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 The Hills, TX | Boardwalk Chimney Sweep
We provide independent Gelco chimney cleaning, cap repair and crown work across The Hills (78738), and most of what we do here isn’t heavy soot removal. It’s pulling acorn caches and live-oak leaves out of dented Gelco caps on tall stone chimneys that rarely fire. That’s the The Hills pattern, and it’s why our Gelco service here runs on inspection, screening and water-intrusion repair more than brush work. Call us at (877) 274-1247 for a free estimate, or keep reading to understand what your chimney actually needs.
Why The Hills Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
Gelco caps, dampers and multi-flue assemblies show up on a lot of the custom stone chimneys built into The Hills’ limestone lots from the nineties through the 2010s. We’ve serviced enough of them, including Gelco in Bee Cave and nearby, to know how they fail here: hail-dented stainless, torn spark screens, gaskets that stick after five months of hundred-degree summer. We’re an independent sweep shop, not affiliated with or authorized by Gelco, so when we tell you a cap needs replacing rather than repair, it’s because the flue collar is cracked or the frame is rusted through, not because a brand program told us to sell parts. Brent Holloway, our owner, has worked nearly every flue type the Hill Country throws at him: clay-tile liners, stainless inserts, the double-wall metal systems from those eighties lake houses. He’s the one who taught us to read a light-use fireplace by what’s packed into the cap rather than what’s on the flue walls.
Call us at (877) 274-1247 and we’ll tell you straight what your Gelco stack needs.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in The Hills
- Hail-dented Gelco multi-flue caps. Spring and fall storm season in The Hills sends wind-driven hail into the wide stainless spans on multi-flue Gelco caps. Dents aren’t always structural, but when a seam splits, that’s an entry point for oak litter and rain. We inspect the seam weld and either straighten and reseal or recommend replacement if the metal’s compromised.
- Torn spark screens at the mesh-to-frame weld. This is the failure we see most on Gelco single-flue rain caps in The Hills. The weld lets go, the mesh pulls away, and acorns plus cedar pollen mat across the screen until draft chokes. We re-screen when the frame is sound and replace the cap when it isn’t.
- Top-sealing damper gaskets that stick part-open. Long hot summers harden the gasket on Gelco top-sealing damper assemblies. The damper doesn’t seat fully, so wind-driven rain and winter cold air slip past the seal. We clean the seat, replace the gasket and test the open-close cycle before we leave.
- Cracked crowns at the cap-to-crown junction. Tall exterior stone chimneys in The Hills heat-cycle hard, even with light use. The mortar crown cracks where the Gelco cap base meets the stone, and water follows the crack into the flue collar. We seal, repoint or recoat the crown depending on how far the cracking runs.
- Nests, leaves and acorn caches inside uncapped or under-screened flues. Oak canopy and cedar pollen blanket The Hills rooftops. If a Gelco cap or screen failed years ago and the fireplace barely runs, nobody notices until the damper won’t open or the smell backs into the house. We clear the flue, confirm draft and set proper screening so it doesn’t come back.
Gelco Service in The Hills: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
The Hills sits in 78738, west of Austin, where large custom homes climb limestone ridges under a live-oak canopy. That’s not just scenery. It means most Gelco-equipped chimneys here are tall, exterior-mounted, stone-clad and multi-flue, and they take weather from every angle. Hail barrels through in spring, wind drives rain sideways in fall, and all year the oaks drop leaves, acorns and fine litter straight onto uncapped or torn-screen flue openings. A Lakeway Gelco service cap that would last twenty years on a sheltered suburban roofline takes a beating here in five. The crown mortar under the cap freezes and thaws less than up north, but it heat-cycles constantly, and hairline cracks at the cap junction are the first place water gets in. We rarely pull heavy creosote in The Hills. We pull debris. Acorn caches, cedar pollen mats, leaf packs. That’s why our Gelco work here centers on cap repair, crown sealing and pest screening rather than aggressive sweeping. If you can smell the smoke inside, the chimney’s already telling you something, worth listening before it gets louder.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in The Hills
We service the Gelco product lines most common on The Hills chimneys: multi-flue stainless chimney caps, single-flue rain caps with spark screens, top-sealing damper assemblies and masonry chimney crown and mortar products. For replacements, we favor OEM Gelco caps, dampers and screens when a direct replacement is available. When OEM isn’t practical for an older or discontinued assembly, we use quality stainless aftermarket equivalents and explain the tradeoff honestly before any work is booked. We stock common cap sizes, screens and gasket kits locally so most Gelco repairs in The Hills don’t wait on a parts order. Full product support and sales run through our Gelco sales & service line.
See the difference
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After
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AfterGelco Service Pricing in The Hills
Gelco chimney cleaning in The Hills typically runs from $180 to $340 depending on flue count, roof access and how much debris has packed into the cap. Cap repair, screen replacement and crown sealing are priced separately after inspection: a re-screen or gasket replacement sits at the lower end, while multi-flue cap replacement on a tall limestone chimney runs higher because of the metal span and the roof work involved. Crown repointing runs $400 to $1,200 based on crack length and material condition. We give flat pricing before work starts, and the estimate includes a camera check of the flue so you see exactly what we see. Call us at (877) 274-1247 for a free estimate, whether it’s a light-use fireplace or a cap that’s been catching oak litter all season.
Serving The Hills, TX — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the The Hills area and know this community well, and we also provide Gelco service in Barton Creek. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Gelco Chimney Cleaning in The Hills
Because the cap’s spark screen is torn, the seam is split, or the cap was never screened properly to begin with. Live oaks drop acorns and leaves year-round in The Hills, and a torn mesh weld is an open invitation for them to land in your flue. We clear the debris, fix or replace the screen and set a cap that keeps the oak litter out, then confirm draft works before we go. Call (877) 274-1247 and we’ll inspect it this week.
It depends on whether the seam or flue collar took damage. Hail dents that haven’t split the stainless or deformed the collar are usually repairable in place. If a seam has opened or the metal is creased enough to catch water, replacement is the honest call. We inspect the dent pattern, check the seam weld and show you photos before making a recommendation.
It’s a water-intrusion issue, not a sweeping issue. The crown mortar cracks at the cap-to-stone junction from heat cycling, and that crack channels rain into the flue collar and down the masonry. Cleaning won’t fix it. We repoint or recoat the crown, reset the cap and seal the junction so water stays out.
We use OEM Gelco caps, dampers and screens whenever a direct replacement is available. When OEM isn’t practical for an older or discontinued assembly, we offer quality stainless aftermarket equivalents and explain the material difference honestly. The goal is a cap and damper that seal correctly for the next decade, not the next inspection.
Yes, and light use is exactly why. An outdoor fireplace that rarely runs accumulates oak litter, cedar pollen and sometimes a nest without anyone noticing, and the cap or crown that fails quietly lets water into the flue all year. A quick inspection catches screen tears and crown cracks before they turn into liner damage. Call (877) 274-1247 and we’ll schedule it around your next trip to the house.
Service Areas Near The Hills
Our Gelco chimney and cap service covers the entire The Hills service area, and we regularly run routes into Lakeway, Bee Cave, Barton Creek and Lago Vista. For Gelco work along the north side of the lake, see Gelco service in Elgin, and for homes west toward the Pedernales, Gelco service in Briarcliff covers that corridor. If you’re in 78738 or within a short drive, we’ll get your chimney on the schedule.
Book Your Gelco Service in The Hills Today
Whether your Gelco cap is dented, your screen is torn or you just want a straight answer about what’s packed into the flue, call us at (877) 274-1247 for a free estimate. We run The Hills routes weekly and can usually get your inspection on the books faster than you’d expect.
Written by Brent Holloway, Owner at Boardwalk Chimney Sweep, serving The Hills and the Lake Travis area.