A Ashby company - serving Austin, TX

Before & After Gallery - Ashby Chimney Austin

Every visit starts with

Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed

Worth knowing

Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.

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Chimney Cleaning Before & After in Austin, TX

Most Austin homeowners have never seen the inside of their own flue. That’s the whole point of what we do at Ashby Chimney Austin. Every sweep includes camera footage and photos, so you’re not taking anyone’s word for it. You see the creosote before we touch it, and you see the clean flue when we’re done. Here’s what that actually looks like.

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Styles & brands we work with

Recent Transformations

Stage 3 Creosote Removal in a 1980s Hyde Park Fireplace

Before — Stage 3 glazed creosote before removal (left) and the same flue liner after sweeping (right).

After — Stage 3 glazed creosote before removal (left) and the same flue liner after sweeping (right).

The homeowner had bought a Hyde Park bungalow and inherited a fireplace that hadn’t been swept in at least a decade. The flue liner was coated in Stage 3 glazed creosote, the kind that looks like tar baked onto the clay and doesn’t brush off with a standard sweep. We used mechanical removal tools to break the glaze down without damaging the liner, then ran a full chimney sweep to clear the debris. The after photo shows clean clay tile with no visible deposit left behind, and the homeowner got the camera stills to keep. Catching it at that stage meant no liner replacement was needed, which is exactly why we tell people to look before they assume the worst.

Heavy Soot Buildup in a Cedar Park Two-Story

This Cedar Park home had a wood-burning fireplace the family used every winter for six years without a sweep. The smoke chamber, that angled section above the damper most people never see, was packed with fine black soot to the point where it was starting to affect draft. We removed roughly two gallons of soot and creosote, swept the full flue, and vacuumed every surface in the firebox. The result: a clean smoke chamber and noticeably better draw the first time they lit a fire. No liner damage, no masonry issues, just years of normal buildup that needed to go.

Bird Nest Extraction from an Unlined Flue in Travis Heights

Chimney swifts are common in Austin’s older neighborhoods, and this Travis Heights home had a chimney cap that had rusted through years earlier. A full nest, twigs and all, was resting on the smoke shelf. We removed the nest material, swept the flue, and the homeowners had us install a proper chimney cap to keep it from happening again. The after photo shows a clear flue opening and a cap in place. We didn’t recommend any liner work, because the flue itself was sound once the obstruction was gone.

Rain-Damaged Creosote in a Round Rock Rental Property

Professional technician performing a chimney sweep with a wire brush. — Dripping, rain-soaked creosote stains (left) and the cleaned firebox and flue (right).

A Round Rock landlord brought us in between tenants because the fireplace smelled, especially after rain. Without a cap, water had been running down the flue and mixing with creosote, creating an acidic paste that dripped down onto the firebox floor. It looked worse than it was. We swept the flue, cleaned the firebox, and recommended a simple rain cap to stop the water at the top. Six months later, no smell, no stains, and the landlord added a chimney sweep to the turnover checklist. Sometimes the fix really is that direct.

Smoky Fireplace in an Anderson Mill Home with a Partially Collapsed Clay Liner

Professional technician cleaning a chimney flue with a rotary brush — Fractured clay flue liner discovered during inspection (left) and the same flue after relining (right).

The owners called because smoke was backing into the living room. Our camera inspection found the real problem: a section of clay flue liner had cracked and shifted, narrowing the flue and blocking the draft. This one wasn’t just a cleaning call. We relined the flue with a DuraFlex stainless steel liner, sized to the existing fireplace, and the smoke problem disappeared. The before and after photos tell the whole story: a collapsed clay tile versus a smooth steel liner doing its job. We showed the homeowners the camera feed before recommending anything, because nobody should agree to a liner without seeing the proof.

Want Results Like These?

If your chimney’s never been swept, or you can’t remember when, the camera will show you what’s actually in there. You get flat written pricing before any work starts and photos when we’re finished. Call Ashby Chimney Austin at (254) 274-4486 and we’ll get you on the schedule.

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

Before & after

See the difference