Before & After Gallery - Ashby Chimney Houston

Chimney Cleaning Before & After in Houston, TX

Photos tell the truth faster than any claim we could make. A flue can look fine from the hearth while holding a quarter-inch of creosote higher up, which is exactly why we photograph what we find and what we leave behind. These are the kinds of transformations we see on Houston chimneys every week. The camera goes in, the proof comes out, and you decide if the job looks done right. We call it The Kingswell Way: show the work, don’t just describe it.

Call (903) 961-6496

Recent Transformations

Stage 3 Creosote Removal in a Montrose Fireplace

BeforeAfter

The homeowner called because the fireplace smelled like a campfire even when cold. Inside the flue we found stage 3 creosote, the shiny, tar-like kind that forms when wet wood burns at low temperatures, common in Houston’s humid seasons. Our technician swept the full length with rotary rods, removed roughly two gallons of buildup, and ran the camera again to show a clean clay liner from throat to cap. The smell was gone within a day.

Chimney Full of Pine Needles and a Squirrel Nest in The Heights

BeforeAfter

This one had not been swept since the house changed hands in 2019, and the cap had rusted through at the mesh. The flue was packed with pine needles, twigs, and a squirrel nest built against the damper, which was blocking draft and pushing smoke back into the living room. We pulled the debris, swept the full flue, replaced the cap, and left the homeowner with a photo report showing every step. The draft came back immediately.

Heavy Ash and Soot Buildup After Years of Occasional Fires in Katy

BeforeAfter

The firebox looked fine, but the smoke chamber and upper flue told a different story. Years of occasional fires had left a thick coat of fine soot that was starting to flake, and the chimney was drafting slow enough that the carbon monoxide detector near the fireplace had chirped once the week before. We swept and brushed the entire system, vacuumed the smoke chamber and firebox, and verified the draft with a smoke test. The homeowner told us the fireplace pulled better than it had in years.

Fireplace Smoke Stains and a Stubborn Downdraft in Sugar Land

The complaint was smoke rolling into the room every time the fire got going, and the brick face above the opening had already started to darken. The flue was partially clogged and the cap was the wrong size for the chimney, so every gust pushed smoke back down. We cleaned the full system, corrected the cap, and the smoke cleared. The before photos show the streaks on the brick; the after photos show a clean face and a fire that draws the way it should.

Pre-Winter Clean and Inspection on a 1990s Build in Clear Lake

This homeowner booked a sweep and inspection because they wanted fires through the holidays without worrying about what was inside the flue. The chimney had not been touched since the house was built, and the camera showed a layer of creosote with a couple of cracked flue tiles near the top. We swept it clean and flagged the tile cracks with photos and a written repair recommendation, no pressure, just the evidence. The chimney is now safe for the season, and the homeowner has the images to prove the tiles are on the list for spring.

Want Results Like These?

Every job gets a written price before any work starts, and every job comes with our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If a repair we make fails inside the guarantee period, we return and fix it at no charge. You get the camera photos either way. Call (903) 961-6496 to book a sweep or inspection, and you can reach a live person any hour, any day.

Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Houston, serving Houston since 2002.