• Chimney Cleaning
• Rain Cap Installation
• Chimney Crown Waterproofing
• Chimney Tuckpointing

But while Dick Van Dyke and his cadre of child laborers may have made the job look easy, there’s actually far more to cleaning a chimney than meets the eye. Even just diagnosing chimney “abnormalities” (and there are more than you might expect) requires a trained eye and a preternatural fascination with cylindrical ventilating apparatuses. Fortunately, our team of highly qualified professionals at Chimney Monkey is here to do what no one in their right minds would actually want to. Our technicians will remove soot, blockages, and built-up creosote from your chimney liner, firebox, smoke chamber, and damper—all with a smile on their faces and a skip in their step.

Do I need to have my chimney swept?

Now, some of you may not be convinced. “I only use my fireplace every other fortnight!” you scoff as you sip your half-caf, non-fat, pumpkin spice macchiato. “Why bother cleaning a chimney I scarcely use?” But, as a homeowner (and chimney owner), it would behoove you to consider the multitude of factors that can contribute to the condition of your chimney besides smoke ventilation.

The age of your home, the type of chimney, and the weather (keep in mind milder winters can cause more issues with your chimney and fireplace than severe winters), will also affect how frequently your chimney will need a cleaning. What’s more, small animals or birds can build nests in the flue during the summer. Not to mention leaves can other debris can accumulate all on their own in your chimney during the fall. Without actually climbing on your roof and poking around, you wouldn’t know that your “unused” chimney was a considerable peril—a ticking time bomb! Lighting a fire with any of these blockages in your chimney can lead to serious home/property damage.

Fireplace and chimney safety

Even if you heat with gas, a clean burning fuel, your chimney should be checked regularly. It’s just the safe and practical thing to do.

At the end of the day, no homeowner wants to deal with soot fires, smoke in their home, or a fireplace chimney that simply won’t ventilate properly. But we do—that’s what we’re here for! Just leave it to Chimney Monkey.

To contact us for chimney sweep or a free quote/consultation, call 847-994-4388

See a full list of areas we service: Chimney Sweep

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Let’s be honest: you probably wouldn’t hire a service just to clean the dryer vent in your laundry room. But this unglamorous task is often all that separates you from perpetually damp clothing at best and a house fire at worst. While dryer lint traps catch most of the lint particles from your laundry, they aren’t perfect. They do their best, but as so often is the case, it is not always enough. Over time, the remaining lint builds up and collects in your dryer ducts over time, and it is extremely flammable.

The combination of flammable lint and the hot air that runs through the vent is a hazardous combination to say the least. That is why we recommend regular dryer vent cleaning for all homeowners.

Look for these warning signs to determine if your dryer vent is in need of a cleaning:

• Clothes don’t dry completely or they take longer to dry
• Clothes feel hotter than normal at the end of the drying cycle
• The outside of the dryer gets very hot
• Humidity in the laundry room increases
• There is a burnt smell in the laundry room

If you’re not sure whether your dryer vent needs to be cleaned, ask an expert. Why risk life and limb to avoid the deep complexities of dryer vent maintenance?

The trained and certified specialists at Chimney Monkey can protect your home (and, by extension, you) by cleaning out your pesky dryer vent. Give us a call today for your free quote.

To contact us for chimney sweep or a free quote/consultation, call 847-994-4388
See a full list of areas we service: Dryer Vent Cleaning

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Pressure Washing by Chimney Monkey

Ever walk around your property and forget that bricks aren’t brown, concrete isn’t black, or your shed isn’t made of moss? If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, pressure washing might just be what you need to return the exterior walls and surfaces of your home to their original splendor.

Pressure Washing

Pressure washing—using a stream of pressurized water to clean tough residues—is one of the most convenient and satisfying services money can buy. Obviously you wouldn’t want to scrub every brick in your house by hand, but even consumer pressure washing appliances are no match for industrial equipment. Plus, as fun as it looks, pressure washing various surfaces requires a delicate touch. In this case, it’s much better to hire a professional than do it yourself.

And who better to call than Chimney Monkey? Our pressure washing gurus enjoy removing mildew, dirt, moss, grease, and stains from concrete, brick, and other exterior surfaces that they’d do it for free if they could. Fortunately, they are so talented they don’t have to!

With the help of Chimney Monkey’s pressure washing services, your bricks can be orange, your concrete a heather gray, and your shed gleaming again in just a few hours.

Pressure Washing Areas Serviced

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Gutter Cleaning Service by Chimney Monkey

Ordinarily, you’re told to keep your mind out of the gutter. But for homeowners, we actually offer the opposite advice; home gutter maintenance is simply too important to avoid thinking about for too long. If not cleaned regularly, your gutters can become clogged—a homeowner’s worst nightmare. If that sounds like an exaggeration, wait until you see the bill for the water damage caused by your clogged gutter (or you could just take our word for it).

Gutter Cleaning

When your gutters become clogged (usually with leaves, but leave it to Mother Nature to surprise you), they no longer drain properly, which causes water run-off that can flood your basement or leak into your home, ruining paint, furniture, or home appliances. Truth be told, water in the wrong places can destroy almost anything. In some cases, water run-off from clogged gutters can even cause electrical issues.

Of course, pro-active homeowners can avoid issues like this simply by cleaning their gutters regularly. But who want to do that? Clogged gutters will also fill with mildew, black streaks, and a coating of dirt. Absolutely disgusting muck. But after Chimney Monkey has completed our full gutter cleaning service, your gutters will look as fresh and lovely as the day you met—er, bought them!

Our dirt-hating specialists at Chimney Monkey will remove all debris in your gutters and downspouts, unclog downspouts, flush them with water if necessary, and haul all the nasty stuff miles away. They are truly masters of this ancient art. We will keep you informed of the process every step of the way, but otherwise you will never know they were even there. Paradox? Maybe. Or it could just be good service.

Gutter Cleaning

Working with Chimney Monkey makes the scheduling and cleaning of your home gutters easier than ever. Not sure what your needs are for your home and your gutters? Let us give you a quote.

The professionals at Chimney Monkey pride themselves in providing the best gutter cleaning service in Chicago. Call 847-994-4388 to get your free gutter cleaning price quote today!

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Follow these recommendations to understand just when you need to schedule a Level 1 or Level 2 Chimney Inspections so your family can continue to use the chimney and fireplace safely for years to come. The Chimney Safety Institute of America suggests a Level 1 inspection if your appliance or your venting system has not changed and you will continue using your chimney and venting system just as you have in the past. The Level 1 chimney inspection is the minimum requirement necessary.

• Air Duct Service
• Chimney Leak Repairs
• Masonry Repairs
• Liner Installation
• Cap Installation
• Damper Repair/Replacement

In a Level 1 Safety Inspection, Chimney Monkey technicians will examine portions of the chimney exterior and interior that are readily accessible. Our qualified technicians at Chimney Monkey will make sure the chimney structure and flue are sound, while also verifying there are no chimney obstructions or combustible deposits.

A Level 2 Safety Inspection is needed when any changes are made to your chimney, fireplace, or venting system. Changes like a change in fuel type, a change in shape, a change in the flue or materials, input ratings or efficiency.

A Level 2 inspection is required upon the sale or transfer of a property. Also, a malfunction in your fireplace, a building fire, a chimney fire, a seismic occurrence, or extreme weather can all proceed a necessary Level 2 inspection.

During our Level 2 inspections, there will be a visual inspection via video scanning to ensure that all internal structures, joints, and flue liners within the chimney are appropriate and sound.

See Chimney Inspections Area we service.

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Chimney Cap Installer

In a perfect world, your chimney is supposed to be a one-way street: smoke goes out, but nothing else comes in. In reality, however, an exposed chimney flue is like a wide open door in a bad neighborhood.

• Chimney Repair
• Chimney Leak Repairs
• Masonry Repairs
• Liner Installation

Chimney Cap Installation

To ensure that no water, debris, or curious organisms make their way down your flue, you’ll need to have a chimney cap installed. And when you need the job done right, there’s no one better to call than the experts at Chimney Monkey! Whether you have a square or a round chimney, single or double flue, we will measure and order a chimney cap that fits like a glov—er… hat!

Professional installation of the kind we provide is your best bet when it comes to chimney cap installation. The chimney cap is really your first and only line of defense against water damage and flue obstruction, both of which are considerable fire hazards. We can offer a wide range of chimney cap styles, featuring cones, cages, and other practical designs that will complement your home and last for years to come.

For a free quote on your chimney cap installation, call us at 312 978 9936!

RAIN CAP INSTALLER

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Brick chimney pressure-washed in order to remove vegetative growth, acid washed (if needed) and waterproofed using ChimneySaver water repellent after a good rinse.

ChimneySaver works by penetrating bricks and mortar. Chimneys require special attention and maintenance to prevent costly damage caused by water penetration. Because chimneys project above the roof line, they are vulnerable to the elements. Nearly every chimney you encounter has signs of water damage! The first step is to determine the cause and then find the best corrective measures. ChimneySaver works by penetrating bricks and mortar.

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But a chimney doesn’t have to be falling apart to need repair or rebuild. Even hairline cracks in the masonry can lead to water penetration that will exponentially compound damage. Waiting to repair—or preemptively seal—your chimney will only drive the price up in the future for extensive masonry work.

At Chimney Monkey, our chimney geniuses can readily locate even the most subtle chimney malfunctions to ensure the longevity of your home and the safety of your family. Whether you have crumbling bricks, missing mortar joints, or even just noticed poor chimney venting, it’s crucial that you contact us right away before you need a full chimney rebuild.

Call 312 978 9936 for a free quote/consultation on your chimney crown repair.

Chimney Crown Repair

Any chimney is both a work of art and a feat of engineering. Simple in theory, overwhelmingly complicated in practice. So it often comes as a surprise to homeowners to learn just how many components there are in a modern chimney, and how many ways these parts can fail.

Among these, the chimney cap, crown, and chase cover are the most easily confused. For one thing, they sound like different ways of saying the same thing. To make matters worse, they are also components that shield your flue and chimney from the elements. But ultimately you’ll want to know what each of these parts are, if only to avoid being scammed by shady chimney thugs. To keep your chimney humming and puffing along sweetly, it’s crucial to maintain the health of each of those components over the lifespan of your chimney.

CHIMNEY CAP

The chimney cap sits, like a hat, on top of your chimney, prevent rain, debris, and small animals from entering your otherwise unprotected flue. For this reason, it’s one of the most crucial components in the whole chimney apparatus; without a chimney cap, you would be liable for hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of water damage every year. Not to mention the fact that your fireplace would be extinguished every time it rained.

Chase cover

Just as the chimney cap prevents damage to your flue from within, the chase cover protects it from external damage. Think of a chase cover like a big metal (usually galvanized sheet metal or stainless steel) umbrella for your entire chimney top. The chase cover fits over the external part of a chimney almost like the lid of a shoebox, shielding it from rain, snow, hail and whatever else Zeus throws at you.

Crown

Last but not least, the chimney crown is the piece that holds everything together. This concrete fixture seals the top of the chimney, protecting the exposed masonry. High quality chimney crowns are exceptionally durable, but they are still often the first part to go as they get the brunt of the season’s arsenal of precipitation. Any wise homeowner will keep an eye on their chimney crown, as any cracks in the concrete will seriously compromise the health of your chimney. Even the smallest amounts of water can wreak havoc on the structural integrity of your chimney, and the chimney crown is your first line of defense. So be sure to call Chimney Monkey if you notice any deterioration in your chimney crown. If you don’t call right away, you will only have to pay double (or more) later!

But why wait? Call ahead for our preventative chimney crown maintenance! Our chimney experts use a professional-grade elastomeric (i.e., stretchy) coating that forms a flexible waterproof membrane to protect chimney crowns. In less than 24 hours, it dries and cures completely, leaving a natural concrete appearance.

Call 312 978 9936 for a free quote/consultation on your chimney crown repair.

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Fireplace Cleaning

As far as home amenities go, the hearth or fireplace is one of the great domestic pleasures. But with all pleasure comes pain—in this case, the grueling task of cleaning the darned thing!

The sheer volume of soot, dirt, and other residues that can accumulate in a fireplace over the course of a season of use makes this task not only incredibly difficult, but incredibly important as well. A clean fireplace burns, well, cleanly—and efficiently. It is also much easier on the eyes, which is pretty important for something you look at while using it.

To maintain a clean and well-functioning home fireplace throughout the year, follow Chimney Monkey’s rules of thumb:

1. Do not burn “green” or unseasoned wood – only burn seasoned firewood.
2. Only use cleansers to clean your fireplace that are made specifically for that purpose
3. NEVER pour water on the fire unless it is an emergency

Ultimately, even the driest and most well-seasoned woods will produce some soot and creosote (the flammable substance which can accrete in your chimney and fireplace opening). This means some cleaning is inevitable. And when that day comes, be sure to give Chimney Monkey a call! We’ll sweep your chimney, fireplace, and even take out the trash on our way out! Most importantly, our home fireplace experts know just how to make your fireplace the cleanest and coziest it’s ever been!

To contact us for home fireplace cleaning or a free quote/consultation, call 847-994-4388

See a full list of areas we service: Fireplace Cleaning

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For a free quote on your chimney repair, call us at: 312 -687-1352

Areas serviced: chimney rebuild

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