Masonry repair
Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
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 Fireplace Repair Across Lauderdale Lakes
If your fireplace is smoking into the house, has a rusted damper that won’t open, or a firebox with cracked brick, Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale repairs it fast. Most fireplace repairs in Lauderdale Lakes run between $185 and $675, depending on what failed. We work on the 1970s and 1980s masonry fireplaces that dominate this city’s housing stock, and we carry the liner, damper, and firebox materials needed to fix them right. Call (754) 354-1451 for straight talk and a written price before any work begins.
Why Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale Is Lauderdale Lakes’s Preferred Fireplace Repair Company
Lauderdale Lakes homeowners call us because we answer the phone with a live person, and we show up when we say we will. Nathan Corliss has built the Ashby name in Broward County by doing the opposite of what people expect from chimney companies: we tell you the price before we touch anything, we put the guarantee in writing, and if the repair fails inside the guarantee period, we come back at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it applies to every fireplace repair we complete in Lauderdale Lakes.
Our technicians know the housing stock here well. The single-family ranch homes off NW 31st Avenue, the condos near Lauderdale Lakes Middle School, and the neighborhoods around Vincent Torres Memorial Park all share the same issue: concrete-block homes from the 1960s through 1980s with masonry chimneys that never got modern dampers or stainless liners. We diagnose what actually failed before recommending any repair. When we tell you a clay liner is cracked, we show you the camera footage. When we say your damper needs replacing, you’ll see the rusted metal. No one in Lauderdale Lakes should pay for a repair they can’t see.
Since 2002, Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale has operated as an independently owned Kingswell company, so every job follows the Kingswell Guarantee: a written price first, a written guarantee on completion, and a free second visit if a covered repair fails. We stock parts for Lauderdale Lakes customers so most jobs don’t require waiting on a second trip.
Styles & brands we work with
Fireplace Repair in Lauderdale Lakes: What Actually Breaks Here
Here’s what most Lauderdale Lakes homeowners don’t realize until they light that first fire on a chilly January night: the problem is rarely soot. It’s moisture. The subtropical humidity that makes Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding Broward County cities muggy also works its way into your chimney, cycling through the masonry all year. Clay flue liners absorb that moisture, and when the temperature swings, the liner cracks. That’s why smoke pours into your living room even though the chimney looks clean. Our Fireplace Repair team sees this exact failure pattern in Lauderdale Lakes homes more than any other issue.
We recently repaired a fireplace in the Lauderdale Lakes neighborhood off NW 31st Avenue for a homeowner who lit a fire on a rare cold night and got smoke pouring into the living room. Our tech found a cracked clay flue liner from years of humidity cycling, not a dirty flue, and installed a HeatShield resurfacing system to restore the draft. We also replaced the rusted damper and sealed the chimney crown to stop further moisture intrusion. That’s the kind of repair that actually fixes the problem instead of masking it for six weeks.
Gas Fireplace Maintenance in Lauderdale Lakes
Gas Fireplace Maintenance in Lauderdale Lakes typically costs between $150 and $260, and it should be done annually even if your gas fireplace only gets used a handful of nights each year. Gas units have pilot assemblies, thermocouples, and venting that corrode slowly in our humid air, even when the fireplace sits idle. A maintenance visit clears the burner ports, checks gas connections, inspects the venting for blockages from nesting or debris, and verifies the pilot light ignites reliably. We also test carbon monoxide levels during the visit.
What a Gas Maintenance Call Covers
We service gas log sets, gas inserts, and vented or ventless gas fireplaces in Lauderdale Lakes homes. Every visit includes a visual inspection of the glass, gaskets, and logs, plus cleaning of the pilot assembly. If your remote or wall switch is finicky, we test the wiring and replace thermopiles when needed.
When to Book Gas Fireplace Maintenance
Book before November if you want the fireplace working when the first cold front hits South Florida. Gas fireplaces that sit unused for months often develop pilot light issues from dust accumulation or corrosion on the thermocouple. Catching that in October means you’re not troubleshooting on the one night you actually want a fire.
Wood Stove Installation in Lauderdale Lakes
Wood Stove Installation in Lauderdale Lakes runs between $1,800 and $4,600 for a complete job, depending on the stove model, chimney configuration, and whether the existing masonry chimney needs a stainless liner. Most Lauderdale Lakes ranch homes from the 1970s and 1980s have masonry chimneys that can accept a properly sized liner for a wood stove, but the liner is non-negotiable: without it, you’re venting hot gases into an old clay flue that was never designed for a wood stove’s temperatures.
Proper Liner and Clearance Work
We install stainless liners from DuraFlex and Olympia Chimney, sized to match the stove’s output. Clearance to combustibles and floor protection are checked against the manufacturer’s specs, not just code minimums. A wood stove in a Lauderdale Lakes living room needs the right hearth pad, and we’ll tell you if yours isn’t adequate.
Why Homeowners Here Choose Wood Stoves
Wood stoves are for the two or three genuinely cold weeks a year when you want real, radiant heat without running the heat pump full blast. They also provide a reliable backup when storms knock out power, which anyone in Lauderdale Lakes who has sat through hurricane season understands. The key is setting it up safely from day one.
Trusted Brands We Service in Lauderdale Lakes
We repair and install fireplaces using materials from Gelco, Famco, Olympia Chimney, and Copperfield. Gelco dampers and chimney caps hold up well against our humidity, and Famco dampers are what we install when a rusted original needs replacing. We stock common parts in our South Florida inventory, so most Lauderdale Lakes jobs get finished in a single visit rather than waiting on a parts order. If your fireplace has a brand we don’t stock, we’ll source it and return, but we always tell you the timeline before you commit.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Fireplace Repair Problems We See in Lauderdale Lakes Homes
- Smoke backing into the house on cold nights. This is a cracked clay flue liner in 90% of the Lauderdale Lakes homes we inspect. Years of humidity cycling have fractured the liner, and the draft can’t pull properly.
- Rusted or seized dampers. The top-mounted dampers on older Lauderdale Lakes chimneys corrode in our wet season. Once rusted, they won’t open fully, and your fire smokes from the first match.
- Masonry spalling on the chimney crown and exterior. Moisture penetrates the brick, the surface flakes off, and water enters the firebox. We seal crowns and rebuild spalled sections before the damage spreads.
- Firebox brick cracks from thermal cycling. Even in South Florida, the firebox sees extreme temperature swings when a fire is lit after months of disuse. Cracked firebox brick needs repair before it exposes combustible material.
Pricing for Fireplace Repair in Lauderdale Lakes, FL
You should know what to expect before you call anyone. A damper replacement in Lauderdale Lakes typically runs $220 to $420. Firebox repair with refractory mortar is $350 to $800 depending on the size of the damaged area. A HeatShield flue liner resurfacing runs $1,400 to $2,900 with a transferable warranty. Full stainless liner installation is $2,400 to $4,800. Every quote is written before we start work, and the price on the invoice matches the price we quoted at the door. For an exact number on your fireplace, call (754) 354-1451 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Lauderdale Lakes
Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale serves Lauderdale Lakes plus the surrounding Broward County communities including Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, and Aventura. If you’re just outside Lauderdale Lakes proper, we likely cover your neighborhood too. Call and ask.
Serving Lauderdale Lakes, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Lauderdale Lakes 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 Fireplace Repair in Lauderdale Lakes
The most common cause in Lauderdale Lakes is a cracked clay flue liner, not soot buildup. Your chimney is exposed to South Florida’s humidity every day of the year, and that moisture cycles through the clay liner, eventually cracking it. When you finally light a fire on a cold night, the flue can’t hold a proper draft, and smoke ends up in your living room. We confirm this with a camera inspection before any repair recommendation. Call (754) 354-1451 and we’ll show you exactly what’s going on.
Homes in Lauderdale Lakes built in the 1970s and early 1980s usually need a combination of three things: a resurfaced or replaced flue liner, a new top-mounted damper to replace the rusted original, and a sealed chimney crown to stop water intrusion. The original clay liners from that era are almost always cracked by now, and the original dampers simply don’t survive four decades of Florida humidity.
Humidity does its work whether you use the fireplace or not. Moisture absorbs into the masonry, and when the temperature swings, the expansion and contraction cracks clay liners, rusts dampers, and causes bricks to spall. Heavy summer rains accelerate this. That’s why we recommend annual inspections in Lauderdale Lakes, not for soot removal but to catch moisture damage while it’s still minor.
Yes, most Lauderdale Lakes ranch homes have masonry chimneys that can accept a properly sized stainless liner for a wood stove. We install stoves with liners from DuraFlex or Olympia Chimney, and we check hearth clearance and floor protection against the manufacturer’s requirements. A wood stove is a practical backup heat source for power outages and cold snaps, but the liner and clearance work must be done right. Estimates are free at (754) 354-1451.
First-degree creosote is a flaky, easily brushed soot. Second-degree is a thicker, tar-like deposit that forms in cooler flue conditions. Third-degree is a hard, glazed coating that is flammable and requires professional removal. In Lauderdale Lakes, most homes don’t burn enough wood to build third-degree creosote, but when we install wood stoves or repair fireplaces, we check for any stage of creosote before completing the job. If you’ve got buildup, we’ll tell you what it is and what it means.
Call Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale for Fireplace Repair in Lauderdale Lakes
When your fireplace smokes, your damper won’t open, or your firebox is cracked, call us at (754) 354-1451. A live person answers, we schedule a real arrival window, and you get a written price before any work starts. Every repair carries a written guarantee, and if it fails inside the guarantee period, we return at no charge. That’s how we’ve worked since 2002, and it’s why Lauderdale Lakes homeowners keep calling.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale, serving Lauderdale Lakes since 2002.