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 Inspection in Fort Worth: What to Know First
We inspect Gelco chimney systems in Fort Worth as an independent Gelco service provider, and a standard Level 2 camera inspection typically runs $249 – $389 depending on flue height and access. Most inspections are completed in 60 – 90 minutes, and you’ll get a written report with photos the same day. If you own a home in Fort Worth with a Gelco liner or Gelco cap system, this page covers what we actually find in the field, what it costs to know where you stand, and when you can safely wait. Call (682) 255-2144 to schedule, and Hank Delano or one of our techs will walk you through exactly what to expect before the ladder hits the house.
How Gelco Products Fail – and How We Fix Them
Gelco makes solid products, but Fort Worth’s freeze-thaw cycles and summer heat expose weak points that don’t show up in a catalog. Here’s what we see on inspection calls across Tarrant County:
- Gelco standard stainless liners – seam stress at the flue offset. Homes in Fairmount, Arlington Heights, and Ryan Place often have flues that jog through old brickwork. The flex points where a Gelco liner bends to match the offset are where we find separation after years of heating and cooling. A camera inspection shows it quickly. Fix is a targeted liner section repair or full reline, depending on how much of the seam has opened.
- Gelco Multi-Flue Cap – screen clogging from cottonwood and live oak. Fort Worth’s late-spring cottonwood blow packs the mesh on multi-flue caps faster than most homeowners expect. When the screen clogs, draft drops and smoke backs into the house. We inspect the cap, clean or replace the screen, and check the cap’s mounting feet for rust at the bolt points.
- Gelco Top-Mount Damper – cable stretch and handle misalignment. The cable that runs from the damper plate down to the handle stretches over time, especially on tall flues in two-story Fort Worth homes. When the handle stops closing tight, you’re losing heated air in winter and pulling attic air down in summer. We adjust or replace the cable during inspection if it’s out of spec.
- Gelco Chase Cover – rust-through at the corners. Chase covers on prefab fireplaces take direct weather. The corners are where moisture sits longest after a Fort Worth thunderstorm, and that’s where pinholes start. We check for rust that’s cosmetic versus rust that’s letting water into the chase. If it’s leaking, we quote a replacement cover with a proper vented collar.
- Gelco Class A pipe – creosote glaze in the first 3 feet above the firebox. This is the hottest zone of the flue, where smoke is still concentrated and turbulence is highest. Gelco pipe holds up structurally, but the interior surface gets a hard glaze that a standard brush won’t remove. We use rotary cleaning heads with carbide chains to strip it back to the metal, then camera-verify before we call it done.
Styles & brands we work with





Our Gelco Chimney Inspection Process
Every Gelco inspection follows a set order. It keeps the job disciplined and makes sure we don’t miss the failure point that a quick glance would skip.
- 1
Call and book. A live person answers, takes your address and the age of the fireplace, and sets a two-hour arrival window. You get a written confirmation with the price before we show up.
- 2
Arrive and set up. Uniformed tech lays drop cloths inside, sets up the camera monitor where you can watch, and confirms the scope and price in writing before any tool comes off the truck.
- 3
External inspection. We check the chase cover, cap, flashing, brick crown, and the Gelco cap or damper assembly from the roof. Photos of everything we touch.
- 4
Internal camera inspection. The camera goes down the full flue length. We’re looking at seam integrity, creosote load, off-gassing damage, and any water staining that indicates a liner breach.
- 5
Written findings and decision. You see the footage as it happens. Then we walk through what’s urgent, what can wait a season, and what the fix costs. No pressure to decide on the spot.
- 6
Report and guarantee. A written report with photos lands in your email the same day. If repair work is needed and you book it with us, that repair carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
See the difference
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AfterWhat Gelco Chimney Inspection Costs in Fort Worth
Here’s the honest range for Gelco work in Fort Worth, based on what we’ve quoted across the city in the last year:
- Level 1 Inspection (visual check, no camera): $129 – $179. Included free with most sweep bookings.
- Level 2 Camera Inspection (full flue scan with report): $249 – $389 depending on flue height and roof pitch.
- Level 3 Inspection (when we have to open a wall or partial demo to see the flue interior): $750 – $1,400+ depending on access. This is rare, but we’ll tell you plainly if it’s needed and why.
- Camera-only add-on for a Level 1 when the tech sees something questionable: $89 – $129.
What moves the price: two-story roof access, steep pitch requiring harness work, a flue over 30 feet, or a chase cover that needs removal to inspect underneath. Nothing gets added without your written approval first. Call (682) 255-2144 for an exact quote on your Gelco system. The estimate is free and there’s no obligation to book.
Why Fort Worth Homeowners Call Flint Chimney Co Fort Worth for Gelco Work
We’ve been doing this since 2002 as part of the Garrison Partners family, and the Garrison Standard is simple: written price before the work, written guarantee after it, and a real person on the phone day or night. That matters when you’ve got a Gelco system and you’re not sure whether the last company actually looked at the flue or just charged you to look at the fireplace. Our techs work with Gelco parts daily and we keep quality aftermarket alternatives on the truck when OEM doesn’t make sense for the job. If a Gelco component isn’t the right fix, we’ll tell you, and we’ll name the alternative, whether it’s a DuraFlex liner section or a HeatShield resurfacing job. Hank Delano’s rule on every Gelco inspection is the same one he’s run crews on for two decades in Fort Worth: if it’s not clean and it’s not safe, we’re not done.
FAQs
No. An inspection does not void a Gelco warranty. In fact, Gelco’s warranty documentation expects regular inspection and cleaning, and a camera report from an independent company like ours gives you documentation if a warranty claim ever comes up. We photograph everything and write the report the same day.
A Level 2 camera inspection on a Gelco system in Fort Worth takes 60 – 90 minutes from setup to finished report. Roof access, flue height, and whether the cap needs removal can add time, but you’ll know the exact window before we start.
Both, and the choice depends on the part. For critical liner sections and caps, we use OEM Gelco when the model is current and the part fits the system. For older Gelco components that are discontinued or priced far above the value of the repair, we use quality aftermarket parts from brands we stand behind, like DuraFlex for liner sections and HeatShield for resurfacing. You’ll see the part, the brand, and the price in writing before it goes in.
If it’s been more than a year since the last sweep, or you’ve just bought the home, or you’ve noticed smoke backing up, a Level 2 camera inspection is the right call. A sweep removes creosote but doesn’t show you a cracked liner or a separated seam. The camera does. In Fort Worth, where we get hard freezes followed by hot summers, liner stress shows up faster than in milder climates.
Yes. If the camera shows a separated seam or a localized crack, we quote the repair in writing before any work begins. For liner failures that are too extensive, we recommend a full reline, and we’ll show you the camera footage so you can see exactly why replacement beats patching. Every repair we perform comes with the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if a covered repair fails within one year, we return at no charge.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner, Flint Chimney Co Fort Worth at Flint Chimney Co Fort Worth, serving Fort Worth and nearby areas.