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 Fort Lauderdale, FL | Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale
We provide independent Gelco chimney cleaning, our Chimney Sweep in Fort Lauderdale, and repair across Fort Lauderdale. The short version: if you own a home with a Gelco liner or fireplace system here, salt air and humidity are working on it right now, even if you never light a fire. Most Fort Lauderdale Gelco systems we service need attention at the top section first, where ocean-driven corrosion concentrates. Call (754) 354-1451 for a written quote before any work begins.
Our techs have rebuilt, patched, and serviced enough Gelco systems across Broward County to know exactly how these liners behave in coastal conditions. We’re independent, which means we tell you what the liner actually needs, not what a manufacturer program wants us to sell. Nathan Corliss, our owner, learned the trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and has been on Fort Lauderdale roofs from Las Olas Boulevard to the barrier islands for nearly two decades. He still quotes the price before touching a single tool.
Why Fort Lauderdale Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
Gelco liners are solid systems, but Fort Lauderdale is hard on them. The salt-laden southeast breeze off the Atlantic corrodes stainless liner walls faster here than almost anywhere else in the state. Humidity keeps masonry damp for months at a stretch. Add in a sudden December cold snap and a fireplace that has sat unused since March, and small issues become expensive ones quickly.
We handle the full range of Gelco liner and fireplace products without factory affiliation. That independent position matters. When a Gelco FireGuard™ liner shows advanced salt pitting, we will tell you plainly whether patching makes sense or whether replacement costs less in the long run. We use genuine Gelco parts for liners, caps, and connectors. For discontinued Gelco TileLiner™ sections, we source premium aftermarket clay tiles matched to original dimensions. Every job gets a written price before work starts and a written guarantee when it is done. If a covered repair fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. That is the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
For Gelco-specific service across our Fort Lauderdale service area, our phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day. No voicemail loops. You call, a person picks up.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Fort Lauderdale
- Gelco FireGuard™ stainless liners with pitting and salt corrosion along the outer wall. Waterfront homes get the worst of it. Salt aerosol from the Atlantic settles on the liner’s top section, and over a few years, pinhole leaks appear. We inspect the first 12 inches below the cap carefully on every FireGuard™ service call.
- Gelco TileLiner™ clay flue tiles cracking after hurricane-driven rain cycles. Fort Lauderdale’s wet season forces water into hairline fractures. The tiles absorb moisture, then thermal cycling from occasional fires widens the cracks. Once water reaches the masonry, you get spalling and efflorescence on the chimney’s exterior.
- Gelco SmokeGuard™ aluminum liners warping in unlined masonry chimneys. A sudden cold snap in December or January pushes an unused fireplace into high-heat service. The aluminum expands rapidly, warps, and draft loss follows. We see this pattern every winter in Fort Lauderdale.
- Gelco Pro-Flex™ connections loosening at the appliance collar. Humid conditions cause thermal expansion cycles even when the fireplace sits idle. The connection works loose, draft weakens, and combustion gases do not vent properly. This is a common find during routine cleanings.
- Rusted-out dampers from salt corrosion in never-used fireplaces. We have opened fireplaces in Fort Lauderdale that have not been lit in a decade and found the damper seized solid. Salt air does not care whether you burn wood. It corrodes regardless.
Gelco Service in Fort Lauderdale: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Along the Las Olas Boulevard corridor, many 1920s Mediterranean Revival homes still have original clay tile liners, and plenty of them received Gelco FireGuard™ liner retrofits in the 1990s. Those stainless liners are now failing in a very specific way. We have seen more pinhole corrosion in the first 12 inches below the chimney cap than anywhere else on the liner. The reason is simple: salt-laden southeast winds off the Atlantic, only a few blocks away, deliver a constant salt aerosol that settles on that exposed top section. The lower portions of the liner stay protected by the chimney structure itself. The top does not. If you own one of these homes, the first thing we check during a cleaning is that topmost section. Catching pinhole corrosion early means a section repair instead of a full liner replacement.
In the same neighborhoods, dampers seize from salt corrosion even in fireplaces that have not seen a fire in ten years. We responded to a waterfront home on Nurmi Drive where a Gelco SmokeGuard™ liner was showing rust streaks inside the flue. The homeowner had never lit the fireplace. The damper had seized, the liner’s bottom seam had opened, and moisture was working its way into the masonry. We cut out the corroded damper, sleeved a new Gelco Pro-Flex™ liner, and coated the crown. That fireplace now drafts clean even when never lit.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in Fort Lauderdale
We service the full Gelco product range across Fort Lauderdale: Gelco FireGuard™ stainless chimney liners, Gelco SmokeGuard™ aluminum flue systems, Gelco Pro-Flex™ liner kits, and Gelco TileLiner™ clay flue replacements. For replacement parts, we use genuine Gelco components whenever they are available. When a Gelco TileLiner™ section has been discontinued, we match premium aftermarket clay tiles to the original dimensions rather than forcing a full system replacement. That keeps older Fort Lauderdale chimneys serviceable without unnecessary cost. Most common Gelco parts are stocked locally or sourced within a day or two, which keeps turnaround tight for Broward County homeowners.
We are an independent Gelco service provider, not manufacturer-affiliated or authorized. That independence means our recommendations are based on what the chimney needs, not what a corporate program wants sold. You can read more about how we work with this product line on our Gelco sales & service page.
See the difference
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After
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AfterGelco Service Pricing in Fort Lauderdale
Most Gelco chimney cleanings in Fort Lauderdale run between $189 and $329, depending on the liner type, flue height, and how much creosote or salt corrosion has accumulated. If we find damage during the cleaning, we quote repairs separately, in writing, before any additional work begins. Level 2 inspections for Gelco-lined chimneys typically run between $249 and $399. Mortar repointing and chimney waterproofing are quoted per job after we see the condition of the masonry.
What drives the cost here more than anything is corrosion. A Gelco FireGuard™ liner with advanced salt pitting usually means a full replacement, not a patch. The labor to chase multiple pinhole leaks exceeds the cost of a new liner, and we will tell you that plainly. Call (754) 354-1451 for a free estimate. We put the number in writing before we touch a single tool.
Serving Fort Lauderdale, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fort Lauderdale 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 Fort Lauderdale
Salt air corrodes stainless steel whether or not you burn wood. Fort Lauderdale’s southeast ocean breeze deposits salt aerosol on the exposed top section of the liner, just below the cap. Over years, that salt concentration creates pinhole corrosion. You do not need to use the fireplace for this to happen. We check that top section during every Gelco cleaning. Call (754) 354-1451 to schedule a Fort Lauderdale Chimney Inspection and get a written report of what we find.
A single cracked tile in a Gelco TileLiner™ system can sometimes be spot-repaired if the surrounding tile is sound and the crack is minor. But hurricane-driven rain cycles usually cause multiple stress fractures, not one clean break. If water has penetrated into the masonry behind the tiles, patching one section often fails within a season. We assess each tile individually and tell you honestly whether repair or replacement is the cheaper long-term option. Call (754) 354-1451 for an exact quote.
Annually. Fort Lauderdale’s humidity and salt air mean liners corrode and masonry absorbs moisture year-round, even when the fireplace sits unused. An annual inspection catches salt pitting, damper seizure, and crown cracking before they become structural problems. If you live on the water or within a few blocks of the ocean, do not skip a year. Schedule your annual inspection by calling (754) 354-1451.
A small tear at the appliance collar can sometimes be repaired by cutting back the damaged section and re-securing the connection, if the rest of the liner is sound. But SmokeGuard™ aluminum liners that tear at the connection often have hidden corrosion elsewhere along the flue. We inspect the full liner before recommending a repair. If a patch will hold, we patch it and guarantee the work in writing. If replacement makes more sense, we quote it at the same time. Call (754) 354-1451 for an assessment.
Fort Lauderdale’s winter cold snaps create a pressure difference that affects chimney draft. Warm indoor air rising meets cold, dense outdoor air, and if the liner is not warming quickly enough, smoke pushes back into the room. Gelco liners that have warped or loosened at the appliance collar draft worse in these conditions. A December cold snap after months of fireplace disuse is when hidden liner damage shows up. If your fireplace backdrafts on cold nights, call (754) 354-1451. We will diagnose the draft issue and quote the fix in writing.
Service Areas Near Fort Lauderdale
We provide Gelco chimney cleaning and repair throughout Broward County, including Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Lauderhill, and Aventura. If you are just outside Fort Lauderdale, we likely cover your neighborhood too.
For Gelco owners south of us, see our Gelco service in Hollywood page. North of Fort Lauderdale, our Gelco service in Pompano Beach page covers that area. Both pages explain the same salt-air corrosion patterns we see in Fort Lauderdale, with local detail for each city.
Book Your Gelco Service in Fort Lauderdale Today
Say the price first, explain the work second, put it all in writing, that is the whole business model. Call (754) 354-1451 to book your Gelco chimney cleaning or inspection in Fort Lauderdale. We answer the phone, show up in the window we give you, and leave a written quote and a written guarantee.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale since 2002.