Chimney and fireplace service in the northwest suburbs
Postwar brick near O'Hare, 1970s homes farther out toward Barrington. One free inspection with photos, and a written price before anything is touched.
Park Ridge is the postwar town of the area. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey puts 34.7 percent of its homes in the 1940s and 1950s, the highest share we found anywhere around Chicago, plus 16.2 percent from before 1940, and its median home dates to 1960. Most of those houses have a brick chimney with a clay-tiled flue that now carries a gas furnace and water heater, and crowns and flue tile that are 65 years old or more.
Farther out the homes get newer quickly. Arlington Heights' median home was built in 1974 and only 4.9 percent of its homes predate 1940; Schaumburg's median is 1979, with 0.9 percent before 1940 and 14.7 percent of homes in three- and four-unit buildings. In these towns we see far more factory-built fireplaces, metal chimneys in framed chases and gas logs than old masonry. Gas is the main heat for 85.6 percent of Park Ridge homes, 78.5 percent in Arlington Heights and 80.1 percent in Schaumburg.
Living next to O'Hare's weather record
O'Hare is the official long-term station for the area, and its NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals describe these winters well: 38.4 inches of snow, about 121 nights a year at or below freezing and about 43 days that never get above it. Take one from the other and you get about 78 days a year when the temperature crosses the freezing line, a derived figure but a useful one. O'Hare also averages about 6.5 nights a year at or below zero.
Lake-effect snow reaches this side of the county now and then. In February 2019 Palatine and Wheeling each reported 7.0 inches, and in January 2026 Park Ridge measured 3.6 inches while O'Hare officially got 2.6 (NWS Chicago). A crown with one hairline crack lets that melt water in, and each freeze widens it. A minor crown repair typically runs $150 to $700; a major one $600 to $1,500 or more.
When the furnace is replaced and the water heater stays in the chimney
A common Park Ridge and Des Plaines story: the old furnace and the water heater shared one clay flue, then a high-efficiency furnace went in and vents out the side wall. The water heater is left alone in a flue sized for both, its small, cool exhaust stream struggles to draw, and the water vapor condenses on the tile. A liner sized to the water heater fixes the draft and protects the masonry. An aluminum liner, for gas appliances only, typically costs $625 to $2,250, and a stainless steel liner $900 to $3,800.
Factory-built fireplaces from the 1970s on
A factory-built fireplace is tested and listed as a system, so repairs should use the maker's parts and keep its clearances. The trouble spots we see most in Arlington Heights, Palatine, Schaumburg and Buffalo Grove are rusted chase covers, missing caps and gas units that won't stay lit.
- Prefab metal cap, installed: typically $200 to $650
- Custom cap or chase cover: typically $425 to $850
- Pilot assembly: $100 to $350; thermopile or gas valve: $150 to $300
- Gas insert for an existing masonry fireplace: $2,000 to $5,000
FAQ
Northwest Suburbs questions
Our new furnace vents out the side of the house. Does the chimney still matter?
Yes, if the water heater or a boiler still uses it. A single small appliance in a flue built for two often drafts poorly and wets the inside of the chimney. We check what is still connected to each flue and whether it needs a liner sized to it.
Do the northwest suburbs follow Chicago's CO alarm rules?
Chicago's extra requirements are a city ordinance. Outside the city, the Illinois CO alarm law applies: a working alarm within 15 feet of every room used for sleeping in a home with a fireplace, a fuel-burning heater or an attached garage. The state fire marshal notes that local authorities enforce the law and may add their own requirements.
How often should a gas fireplace be checked?
Once a year. NFPA 211 calls for yearly inspection of chimneys, fireplaces and vents, and Nicor Gas advises having gas appliances inspected at least once a year. Our yearly gas fireplace service is priced at the free inspection.
Do you work in Barrington and Lake Zurich?
Yes. We book Sunday to Friday in 3-hour windows, 8 to 11, 11 to 2 or 2 to 5, and we call ahead to confirm before the visit.
Book online
Pick a day. We'll bring a ladder.
Free inspection in a 3-hour window: 8 to 11, 11 to 2, or 2 to 5. We call to confirm before we arrive.