Gas fireplace service
Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repairLevel 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.
Why Kent Homeowners Choose Gelco Chimney Cleaning
Chimney Sweep Kent provides independent Gelco chimney cleaning, service and repair in Kent, WA. We work on the Gelco stainless liners, caps and fireplace components common in Kent’s older wood-burning chimneys every week, and we handle them as a complete system: we scan the liner, test the damper and inspect the cap before we touch anything. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by or authorized by Gelco. We’re an independent service provider that knows how these parts are built, how they fail in Kent’s wet climate, and how to service them so a homeowner’s existing investment keeps working.
Our technicians have up to experience. Call (866) 942-7714. We answer 24/7.
Why Trust Chimney Sweep Kent for Your Gelco Chimney Cleaning?
Because Gelco liners, caps and dampers fail at their seams, gaskets and screens, and that’s exactly where we look first. When we arrive for a Gelco service call in Kent, we run a Level 2 camera inspection of the liner before sweeping, so we can see the joint condition, the inner crimp and any pitting before we decide what the flue needs. We specify professional-grade materials – the same brands trusted by certified chimney institutes – and we fit quality parts matched to the Gelco assembly that’s already there. Mixing brands at a joint is where most leaks start, and we avoid it.
Warranty-safe service means we don’t cut corners that shift liability back to you. A Gelco cap that only needs a new screen gets a new screen, not a whole new cap. A top-sealing damper with a dry gasket gets gasket service, not a shrug and a quote for a whole damper. When a liner is pitted through, we tell you plainly and back it up with photos so you can see the reason. We show you what we find, explain it in plain language, lay out your options, then you decide. That approach matters more in Kent than in a lot of places, and the next section explains why.
Styles & brands we work with
- Sweep & inspection
- Caps & crowns
- Flue relining
- Masonry repair
- Gas fireplace service
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Fix in Kent
Most Gelco service calls we run in Kent trace back to five problems. Each has a specific cause, and each has a fix that doesn’t always require a full replacement.
- Liner joints loosening or the inner liner crimping. Flexible Gelco relining kits run through a masonry flue in sections, and a sloppy installation can leave a joint loose or crush the inner crimp. Creosote then collects at the seam, where it’s hard to reach with a brush and easy to miss. Kent’s wet climate makes it worse: creosote that stays damp turns acidic and starts eating the stainless at the joint. If your liner was installed by another company, a seam check is the first thing we do.
- Corroded or bird-nested cap screens. A Gelco cap with a stainless screen is built to keep birds and debris out. Screens corrode, screens pack with twigs and seed and lint, and draft drops. A restricted cap pushes smoke back into the firebox on the first cold fire of the season. If you’ve noticed smoke rolling into the room or a weak draft, the cap screen is a common culprit and often fixable without replacing the cap.
- Top-sealing damper gaskets drying out and failing to seat. Gelco top-sealing damper assemblies close the flue with a gasket seal at the top. That gasket is rubber-based, it sits in weather year-round, and after several Kent winters it dries, hardens and stops seating flat. The result is a chimney that leaks cold air and rain into the firebox even when the damper is “closed.” Homeowners usually feel it as a draft before they see it.
- Stainless Gelco liner in direct contact with masonry. An uninsulated stainless liner in a masonry flue touches brick and mortar in spots. In Kent’s damp winters those contact points stay wet, pit the stainless prematurely, and create hot spots in the flue. Insulation wraps the liner and keeps that contact from happening. It’s one of the reasons we check liner insulation on every Gelco assessment in an older masonry chimney.
- Moisture-driven damage on exterior Gelco assemblies. In Kent’s East Hill and Panther Lake neighborhoods, 1960s-70s ranches often have exterior brick chimneys that show white salt staining (efflorescence) from wet winters. On a Gelco-capped chimney, that staining usually points to water getting past a cap base, a damper housing or a mortar joint. We flag efflorescence and spalling early, while it’s still cosmetic, because the fix is cheap at that stage and expensive later.
Gelco Parts & Our Repair-vs-Replace Approach
For Gelco liners, caps and dampers, we favor matching Gelco components where the existing assembly is intact. A joint that matches brand for brand is a joint that seals. Where a Gelco assembly is partly intact, we try to keep it that way rather than talk you into a full new unit. We don’t stock OEM or genuine Gelco parts, and we’ll say so up front; we source quality parts that fit your assembly and match its function, and we tell you exactly what’s being installed.
The repair-or-replace call is straightforward when you see the evidence. A cap screen with corrosion or a nest gets a new screen. A damper with a failed gasket gets gasket service. A liner that shows pitting through the wall gets a documented recommendation for relining, backed by the camera footage. We don’t patch a liner that’s gone, and we don’t replace a cap that just needs a screen. Before we recommend anything major, we also assess whether HeatShield resurfacing can restore the flue for less than a full reline. Call (866) 942-7714 with the symptom you’re seeing and we’ll tell you what it usually means.
Our Gelco Service Process – Step by Step
- 1
Diagnosis. We start with a Level 2 inspection: camera scan of the Gelco liner, a check of the joints and insulation contact, a hand-inspect of the cap screen, and a seating test on the top-sealing damper. We’re looking for the specific failure point before we clean a single flue.
- 2
Repair or install. Once we know which Gelco component is causing the symptom, we fix that component. Gasket service on a damper, a new screen on a cap, a seam repair on a flexible liner, or a documented reline recommendation if the liner is pitted through. Quality parts matched to what’s there.
- 3
Test. We draft-test the firebox, re-seat the damper and confirm the cap is clear before we call the job done. If the draft is still off, we haven’t found the real problem yet and we keep looking.
- 4
Warranty and documentation. You get photos of what we found, the work we did and the parts installed, plus a plain-language note on what to watch for and when to book the next sweep. That record is what protects your existing warranty and makes future service faster.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterGelco Products We Service & Install in Kent
We service the Gelco components we see most in Kent’s older wood-burning chimneys:
- Gelco rigid stainless Class A chimney sections. We inspect joints, check section alignment and confirm proper clearances.
- Gelco flexible stainless relining kits. We scan the liner, verify the joints and insulation, and handle full relining with DuraFlex when a Gelco liner is beyond repair.
- Gelco multi-flue and single-flue chimney caps. We service screens, check the cap base for water intrusion and replace components that have corroded past repair.
- Gelco top-sealing damper assemblies. We test the seal, service or replace gaskets, and confirm the damper seats flat.
We don’t stock Gelco parts and we’re not a Gelco dealer. We service and install with quality parts that fit your assembly.
We Also Service These Brands
Gelco is one system, not the only one. We also service and install DuraFlex liner systems, which we use for full relining jobs, and HeatShield flue resurfacing, which in many cases restores a cracked clay flue without a full reline. If your Kent chimney has mixed brands, older components or a piece that’s been patched before, we work across all of them and we don’t hand you off to a second contractor mid-job. DuraFlex, HeatShield and Gelco are all professional-tier, and all of them work as part of the same chimney system.
FAQs – Gelco Chimney Cleaning Service in Kent
No. Chimney Sweep Kent is an independent Gelco service provider. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by or authorized by Gelco. What we do have is hands-on familiarity with how Gelco liners, caps and dampers are built and where they fail, plus the tools and inspection process to service them correctly. That independence is part of the value – we recommend the fix that’s right for your chimney, not the one that fits a brand program.
Yes. We source quality parts that fit the Gelco assembly you already have, and we favor matching Gelco components where the existing unit is intact. A screen, gasket or cap component that matches the original in fit and function is a better choice than a universal part that needs to be forced into place. We don’t claim to stock OEM or genuine Gelco parts, and we tell you exactly what’s being installed before we install it.
Most Gelco chimney cleaning and inspection calls in Kent take a couple of hours. A sweep plus a Level 2 camera inspection is the usual window. A cap screen or damper gasket replacement adds a bit of time but is straightforward when the component is accessible. A full reline involving Gelco or DuraFlex is a longer project, often a full day or split across two, depending on the flue and the access. We’ll give you a time estimate with the written quote so you can plan around it.
We service Gelco rigid stainless Class A chimney sections, Gelco flexible stainless relining kits, Gelco multi-flue and single-flue chimney caps, and Gelco top-sealing damper assemblies. That covers the Gelco components we see most often in Kent’s older masonry chimneys, both the ones that were installed correctly and the ones that need correction.
Proper service from an independent provider does not void a manufacturer warranty on its own. What voids a warranty is poor workmanship: a crushed crimp on a flexible liner, a component forced into place, unapproved parts mixed into the assembly, or a damaged part hidden under a “repair.” We work warranty-safe on every Gelco call: we document what we find, we match parts where the assembly is intact, and we give you a written record of the work. If you have a warranty question about a specific Gelco product, bring the paperwork and we’ll walk through it with you.
There’s no single number because the scope depends on the flue and the symptom. A standard sweep plus a Level 2 inspection is the baseline; a cap screen or damper gasket adds to the job. A liner that’s pitted through is a reline, and that’s a different scope entirely. We give a written estimate per job, set the price from the estimate, and never pad a simple sweep to cover a bigger repair. Call (866) 942-7714 for a free estimate and we’ll walk you through what your Kent chimney actually needs.
Book Your Gelco Service in Kent, WA
If you’re seeing a draft from a closed damper, smoke coming back into the room, or a symptom you can’t quite place, a Gelco assessment in Kent is the place to start. Call (866) 942-7714 for a free estimate. We answer 24/7, and fast dispatch runs from 7am to 7pm, Sunday through Friday. We’re an independent shop, we work on Gelco as a complete system, and we show you the evidence before you commit to anything.
Written by the team at Chimney Sweep Kent.