A Hearthstone company - serving Elizabeth, NJ

Before & After Gallery - Hearthstone Chimney Co.

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.

Styles & brands we work with

Before & after – our own jobs

Before - Recent Project — Recent Project

Before - Full Restoration — Full Restoration

After - Full Restoration — Full Restoration

Before - Complete Upgrade — Complete Upgrade

After - Complete Upgrade — Complete Upgrade

Chimney Cleaning Before & After in Elizabeth, NJ

We’ve been cleaning chimneys in Elizabeth since 1984, and we’ve learned one thing: homeowners don’t need another lecture on fire safety. They need to see what a proper sweep actually removes from their flue, and what their fireplace looks like when it’s done right. These projects show the difference between a flue that’s burning clean and one that’s burning your house down slow.

Call (908) 923-3159

Recent Transformations

Stage 3 Creosote Removal - Elmora Neighborhood

Before: thick black glazed creosote coating flue tiles in Elizabeth home — Before: Glazed creosote baked onto flue tiles, reducing draft and creating a chimney fire hazard.

After: flue tiles restored to original terracotta after professional creosote removal — After: Flue tiles restored to original condition with full draft restored.

The homeowner in Elmora smelled something acrid every time they ran their fireplace, but the fire still drew. We found Stage 3 glazed creosote - that shiny, tar-like layer that standard brushes skip right over. We used mechanical removal with a rotary poly whip, followed by a chemical treatment to break down the residue. The flue went from roughly 40% blocked to full open diameter. No more smell, no more hazard, and the fireplace draws like it did in 1987.

Fallen Liner Debris & Bird Nest - Westminster Section

Before: collapsed clay liner fragments and nesting material blocking chimney flue — Before: Collapsed clay liner fragments and nesting material blocking the flue entirely.

After: fully cleared flue with visible terracotta tiles and open passage — After: Fully cleared flue with verified open passage from firebox to crown.

A family on Westminster Avenue called because smoke was backing up into their living room within five minutes of lighting a fire. Our camera inspection showed a partially collapsed clay liner shedding flakes, plus a compacted bird nest from the previous spring that had hardened into a dam. We removed the debris, swept the flue, and documented the liner damage with photos the homeowner could see for themselves. The sweep solved the immediate problem; the camera evidence let them decide on liner replacement on their own timeline, not ours.

Heavy Soot Load from Improperly Seasoned Wood - Bayway

Before: thick powder soot coating entire flue surface in Bayway home — Before: Thick powder soot from unseasoned wood reducing flue efficiency by nearly half.

After: clean flue walls with proper draft and no visible residue — After: Soot-free flue with draft restored to manufacturer specification.

This Bayway homeowner burned whatever wood came off the truck, and it showed. The flue was coated in fluffy, high-carbon soot that cut draft efficiency by close to half. We swept with a dual-motor HEPA vacuum system to keep the house clean during the process, then ran a Level-2 camera inspection to confirm we’d reached bare tile throughout. We also left them with a moisture meter reading and a local hardwood supplier’s card. Sometimes the fix is the sweep; sometimes it’s the wood source. We address both.

Chimney Fire Aftermath - Downtown Elizabeth

Before: puffed honeycomb creosote and thermal damage to flue tiles after chimney fire — Before: Puffed creosote and thermal damage following an undetected chimney fire.

After: swept flue with documented tile condition for insurance and repair planning — After: Swept and fully inspected with documented tile condition for next steps.

The caller smelled something “like a campfire that went wrong” the night before but saw no flames. What we found was textbook: puffed, honeycombed creosote that had ignited and smothered itself, plus thermal spider-cracking in several flue tiles. We swept the damaged material clear, documented everything with photos for their insurance adjuster, and gave them a plain-English verdict on which tiles could wait and which needed immediate replacement. No scare tactics. Just photos they could see and a recommendation they could verify.

Neglected Summer-Home Flue - Keighry Head

Before: two years of accumulated debris, moisture staining, and organic growth in unused flue — Before: Two years of moisture intrusion, debris, and organic growth in a rarely used flue.

After: dry, clear flue with new cap recommendation to prevent future moisture entry — After: Dry, clear flue with moisture source identified and addressed.

A Keighry Head property sat empty through two winters while the owner was out of state. Moisture got in past a cracked crown, and by the time they returned, the flue hosted leaf decomposition, a mildew smell, and a squirrel’s unfinished pantry. We cleared it all, swept to bare tile, and identified the crown crack as the entry point. The sweep was straightforward; the crown repair recommendation came with photos and a “this can wait until fall if you cap it now” option. That’s how we work. Photos you can see, a plain-English verdict.

Pre-Listing Inspection Sweep - Peterstown

Before: moderate creosote with evidence of incomplete DIY brushing attempt — Before: Moderate creosote with evidence of a previous incomplete DIY brushing attempt.

After: professionally swept flue with full Level-2 inspection documentation for buyers — After: Professionally swept flue with full inspection documentation for the disclosure packet.

A Peterstown seller had run a hardware-store brush up the flue themselves and called it “recently serviced.” The buyers’ inspector flagged it. We found brush marks on the smoke shelf where the DIY attempt stopped short, plus a half-inch of creosote still clinging above the damper where no homeowner brush reaches. We completed the sweep properly, ran a full Level-2 camera inspection, and provided a dated report with photos for the disclosure packet. The sale closed. The buyers’ attorney later called us for his own house.

Want Results Like These?

Every project here follows the same process: we show up when we say, we document what we find with a camera you can look at with us, and we explain what needs doing now versus what can wait. No surprises on the bill - the number on the estimate is the number on the invoice. If you’re in Elizabeth or anywhere in Union County, call (908) 923-3159. A live person answers, 24 hours a day. We’ll book your sweep, show you what we find, and stand behind the work with our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. Done right - and we stand behind it.

Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Elizabeth since 1984.

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