Before & After Gallery - Alcott Chimney San Francisco

Chimney Cleaning Before & After in San Francisco, CA

We’ve swept thousands of San Francisco chimneys since 2002, and we still hear the same thing from homeowners: they want to see the work, not just hear about it. The photos below show real flues from neighborhoods like Noe Valley, the Richmond, and Bernal Heights. Some look bad and clean up beautifully. Others reveal damage that only a camera could catch. This is what honest chimney cleaning in San Francisco actually looks like, photographed before and after we do the job.

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Recent Transformations

Glazed Creosote Removal in a Noe Valley Victorian

BeforeAfter

This flue had not been swept in over a decade, and what we found was stage-three glazed creosote, the tar-like buildup that causes chimney fires. It appears as a shiny, hardened coating that a standard brush alone cannot remove, which is why we rely on mechanical rotary tools and chemical treatments in cases like this. After treatment, we ran a camera through the flue to confirm the clay liner was intact and documented the result with photos. The homeowner told us the fireplace had never drawn this well, not since they bought the house.

Animal Nest Clearance in the Richmond District

BeforeAfter

San Francisco’s foggy westside neighborhoods see frequent bird and squirrel activity around open flues, and this Richmond District home had a nest built directly on top of the damper. The blockage was severe enough that the fireplace was backing smoke into the living room whenever the owner tried to use it. We removed the nesting material, swept the flue to clear the creosote beneath it, and installed a Copperfield cap with proper mesh sizing to keep birds out while maintaining good draft. The owner can now burn a fire without opening a window to chase the smoke out.

Camera-Verified Sweep After a Rental Turnover in Bernal Heights

BeforeAfter

This landlord had moved tenants out and wanted the chimney certified safe before a new lease started, which is exactly the right time to do it. The sweep itself was straightforward, roughly an hour of work clearing stage-two creosote that had accumulated over two rental seasons. What mattered most to this customer was documentation, so we provided a written before-and-after report with camera stills showing the flue condition. No repairs were needed here, and that is the point: we will tell you plainly when your fireplace just needs a sweep, not an upsell.

Smoky Fireplace in a Marina District Condo

The Marina District sees a mix of older masonry fireplaces and newer gas inserts, and this condo had a wood-burning unit that had become unusable due to smoke rollback. We found a partially closed damper and a flue heavily coated with soot, a combination that forces smoke into the room rather than up the chimney. We swept the flue, adjusted and lubricated the damper assembly, and confirmed the draft with a smoke test before finishing. The owner went from dreading winter nights to using the fireplace three times in the first week after we left.

Rust Staining and Water Intrusion in a Pacific Heights Fireplace

This Pacific Heights homeowner noticed orange staining on the firebox brick and called us expecting a simple sweep. The camera inspection showed moisture entering through hairline cracks in the chimney crown, which had been rusting the damper and damaging the smoke shelf. We swept and cleaned the firebox so the homeowner could see the actual condition of the masonry, then walked them through the camera footage on-site. We told them exactly what could wait and what needed attention before the next rainy season. They appreciated the straight answer, which is how we prefer to work.

Gas Fireplace Hearth Cleaning in a Sunset District Home

Gas fireplaces do not produce creosote, but they do accumulate dust, soot from incomplete combustion, and mineral haze on the glass, and they absolutely need periodic attention. This Sunset District unit had been running with the flame looking weak and orange, a sign of clogged burner ports and dusty media. We cleaned the burner, brushed the ceramic logs, polished the glass, and verified gas pressure and flame color. The owner was surprised at how much better the fireplace looked without the cloudy glass, and it now burns clean and blue like it should.

Want Results Like These?

These transformations are typical of what we see across San Francisco, from Pac Heights to the Outer Sunset. Every job includes a written price before work begins, a camera inspection, and a written guarantee on any repair we perform. Call us at (831) 534-3789 to schedule your sweep. You will know your technician’s name and see their photo before we arrive.

Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner at Alcott Chimney San Francisco, serving San Francisco homeowners since 2002.