Gas fireplace service
Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repairLevel 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.
Why Houston Homeowners Choose DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning
We provide independent DuraFlex chimney cleaning, inspection, and repair service across Houston, and we work on these liners every week: the corrugated stainless and aluminum systems that vent everything from wood-burning fireplaces to gas log sets and furnaces. What sets our DuraFlex work apart is plain: we know which sections of these liners actually fail in this city’s humidity and salt air, and we know which ones can be cleaned and resealed instead of torn out. Nathan Corliss and our Houston crew have pulled hundreds of DuraFlex liners from local chimneys, and we bring that hands-on knowledge to every job. We are not authorized by or affiliated with DuraFlex. We are an independent service provider that fixes and maintains their products because homeowners keep asking us to. If you need Duraflex repair in Houston, call (903) 961-6496.
Why Trust Ashby Chimney Houston for Your DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning?
Most chimney companies treat a liner as just a tube. We treat a DuraFlex liner as a system with specific weak points: the seam where flex meets rigid connector, the insulation wrap that tears when mortar joints fail, the cap termination that lets Houston rain pour straight down the flue. Our technicians have worked on DuraFlex AL, 316Ti, 304L, and Pro systems long enough to identify a failing liner by the sound it makes when tapped, the color of the oxidation at the seams, and the way draft readings shift under load. Nathan picked up his trade training at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, and he has carried that same habit into every Houston job: quote the price before touching a tool, show the customer the problem with a camera before recommending a fix, and put the repair in writing with a guarantee behind it. When we clean a DuraFlex liner, we inspect the entire run, not just the reachable section above the firebox.
That matters because a liner can look fine from the top and be collapsed eight feet down. Every job gets a written price before work starts and a written guarantee on the work we complete. If a covered repair fails inside the guarantee period, we come back at no charge. That’s the Kingswell Guarantee, and it applies to every DuraFlex repair we do in Houston.
Styles & brands we work with
Common DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning Problems We Fix in Houston
- Corrosion at the flex-to-connector seam. On older DuraFlex 316Ti installations near the Gulf Coast, salt-laden air accelerates rust exactly where the flexible liner meets the rigid connector pipe. We see this most often in homes within a few miles of Galveston Bay and in neighborhoods like Clear Lake and Seabrook. The fix is usually a section replacement with new clamps, not a full liner swap.
- Creosote glaze inside corrugated walls. The inner wall of a DuraFlex flexible liner is corrugated, not smooth. When a Houston homeowner burns unseasoned oak or pecan (both common here), creosote clings to those ridges and builds a hard glaze that cuts draft and raises fire risk. A standard brush pass will not remove it. We use rotary cleaning heads sized to the liner’s diameter to break the glaze without scoring the metal.
- Torn insulation mesh from shifting mortar joints. Houston’s expansive clay soils shift with every wet-dry cycle, and brick veneer chimneys move enough to crack mortar joints. When those joints fail, the liner’s insulation wrap can shred or detach, leaving sections exposed to condensate. The symptom is often a faint metallic rattle when wind gusts, or rust-colored streaks appearing on the brick exterior. The liner itself may still be sound; the wrap needs re-securing or replacing.
- Loose or missing rain cap on the termination. We find this constantly across Houston after spring storms. A DuraFlex cap that loosens allows rainwater to run between the liner and the surrounding chimney wall, deteriorating the crown and rusting the liner’s top flanges. Rust-colored stains near the chimney crown are the tell. This is a same-week repair for us, often just a new cap and reseal.
- Collapsed flex sections in older two-story homes. In River Oaks, Memorial, and The Woodlands, we regularly pull DuraFlex 316Ti liners from 1980s-era houses that have a collapsed section hidden behind brick. The homeowner reports smoke backing into the living room. The camera shows a kinked or collapsed run several feet above the firebox. We remove the failed section, replace the affected run with a new DuraFlex kit, and confirm draft with a smoke test before we leave.
DuraFlex Parts & Our Repair-vs-Replace Approach
We prefer genuine DuraFlex components, clamps, tees, caps, and connector kits, whenever they are available from our local supplier. Using OEM parts keeps any remaining manufacturer warranty intact and ensures fit tolerances match the original install. But Houston’s schedule does not always wait on shipping, so we also keep quality aftermarket equivalents in stock for fast same-week repairs. The difference is material grade and fit, not just branding. A 316Ti stainless section is a 316Ti stainless section; what matters is the alloy and the wall thickness, and we order accordingly.
Our repair-vs-replace standard is simple: if a liner section can be cleaned, inspected, and resealed without compromising draft or safety, we say so. We do not sell a full system replacement when a section repair will do. Last month our crew pulled a 25-foot DuraFlex 316Ti liner from a 1980s River Oaks two-story. The homeowner reported smoke backing into the living room. Inspection revealed a collapsed flex section 8 feet above the firebox, hidden behind a brick veneer. We removed the creosote-glazed remains, replaced the lower half with a new DuraFlex 316Ti kit, and sealed the transition with high-temp silicone before confirming draft with a smoke test. The homeowner paid for a section repair, not a new $6,000 liner. Call (903) 961-6496 if you want an honest assessment of your DuraFlex liner.
Our DuraFlex Service Process – Step by Step
- 1
Diagnosis. We start with a camera inspection of the full DuraFlex run, from firebox to termination. We look for seam corrosion, collapsed sections, torn insulation, and cap damage. You see the footage on our screen before we recommend anything.
- 2
Written quote. Before any work starts, you get a written price. The number on the invoice matches the number we quoted. If a replacement is needed, the quote specifies exactly which sections, which parts, and which labor.
- 3
Repair or cleaning. For cleaning, we use rotary heads sized to the liner’s diameter to remove creosote glaze without scoring the corrugated wall. For repairs, we use OEM-compatible DuraFlex parts where possible and quality aftermarket equivalents where they make no functional difference.
- 4
Draft and leak test. Once the liner is clean or repaired, we confirm draft with a smoke test and check the termination for proper cap fit. We also run a basic pressure check on the seam transitions to verify no leakage into the chimney cavity.
- 5
Written guarantee. Every repair gets a written guarantee. If it fails inside the guarantee period, we return at no charge. That is the Kingswell Guarantee, and it is always in writing.
See the difference
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After
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AfterDuraFlex Products We Service & Install in Houston
We service and install the full range of DuraFlex chimney liner products in Houston: DuraFlex AL (aluminum flexible liner for gas appliances), DuraFlex 316Ti (flexible stainless steel liner for wood, pellet, and oil), DuraFlex 304L (flexible liner for high-efficiency gas), and DuraFlex Pro (rigid stainless steel chimney liner system). We keep common connectors, clamps, caps, and flex sections in local stock for same-week repairs, and we can source full Pro rigid kits when a complete reline is the only option. Houston’s housing stock leans heavily on brick veneer chimneys with prefabricated metal flues, so we see a lot of 316Ti and AL systems in 1960s-to-1990s homes across Katy, Spring, and the Heights.
We Also Service These Brands
We are not tied to a single manufacturer. Alongside DuraFlex, we service and install HeatShield resurfacing systems for fireboxes and flues, and Gelco chimney components when a repair calls for them. A good chimney company knows when a DuraFlex liner is the right call and when a different product fits better. We tell you which one we would put in our own house.
FAQs – DuraFlex Chimney Cleaning Service in Houston
Aluminum liners like the DuraFlex AL should never be cleaned with steel brushes, which will gouge the softer metal. We use polypropylene or nylon rotary brushes sized to the liner, which remove light soot without damaging the corrugated wall. If the liner shows whitish oxidation, that is a sign of condensation, and we will recommend checking the venting setup before cleaning.
The corrugated inner wall of a DuraFlex flexible liner catches particulates that a smooth rigid flue would shed. Even with properly seasoned wood, some glaze forms over time. The real culprit in Houston is often not the wood but the burn pattern: short, low-draft fires in a mild climate produce more creosote than hot, sustained burns. A rotary cleaning with the right head removes the glaze. Call (903) 961-6496 to book a chimney sweep if you have not had one in over a year.
Not necessarily the liner itself. Rust streaks near the crown are typically from the rain cap, the top flange, or the liner-to-connector junction, not from a hole in the main flex run. Water enters at the termination, runs along the liner’s exterior, and carries rust through the brick face. We will camera the termination and the first few feet of liner to find the source. Often this is a cap and flange repair under $400, not a full liner replacement.
No. A Level 2 camera inspection can be performed through the liner itself, which is one of the advantages of a DuraFlex system. The camera passes from the termination down to the appliance connection and we can read the liner wall, seams, and connections along the way. If we suspect problems in the original flue behind the liner, we will discuss a more invasive inspection, but that is rarely needed.
Yes, and this is one of the most common conversions we do in Houston. A 316Ti liner that has been used for wood should be thoroughly cleaned and inspected before it carries gas exhaust. In many cases we recommend switching to a DuraFlex AL liner sized for the gas appliance, simply because aluminum is better suited to the lower-temperature, higher-moisture exhaust a gas log set produces. We will show you the camera footage and give you a written quote for whichever route makes sense.
Most DuraFlex chimney cleanings in Houston run between $180 and $340, depending on liner length, glaze level, and whether you have a standard fireplace or a wood stove insert. If we find damage during the cleaning, we will show you the camera evidence and give you a separate written price before any repair work begins. For a free estimate, call (903) 961-6496.
Book Your DuraFlex Service in Houston, TX
If your DuraFlex liner is due for a cleaning, showing rust streaks, or pulling smoke back into the house, call us at (903) 961-6496. We will get you scheduled, arrive in the window we give you, and hand you a written price before we touch a tool. Tell you the price first, explain the work second, put it in writing third, that’s the whole system.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Houston, serving Houston since 2002.