BrightHearth Chimney sweeps, inspects, repairs, and rebuilds chimneys and fireplaces across Duval County. Licensed technicians, straight answers, and a truck that shows up when you call — day or night.
Most chimney damage in Jacksonville doesn't come from a single dramatic event — it comes from a hundred quiet ones. Gulf humidity works into mortar joints. Summer thunderstorms push rain past a cracked crown. Spring pollen and nesting season leave more in a flue than most homeowners expect. By the time smoke backs up into the room or a stain appears on the ceiling, the damage has usually been building for a season or two.
BrightHearth Chimney was built around a simple idea: a chimney is a system, not a stack of bricks. We look at the full path smoke and moisture actually take — from the crown and cap down through the flue, past the smoke chamber, and into the firebox — and we tell you plainly what needs attention now, what can wait, and what's simply fine. No inflated inspection reports, no pressure to buy a full reline when a repair will do.
From a routine annual sweep to a full masonry rebuild after storm damage, our crews carry the tools and parts to finish most jobs in a single visit.
Creosote and soot removal that meets NFPA 211 standards, with a before-and-after look at your flue.
See sweeping details →Level 1, 2, and 3 inspections for real estate closings, insurance claims, and annual maintenance.
See inspection tiers →Crown repair, tuckpointing, flashing, and full brick rebuilds for chimneys damaged by age or weather.
See repair work →Stainless steel and cast-in-place liners that correct undersized, cracked, or unlined flues.
See relining options →Lint removal and airflow testing for dryer vents — a leading cause of residential house fires.
See dryer vent service →Vapor-permeable sealant and custom-fabricated caps that stop the Florida rain where it starts.
See protection options →Call, text, or use the contact form. Emergency calls involving smoke, odor, or blockage are dispatched the same day.
Your technician inspects the crown, cap, flashing, flue, damper, and firebox, and photographs anything worth showing you.
You get a written price before any work starts — separated into what's urgent, what's recommended, and what's optional.
Most sweeps, inspections, and repairs finish in one visit. We walk you through exactly what was done.
They found a cracked crown before it turned into a bigger repair, and the price they quoted was the price we paid. No upsell, just honest work.
— Riverside, Jacksonville
Called at 9pm when we smelled smoke after a storm. A technician was at the house within the hour and walked us through everything he checked.
— San Marco, Jacksonville
We needed a Level 2 inspection for a home sale in three days. BrightHearth had the report to us with time to spare.
— Ortega, Jacksonville
Our dryer vent had been ignored for years by the last owners. They cleared it, showed us the lint they pulled, and it runs faster now.
— Mandarin, Jacksonville
BrightHearth Chimney runs crews throughout Duval County and into neighboring communities. If you're not sure whether you're in range, call us — chances are we're already working in your neighborhood.
We're a Jacksonville-based crew of chimney sweeps and masons who treat every fireplace like the one thing standing between a cold night and a house fire — because, functionally, it is.
BrightHearth Chimney was founded in Jacksonville by technicians who spent years working for chimney companies that treated every inspection as a sales pitch. We started this company to do the opposite: show the homeowner exactly what the camera sees, explain what it means in plain terms, and price only the work that actually needs doing.
That approach has shaped everything since — from how we train new hires, to how we write estimates, to the fact that our dispatch line answers at 2am just as reliably as it does at 2pm. A chimney problem rarely waits for business hours, and we don't think our customers should have to either.
Today, our crews cover sweeping, inspection, masonry repair, relining, and dryer vent service across Duval County and the surrounding communities, working out of our shop at 422 N Jefferson St in downtown Jacksonville.
Every inspection includes camera footage or photos of what we found. You see the same thing your technician sees — not just a summary.
We separate recommendations into "needs attention now" and "worth watching," so you can budget accordingly instead of facing one big number.
Drop cloths, shoe covers, and a HEPA-filtered vacuum on every sweep — soot stays in the flue and the bag, not on your floor.
24/7 means 24/7. Our on-call technicians rotate so there's always someone who can pick up and triage an emergency.
Every technician who climbs a ladder for BrightHearth Chimney is trained to CSIA-aligned standards for sweeping, inspection, and venting systems, and our crews carry full liability coverage and workers' compensation. We also stay current with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 211) guidance, which shapes how we assess creosote buildup, clearance to combustibles, and flue lining condition.
Started with a single truck focused on sweeping and inspections for historic Riverside and Avondale homes.
Brought tuckpointing, crown repair, and stainless liner installation in-house instead of subcontracting.
24/7 emergency dispatch, same-week scheduling, and a shop stocked for most repairs in a single visit.
Below is the full scope of what BrightHearth Chimney handles across Jacksonville and Duval County. If you don't see your exact issue listed, call us — most chimney problems fall under one of these categories.
Creosote is a byproduct of burning wood, and it builds up inside a flue every time you use your fireplace. Left alone, it hardens into a flammable glaze that's a leading cause of chimney fires — and in Jacksonville's humid climate, it can also trap moisture against the flue liner. We recommend a professional sweep at least once a year for regular wood-burning fireplaces, and after any season where the fireplace saw heavy use.
Our sweeps follow NFPA 211 guidelines: we cover your hearth and surrounding furniture, use a HEPA-filtered vacuum to contain dust, and clear soot and creosote from the smoke chamber, damper, and full length of the flue. Before we pack up, we run a camera down the flue so you can see the result — not just take our word for it.
Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) guidelines define three levels of inspection, and we perform all three. A Level 1 inspection covers the readily accessible parts of the chimney and is right for a chimney that's been used normally with no changes. A Level 2 inspection adds a video scan of the flue interior and is required before a home sale, after a chimney fire, or after any appliance or fuel-type change — it's also what most insurers ask for after storm damage. A Level 3 inspection may involve removing sections of masonry or interior finish to examine a suspected hidden hazard, such as a crack behind a wall.
Every inspection ends with a written report, photos or video, and a clear recommendation — not a vague "needs work" note.
Florida's freeze-thaw cycles are mild compared to the north, but our heat, humidity, and heavy rain create their own kind of wear: mortar erosion, spalling brick faces, and chimney crowns that crack under thermal expansion. We repair each of these individually rather than defaulting to a full rebuild when it isn't needed.
Tuckpointing restores eroded mortar joints before water intrusion reaches the flue liner. Crown repair or replacement stops the single most common source of chimney leaks. Flashing repair addresses the metal seal where the chimney meets the roofline — a frequent leak point after Jacksonville's summer storms. When damage is extensive, our masons rebuild affected courses of brick to match your home's existing material and pattern.
A damaged, undersized, or missing flue liner is one of the most serious issues a chimney can have, because it's also one of the least visible from the ground. Cracked clay tiles let heat and combustion byproducts reach the surrounding masonry and framing. Many older Jacksonville homes were also built with flues sized for a different appliance than what's currently installed, which hurts draft and efficiency.
We install stainless steel liners for wood and gas appliances, sized correctly to the connected appliance, and cast-in-place liners for chimneys with irregular or deteriorated flue walls. Every reline is paired with a Level 2 video inspection so you can see the before-and-after difference.
Dryer vent fires are one of the more overlooked house fire risks, caused almost entirely by lint accumulation restricting airflow. If your dryer takes noticeably longer to finish a load, the room feels hotter than usual while it runs, or you can't remember the last time the vent was cleaned, it's worth having it checked.
We clear lint from the full run of ducting — not just the accessible section behind the machine — and test airflow at the exterior vent afterward to confirm it's clear. This is a quick service that's easy to bundle with a chimney sweep or inspection visit.
Water is the single biggest long-term threat to a masonry chimney, and it usually gets in through one of three places: a missing or ill-fitting cap, a cracked crown, or porous, unsealed brick. We address each. Custom stainless steel or copper caps keep out rain, debris, and animals looking for a nesting spot. Vapor-permeable masonry sealant repels rain while still allowing trapped moisture to escape, which prevents the freeze-thaw and heat-cycle spalling common with non-breathable sealants.
Smoke backing up into the room, an unfamiliar burning smell, a chimney fire that's already been extinguished, storm damage exposing the flue, or an animal trapped inside the chimney — these don't wait for business hours, and neither do we. Our on-call dispatch line is answered around the clock, every day of the year, and emergency calls are prioritized ahead of routine scheduling.
If you ever suspect an active chimney fire, call 911 first. Once the fire department has confirmed it's safe, call us for the follow-up inspection and repair before you use the fireplace again.
The CSIA and NFPA recommend an annual inspection for every chimney, and a sweep whenever creosote buildup or soot warrants it — typically every year for a regularly used wood-burning fireplace, and less frequently for gas appliances, which still need periodic inspection.
Yes. Gas appliances don't produce creosote the way wood fires do, but the flue, cap, and venting still need to be checked for blockages, animal nests, and deterioration that could allow carbon monoxide to enter the home.
A Level 2 inspection includes a video scan of the interior flue and is typically required for home sales, after a chimney fire, after severe weather, or whenever you change fuel type or appliance. It's more thorough than the routine Level 1 inspection.
Common signs include rust on the firebox or damper, a white staining called efflorescence on the exterior brick, a musty odor, crumbling mortar, or stains on the ceiling or walls near the chimney. Any of these are worth a professional look.
Yes — our dispatch line is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. Emergency calls involving smoke, odor, or suspected fire damage are prioritized immediately.
Yes. Our Level 2 inspection reports include photos or video and a written assessment formatted to support homeowner's insurance claims after storm or fire damage.
Call anytime for an emergency, or send a message below for scheduling and general questions. We typically respond to messages within one business day.
(728) 241-2197 — answered 24/7
422 N Jefferson St
Jacksonville, FL 32202, USA
| Emergency dispatch | 24/7 |
| Scheduled appointments | Every day, by request |
For active emergencies, please call rather than submit the form — it gets you a faster response.