Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 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.
Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Taylor, TX | Boardwalk Chimney Sweep
We’re an independent chimney crew that services Gelco factory-built fireplaces and gas inserts throughout Taylor, TX (76574). The thing that sets our Gelco work here apart is simple: Taylor’s older downtown homes pair modern Gelco units with 1920s – 40s brick chimneys that were never built with flue liners, and that combination demands a Level 2 inspection before any cleaning happens. We’re not authorized or partnered with Gelco, but we know their equipment and how it ages in Central Texas. Call (877) 274-1247 for a free estimate.
Why Taylor Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
Gelco fireplaces and inserts show up all over Taylor, from the historic brick homes near Main Street to newer construction on the city’s east side. We’ve worked on enough of them to know which components fail first and what’s worth fixing versus replacing. When we service a Gelco unit, we use OEM parts for safety-critical pieces like flue sections, dampers, and caps. Quality aftermarket parts come into play only where fit and function are equivalent and the homeowner wants a more cost-effective fix.
Brent Holloway, our owner, spent years working every kind of flue you find in the Hill Country: clay-tile liners, stainless steel inserts, and the old double-wall metal systems common in lake houses from the eighties. He learned the trade through the HVAC and building systems program at Austin Community College’s Riverside Campus. That background means we diagnose before we clean, and we repair what we inspect.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Taylor
- Rust and joint separation in steel flue liners. Taylor’s long, humid summers and idle fireplaces create conditions where Gelco factory-built steel flues slowly corrode. We find rust at the seams and joints, especially in units that go months between fires.
- Gas insert burners and pilots fouled by dust and insects. A Gelco gas insert that sits dormant from March to November in Taylor is a magnet for dust, spider debris, and the occasional mud dauber. We clean burner ports, pilot assemblies, and venting, then test ignition before we leave.
- Damper and firebox panel warping after sporadic high-heat use. When a Taylor homeowner fires up a Gelco unit for the first time in eight months and runs it hot, thermal stress can warp dampers or crack firebox panels. We see it often enough that we check for it on every cleaning.
- Crushed or clogged caps and spark-arrestor screens. Squirrels and birds move into unused Gelco flues during Taylor’s long off-season. We remove nests, clear the flue, and install new screened caps when the old one’s beyond saving.
- Creosote accumulation that sits unnoticed for years. Taylor fireplaces see light, occasional use, so creosote builds slowly. But slowly doesn’t mean safely. In unlined brick chimneys, creosote combined with Central Texas humidity accelerates mortar degradation and raises fire risk.
Gelco Service in Taylor: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Here’s the thing about Taylor that changes how we approach Gelco service. In the blocks near downtown, many homes still have their original 1920s – 40s brick chimneys, and a lot of those were built with no flue liner at all. If a previous owner added a Gelco insert or factory-built unit into one of those chimneys without relining it first, you’ve got a modern gas appliance venting into an unlined masonry flue. That’s a carbon monoxide and fire hazard, and it’s exactly why we require a Level 2 inspection before we touch the appliance. We need to confirm the flue is properly relined, the clearances are right, and no cracked mortar joints or animal nests are compromising the system. This isn’t a problem you’d find in a newer suburb where every chimney went up with a proper liner from day one. It’s specific to Taylor’s older housing stock, and it’s the reason we won’t do a simple “brush and go” on a Gelco unit in a pre-1940s home.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in Taylor
We work on the full range of Gelco equipment you’ll find in Taylor homes. That includes Gelco factory-built wood-burning fireplaces with steel flues, Gelco gas fireplace inserts, and Gelco inserts with glass door fronts. We also handle multi-flue cap assemblies on newer-construction flues around Taylor’s outskirts. Our parts approach is straightforward: OEM Gelco components for anything safety-critical, and quality aftermarket parts where they perform just as well and cost less. We keep common Gelco-compatible caps, gaskets, and burner components on the truck for faster turnaround in Taylor, which matters when your fireplace is down in December and you actually want to use it.
We also sell and service Gelco equipment. If you need a new unit or a replacement component, see our Gelco sales & service page for more detail.
See the difference
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After
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AfterGelco Service Pricing in Taylor
Chimney cleaning in Taylor typically runs $150 to $300 depending on what we’re working with: a standard sweep on a Gelco factory-built unit lands on the lower end, while a Level 2 inspection or gas insert service pushes toward the higher end because of the extra camera work and testing involved. If your Gelco unit sits in one of Taylor’s older unlined brick chimneys and we need to verify relining before we clean, expect to budget for that inspection separately.
What drives cost here isn’t the cleaning itself. It’s what we find. A crushed cap is a quick, inexpensive fix. A rusted-through flue is not. We’ll show you photos from our camera inspection so you can see exactly what we’re recommending and why. Nothing gets recommended without evidence you can look at yourself. Call (877) 274-1247 for a free estimate on your Gelco service in Taylor.
Serving Taylor, TX — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Taylor area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Taylor
Yes, and we won’t proceed without one. Downtown Taylor has hundreds of homes built between the 1920s and 1940s with original brick chimneys that never had flue liners installed. If a Gelco insert was added to one of those chimneys without a proper reline, the appliance is venting into unlined masonry, which can allow carbon monoxide to seep into the home. A Level 2 inspection uses a camera to verify the flue’s condition, confirm clearances, and check for cracked mortar or animal nests before we do any cleaning or service work. Call (877) 274-1247 to schedule yours.
Nine times out of ten in Taylor, it’s dust and insect debris clogging the burner ports or the pilot assembly. Gelco gas inserts sit dormant for eight months of Central Texas heat, and spiders, dust, and humidity all work their way into the burner and venting. We had one call near downtown Taylor where a Gelco insert’s pilot kept dropping out: the burner ports were packed with debris and the vent cap screen was completely blocked by a squirrel nest. We cleared the flue, cleaned and serviced the burner assembly, and installed a new screened Gelco-compatible cap. The insert lit reliably on the first try. If yours is acting up, call (877) 274-1247.
Yes. Crushed, rusted, or clogged caps are one of the most common Gelco issues we fix in Taylor, largely because squirrels and birds colonize unused flues during the long off-season. We stock Gelco-compatible caps and can usually replace one same-day. If the cap damage came with a nest, we’ll clear the flue first, then install the new cap and verify proper draft before we leave.
Not always. Surface rust on a Gelco steel flue is common in Taylor’s humidity, and if the metal is still structurally sound, a cleaning and inspection may be all you need. But joint separation or rust that’s eaten through the flue wall is not repairable, and we’ll tell you plainly if replacement is the only safe option. We won’t recommend a new flue unless the camera footage shows it’s genuinely compromised. Call (877) 274-1247 and we’ll show you what we see.
Even with light use, once a year is the right interval in Taylor. Creosote builds slowly here, but it doesn’t go away on its own, and the combination of humidity and long idle stretches means dust, insects, and animal activity inside the flue are ongoing issues regardless of how often you light a fire. For gas inserts, annual service matters more for burner and pilot cleanliness than for creosote. A yearly sweep and inspection catches small problems before they become expensive ones. Call (877) 274-1247 to book yours.
Service Areas Near Taylor
Boardwalk Chimney Sweep serves Taylor and the surrounding Central Texas communities. We handle Gelco service across the area, including Lago Vista, Lakeway, Bee Cave, and The Hills. If you’re closer to Austin, check our Gelco service in Austin page. If you’re near Rollingwood, see Gelco service in Rollingwood. For full coverage details, visit our Taylor service area page.
Book Your Gelco Service in Taylor Today
If your Gelco fireplace or insert needs cleaning, inspection, or repair, call us at (877) 274-1247. We’ll get you on the schedule, walk you through what to expect, and give you a straight answer about what your unit actually needs. Free estimates, no obligation, and we’ll show you the camera footage before recommending any work.
Written by Brent Holloway, Owner at Boardwalk Chimney Sweep, serving Taylor and Central Texas with factory-spec Gelco knowledge and straight answers.