Chimney and fireplace service in Des Plaines
Four in ten Des Plaines homes were built in the 1950s and 1960s. We inspect the chimney for free and give you a written price before any work.
Des Plaines grew from a railroad stop by the river into a city in 1925, then grew fast after World War II and the opening of O'Hare next door. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey counts 20.9 percent of its 23,856 homes as built in the 1950s and 22.5 percent in the 1960s, with a median year built of 1966. Only 8.9 percent predate 1940.
Gas heats 84.8 percent of homes. In a 1950s or 1960s brick ranch the chimney almost always handles the furnace and water heater as well as any fireplace, and those clay flues are now 60 to 70 years old. The free inspection covers every flue, from the roof and from below, with photos and a written price.
Postwar brick and orphaned water heaters
The most common chimney problem we see in postwar houses isn't visible from the street. When a furnace is replaced with a high-efficiency model, it gets its own plastic vent out the side wall, and the water heater is left alone in a clay flue sized for two appliances. Its exhaust cools before it reaches the top, condenses and eats at the tile and mortar.
The usual fix is a liner sized to the water heater. An aluminum liner for gas appliances typically runs $625 to $2,250 and a stainless liner $900 to $3,800, and removing old broken clay tiles first $500 to $2,500. Chicago's ordinance doesn't apply in Des Plaines, but Illinois law does: a CO alarm within 15 feet of every sleeping room in any home with fuel-burning appliances.
Brick, freeze-thaw and the airport's numbers
Des Plaines sits right beside O'Hare, so the airport's NOAA 1991–2020 normals describe its winters directly: about 38.4 inches of snow, 121 nights at or below freezing and roughly 78 days that freeze and thaw (derived). Fittingly, the village's first president, Franklin Whitcomb, was a local brick manufacturer.
Freeze-thaw shows up as cracked crowns, loose top courses and eroded mortar joints. Tuckpointing typically runs $500 to $2,500, a new poured crown $1,000 to $3,000 and rebuilding the top few feet with a crown $600 to $1,000.
Where we work in Des Plaines
Downtown Des Plaines · Cumberland · Riverview · Orchard Place · Lake Opeka · Rand Park · Lee Street · North Des Plaines
FAQ
Des Plaines chimney questions
Our new furnace vents out the side. Is the water heater still safe in the chimney?
Sometimes, but the flue is often now too big for the water heater alone, and the exhaust condenses inside it. We check the draft, the flue size and the tile condition at the free inspection and tell you whether a liner is needed.
How much does a chimney cleaning cost in Des Plaines?
We price it at the free inspection, after seeing the flue, and you have it in writing before any work. We book Sunday to Friday in 3-hour windows and call to confirm.
Does Des Plaines follow Chicago's carbon monoxide rules?
Chicago's stricter ordinance covers the city itself. In Des Plaines, Illinois law applies: a working CO alarm within 15 feet of every room used for sleeping in a home with fuel-burning appliances, a fireplace or an attached garage.
Who do I call if I smell gas?
Leave the house, then call Nicor Gas at 888-642-6748 and 911 from outside.
Book online
Book in Des Plaines. The inspection is free.
Free inspection in a 3-hour window: 8 to 11, 11 to 2, or 2 to 5. We call to confirm before we arrive.