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.
DuraFlex Chimney Sweep in Fort Lauderdale: What to Know First
We sweep and service DuraFlex chimney liners throughout Fort Lauderdale, and most jobs run between $189 and $389 depending on flue condition and access. A typical DuraFlex sweep takes 60 to 90 minutes once we’re on-site, and you’ll get a written price before any tool leaves the van. If you own a home with a DuraFlex liner and need it cleaned, inspected, or evaluated, call (754) 354-1451 and you’ll reach a live person who can book your visit. This page covers what DuraFlex owners in Fort Lauderdale actually need to know: how these liners fail, what a proper sweep looks like, and what it should cost.
How DuraFlex Products Fail – and How We Fix Them
DuraFlex makes a solid liner, but after two decades of working on them in Fort Lauderdale homes, Nathan Corliss and our crew have seen the same failure patterns repeat. Here’s what actually happens, line by line:
- DuraFlex 316L (the standard stainless liner): In Fort Lauderdale’s salt air, we regularly see surface pitting on the inner wall within eight to twelve years, especially on liners venting gas appliances. The pitting itself isn’t always a failure, but it gives creosote and soot a rough surface to grip. Our fix during a sweep is a mechanical brushing pass followed by a camera check to confirm the pitting hasn’t progressed to perforation.
- DuraFlex AL (aluminum liner, gas-only): This line corrodes fast near the coast, and we’ve pulled aluminum liners in Las Olas Isles homes where the inner surface looked like lace after a decade of salt exposure. Aluminum gives no warning before it tears, so our sweeps on AL liners always include a camera inspection. If it’s failing, we quote replacement with 316L stainless, not another aluminum liner.
- DuraFlex Pro (heavier-wall 316Ti): This is the liner we see holding up best in Fort Lauderdale, but its weak point is the connection at the tee snout. Soot and condensation collect there, and we’ve found tee caps rusted shut on liners that were otherwise in good shape. Our sweep includes breaking that connection free, cleaning it properly, and checking the gasket.
- DuraFlex SW (smooth-wall): The smooth inner wall sweeps cleaner than corrugated liners, but the trade-off is that any creosote glaze bonds harder because there’s less surface texture. We use a poly brush on SW liners rather than steel, which cleans without scratching the smooth finish that makes the line work well.
- DuraFlex 304 (entry-level stainless): We rarely recommend 304 in Fort Lauderdale because the salt air attacks the welds first. When we sweep a 304 liner, we pay close attention to the seam welds with the camera after brushing, because that’s where pinholes show up first.
The short version: DuraFlex liners fail from salt corrosion and connection neglect before they fail from creosote damage. That’s a Fort Lauderdale reality, not something you’ll read in a product brochure.
Styles & brands we work with
Our DuraFlex Chimney Sweep Process
- 1
You call, a person answers: (754) 354-1451 is staffed 24/7. We ask about your fireplace or stove, the liner type if you know it, and when the last sweep happened. Then we book a real arrival window.
- 2
We show up and look before we touch: Nathan or one of our background-checked techs arrives in uniform, walks the roof or the crawl space, and looks at the cap, crown, and flue opening. We also check the appliance connection at the bottom. No tools come out until you know what we’re doing and what it costs.
- 3
Written price, then the sweep: You get the number on paper before we start. The sweep itself is mechanical brushing sized to your DuraFlex liner, with drop cloths at the firebox and a vacuum running the whole time.
- 4
Glaze removal when needed: If we find creosote glaze (the shiny, tar-like buildup that happens with low-temperature fires), we use a rotary whip designed for stainless liners. On DuraFlex SW liners we adjust the speed down so we don’t damage the smooth wall.
- 5
Camera inspection, always: We run a camera the full length of the liner after every sweep. You see the footage. We point out pitting, weld wear, gaps at couplers, or a failed tee connection, and we tell you plainly whether it needs work now or can wait.
- 6
Written guarantee and cleanup: We leave the firebox cleaner than we found it, hand you the written guarantee, and explain what we found in plain English. If a covered repair fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterWhat DuraFlex Chimney Sweep Costs in Fort Lauderdale
Say the price first, explain the work second, put it all in writing, that is the whole business model. Most DuraFlex sweeps in Fort Lauderdale run:
- Standard sweep, one fireplace or stove: $189 to $279
- Sweep with camera inspection (recommended for DuraFlex): $249 to $389
- Heavy creosote or glaze removal: Adds $75 to $150 depending on severity
- Multi-flue homes: Each additional flue runs $75 to $120
- Level 2 inspection (real estate or after a chimney fire): $349 to $499, camera included
What moves the price: roof pitch and access, liner length, how long it’s been since the last sweep, and whether we find glaze. What doesn’t move it: a number that changes between the quote and the invoice. That’s the Kingswell Guarantee. Call (754) 354-1451 for a free estimate, and the number we give you is the number you’ll pay.
Why Fort Lauderdale Homeowners Call Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale for DuraFlex Work
We’ve been cleaning and inspecting chimneys since 2002, and Nathan Corliss has been up on more Fort Lauderdale roofs than he can count, from the Las Olas Boulevard corridor to the barrier island neighborhoods. Homeowners call us for DuraFlex work because we know these liners specifically: how they wear in salt air, which connections fail first, and when a liner can be cleaned versus when it needs replacement. We also service HeatShield and Gelco systems, so if your DuraFlex liner needs resurfacing or a section replaced, we’re not going to sell you on a product we don’t actually work with. Every job gets a written price before work starts, a written guarantee when it’s done, and a free second visit if a covered repair fails. And when you call, a live person picks up, day or night. No voicemail loops.
FAQs
Once a year if you burn wood, and every two years for gas-only systems. Fort Lauderdale’s humidity and salt air accelerate corrosion, so the annual visit is as much about checking liner integrity as it is about clearing soot. Call (754) 354-1451 to book your next sweep, and we’ll set you on a schedule that fits how you actually use your fireplace.
No, as long as the sweep uses brushes and methods appropriate for stainless steel. We size our brushes to your liner’s diameter and use poly or rotary tools on DuraFlex SW liners specifically to avoid scratching the smooth wall. As an independent DuraFlex service provider, we follow the maintenance practices that keep your liner performing and your warranty intact.
Yes, and that’s exactly why we camera-inspect every liner after we brush it. We’re looking for pinholes at welds, corrosion pitting through the wall, separated couplers, or a failed tee connection. You see the footage yourself, and we’ll tell you straight whether it’s a repair, a replacement, or something that can safely wait. Call (754) 354-1451 for a sweep with camera inspection.
When OEM parts are the right choice, we use them. For some connections, couplers, and caps, quality aftermarket components from brands we trust, like Olympia Chimney or Copperfield, do the job as well or better for less money. We’ll show you the part, explain the difference, and put it in writing before we install anything.
We typically book within three to five business days, and we work around your schedule with a real arrival window, not a four-hour guessing game. If you have a visible problem like smoke backing up or a strange smell, tell us when you call and we’ll do our best to get there sooner. Call (754) 354-1451 and a live person will get you on the calendar.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner, Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale at Ashby Chimney Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.