or the liner is over 15 years old with multiple failing sections, we tell you a full replacement is the smarter money. We never recommend a repair that buys you six months when a replacement buys you fifteen years. A standard DuraFlex repair or cleaning quote is free. Call (562) 317-7262 to get one in writing.
Last February our tech pulled a Level 2 inspection on a 1998 two-story near Bluff Park. The home had a DuraFlex 316L liner with a 4-inch section of pinhole rust just above the offset elbow, plus a cap whose screen was 80 percent clogged with soot and salt haze. We cut out the corroded section, spliced in a new DuraFlex liner segment with OEM couplers, swapped the cap for a stainless multi-flue model, and reran the draft test. Backdraft gone. CO readings dropped under 5 ppm. That’s the standard we hold every DuraFlex repair to.
Our DuraFlex Service Process – Step by Step
- 1
Diagnosis. We run a Level 2 inspection when a DuraFlex liner shows signs of trouble: backdrafting, smoke smell after rain, efflorescence on the brick, or a failed draft test. That inspection includes a camera run down the full liner length so you can see exactly what we see. We don’t ask you to take our word on a cracked liner. We show you the footage.
- 2
Repair or install. If we’re repairing, we cut out the damaged DuraFlex section and splice in a matching liner segment using genuine DuraFlex couplers. If we’re replacing, we pull the old liner, inspect the surrounding flue, and install the new liner with proper top plate and cap termination. Every part number goes on the written work order.
- 3
Test. After any DuraFlex repair or replacement, we rerun the draft test and check CO readings at the appliance. If the liner doesn’t vent properly, the job isn’t done. We also run a camera pass on the finished install so you have a record of the work.
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Warranty. You get a written guarantee covering the repair for one full year from the service date. If a covered repair fails within that year, we return at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it applies to every DuraFlex job we complete.
See the difference
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AfterDuraFlex Products We Service & Install in Long Beach
We work on the full DuraFlex lineup: the 316L stainless steel chimney liner, the aluminum liner for gas-fired appliances, the ProTech flexible liner with hybrid couplers, and the Duralok high-temp ceramic coated liner. We stock common DuraFlex liner sections and couplers locally so a standard repair doesn’t wait on a parts shipment. For less common Duralok sections or ProTech hybrid coupler sizes, we order directly and typically have parts in hand within a few days. We also install DuraFlex liners on new gas or wood appliance retrofits, and we’ll spec the right liner material for your appliance and location. A beachfront home in Naples needs a different liner than a gas fireplace in Los Altos, and we’ll tell you which one and why.
We Also Service These Brands
We don’t push one brand over another. DuraFlex is a solid liner system, but it’s not always the right call for every Long Beach chimney. We also install and service HeatShield cerfractory flue sealant and Gelco chimney caps and components, and we’ll tell you when one of those is the better fit for your flue and budget.
FAQs – DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning Service in Long Beach
No, we are an independent DuraFlex service provider. We are not authorized by or affiliated with DuraFlex, and we don’t claim to be. What we are is experienced: our techs work on DuraFlex liners across Long Beach every week, and our recommendations are based on field data from hundreds of coastal installations, not factory scripts.
We recommend an annual inspection for DuraFlex aluminum liners on gas fireplaces in Long Beach, and more often if you’re within a quarter-mile of the water. Aluminum liners on gas appliances don’t face the creosote buildup of wood burning, but they do face salt-air corrosion and kinking from installation. A quick camera check once a year catches a restricted draft before it becomes a carbon monoxide problem. Call (562) 317-7262 to schedule DuraFlex repair in Wilmington or a Long Beach inspection.
Yes, but the brush type matters. DuraFlex 316L stainless and aluminum liners are compatible with poly or nylon brushes, not steel wire brushes. A steel brush can scratch the liner surface and create points where corrosion starts. We rarely recommend aggressive mechanical cleaning on DuraFlex liners unless there’s heavy creosote. Most Long Beach DuraFlex liners on gas appliances need a camera inspection and a light brushing more than a full sweep, because gas produces little creosote. The real issue is corrosion and joint separation, which a brush won’t fix.
That smoky smell after rain usually means water is entering the flue and mixing with residual soot and combustion deposits, then that damp mixture off-gasses into the house. The two most common causes on DuraFlex liners in Long Beach are a failing cap screen or top plate seal, and a mortar joint seepage issue behind a Duralok liner. The rain enters, wets the interior, and the smell follows. The fix is usually a cap replacement or joint reseal, not a full liner replacement. We’ll find it with a Level 2 inspection. Call (562) 317-7262 for a free estimate.
Only if the liner is rated for solid fuel. DuraFlex aluminum liners are for gas-fired appliances only. Connecting a wood-burning insert to an aluminum liner will fail, and the failure can be dangerous. Wood burning requires a 316L stainless liner rated for solid fuel and high temperatures. Also, any used insert needs a full inspection before installation. If you’re unsure what liner you have, we can identify it with a camera run and tell you what your insert actually requires.
It didn’t crack from the earthquake alone. The quake was the final stress on a liner elbow that was already compromised. Here’s what typically happens in Long Beach: the chimney masonry settles over decades of minor seismic activity, which stresses the liner at offset points. If the liner was installed with a tight bend or an improperly seated coupler at the elbow, that spot becomes a stress riser. The earthquake flexes the assembly just enough to separate or crack the weakened point. It’s a progressive failure, not a sudden one. We see it most on rigid Duralok sections and on ProTech liners where the hybrid coupler wasn’t fully seated during the original install. The fix is replacing the damaged section and ensuring the couplers are properly aligned. Call (562) 317-7262 for a free repair estimate.
A standard DuraFlex chimney cleaning and inspection in Long Beach typically runs $189 to $329, depending on liner length, access, and whether we’re doing a Level 1 or Level 2 inspection. A simple cap replacement adds $85 to $220 depending on the cap type and liner diameter. A full DuraFlex liner replacement, including parts and labor, typically runs $2,800 to $5,500 for a single-story home, more for a two-story with difficult access. You’ll get a written price before any work starts, and that price won’t change at the door. Call (562) 317-7262 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
Book Your DuraFlex Service in Long Beach, CA
If you need DuraFlex repair in Lakewood or have a liner in Long Beach and want an honest assessment, call us. We’ll schedule a chimney cleaning or inspection, give you a written price before work starts, and stand behind every repair with a full-year guarantee. Call (562) 317-7262 today for a free DuraFlex service estimate.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner at Flint Chimney Co Long Beach, serving Long Beach since 2002. Clean flue, honest report – that’s the whole job.