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 Atlanta Homeowners Choose Gelco Chimney Cleaning
We provide Gelco in Atlanta for independent chimney cleaning, inspection, and repair, from intown bungalows to suburban homes built in the 1990s. Our technicians have worked on Gelco Flex-Liner and Rigid Liner systems for over a decade, and we keep a service database of how these products actually fail in Atlanta’s humidity, pine pollen, and storm cycles. Ashby Chimney Atlanta is not affiliated with or authorized by Gelco. We’re an independent service provider, which means we recommend what’s actually right for your flue, not what a manufacturer’s program dictates. Call (678) 263-7908 for a written estimate before any work begins.
What makes our Gelco work different is simple. We see the same failure patterns repeating across Atlanta neighborhoods, and we’ve learned to diagnose them faster than a generalist who only touches a Gelco liner once a season. Most Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Dunwoody, GA and across Atlanta runs between $189 and $329, depending on liner type, creosote stage, and access. You’ll get that price in writing before we touch a brush.
Why Trust Ashby Chimney Atlanta for Your Gelco Chimney Cleaning?
Nathan Corliss, owner at Ashby Chimney Atlanta, learned the trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College before deciding chimneys suited him better than the California sun. He’s been working flues and fireboxes for going on two decades, and for the last several years he and his crew have been the ones Atlanta homeowners call, from Buckhead bungalows to older places out near Grant Park where the masonry hasn’t been touched since the Carter administration.
Here’s what that means for your Gelco system specifically. We know the Flex-Liner series tends to kink at offset bends when Atlanta’s winter-to-summer temperature swings cause thermal expansion. We know Rigid Liner joints separate when older intown foundations settle. And we know Gelco cap screens clog faster here than almost anywhere else because Atlanta’s pine pollen is relentless from March through May. That field knowledge means we don’t waste your time or money guessing. We open the flue, put a camera up, show you what we see, and tell you plainly whether the liner can be cleaned or needs attention.
Every Gelco service call includes a written price before work starts and a written guarantee when we finish. If a covered repair fails inside the guarantee period, we return at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s part of the Kingswell Guarantee that backs every Ashby Chimney Atlanta job. Phones are answered by a live person 24/7, so you’re not leaving a voicemail when creosote is building up in your Gelco liner.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Fix in Atlanta
- Flex-Liner kinking at offset bends. Gelco Flex-Liner is built to flex, but Atlanta’s thermal expansion cycles work the metal at 30 and 45-degree offsets. Over several seasons, the liner corrugations compress unevenly, creating a kink that hangs onto creosote and restricts draft. We see it most often in two-story homes where the flue takes a jog to reach the roofline. The fix is usually a liner section replacement with corrected support bracket spacing, not a full reline.
- Rigid liner joint separation from settling foundations. Older homes in Virginia-Highland, Inman Park, and Grant Park sit on soil that shifts. When the foundation settles even a quarter inch, rigid liner sections can pull apart at the joints, letting combustion gases leak into the chimney cavity. We find this with a camera inspection, and we’ll show you the separation on screen before recommending any repair.
- Gelco cap screen clogging with Atlanta pine pollen and creosote. The mesh on Gelco caps is fine enough to keep embers in, which also means it catches pine pollen, creosote flakes, and the cotton-like fuzz from Atlanta’s tree-heavy neighborhoods. Once the screen loads up, smoke blows back into the living room. Cleaning the cap screen is part of our standard sweep, but in spring, some Morningside and Druid Hills homes need a mid-season screen scrub to keep draft strong.
- Termination kit flashing leaks after Atlanta thunderstorms. Summer storms in Atlanta hit hard and fast. When Gelco termination kits were installed with standard roofing caulk instead of a proper storm collar and high-temp sealant, the flashing loosens within a few seasons. We correct the flashing, set the storm collar with a water-tight mechanical seal, and check the decking under the shingles so the leak doesn’t rot anything structural.
- Creosote shelves forming below damaged liner sections. Any dip, kink, or separated joint in a Gelco liner creates a ledge where creosote builds. Atlanta’s humid climate keeps that creosote damp and sticky, which makes it harder to remove and more likely to ignite. During our cleaning, we specifically target these shelves with the right-sized rotary brush and document the before-and-after with photos so you can see exactly what we removed.
Gelco Parts & Our Repair-vs-Replace Approach
We use genuine Gelco replacement parts when your liner or cap is still under warranty and the part is structural. If a separation joint needs a Gelco-specific coupler, we’ll source it. If a cap base is cracked but the mesh and lid are sound, we’ll get the exact Gelco cap model rather than retrofitting something close.
When the liner or cap is past warranty, or when Gelco’s part won’t hold up to Atlanta’s humidity and storm cycles as well as a premium aftermarket alternative, we say so. We stock aftermarket stainless steel liners and caps that match or exceed Gelco specs for Atlanta’s climate. The honest line on repair versus replace: we recommend liner replacement over patching when the metal has thinned below 0.005 inches or has more than two kinks. Patching a liner that thin is just buying time, and you’ll pay for another visit in eighteen months. Tell me the price first, then tell me why, that’s the only way we know how to do it. Call (678) 263-7908 and we’ll put the numbers in writing.
Our Gelco Service Process – Step by Step
- 1
Diagnosis. We run a camera up your Gelco liner before any brush touches the flue. We’re looking for kinks, joint gaps, creosote shelves, and cap screen loading. You watch the footage with us. If we find damage, we explain what it means and quote a repair price on the spot.
- 2
Cleaning or repair. For a standard Gelco sweep, we use a rotary brush sized to your liner’s inner diameter, then hand-scrape any creosote shelves the brush can’t reach. For repairs, we pull the damaged section, install genuine Gelco parts if applicable, or fit premium aftermarket stainless steel that’s cut and sealed for Atlanta’s weather.
- 3
Test and verify. After cleaning or repair, we run a draft test and a smoke test to confirm the flue pulls correctly. If you have a Gelco termination kit, we check the flashing and storm collar seal, then photograph the finished work.
- 4
Written guarantee. Every Gelco repair comes with the Kingswell Guarantee in writing. If it fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge. Nothing verbal, nothing vague.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterGelco Products We Service & Install in Atlanta
We service and install the full Gelco range you’ll find in Gelco Chimney Cleaning in North Atlanta, GA homes. Gelco Flex-Liner series for flues with offsets and odd angles. Gelco Rigid Liner series for straight runs and replacement of cracked clay tile. Gelco Chimney Cap models for spark protection, rain exclusion, and animal intrusion. Gelco Termination Kits for factory-built fireplaces and direct-vent systems. We keep common Gelco cap bases, storm collars, and couplers stocked locally for faster turnaround, though older or discontinued models may need to be ordered. During the estimate, we’ll tell you exactly what’s in stock and what has to ship.
We Also Service These Brands
Gelco is one of several liner and cap brands we work with every week. We also service and install DuraFlex liners and HeatShield resurfacing systems, along with other chimney-trade products from Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield. If your chimney has mixed-brand components, that’s common in Atlanta, and we’ll diagnose the whole system, not just one brand’s parts.
FAQs – Gelco Chimney Cleaning Service in Atlanta
No. We’re an independent Gelco service provider. That’s deliberate. We’re not bound by a manufacturer’s program, so our recommendations cover what your flue actually needs, including aftermarket parts when they’re better suited to Atlanta’s humidity and storm cycles.
Yes. Gelco Flex-Liners come in several inner diameters, and running an oversized brush through a corrugated liner wears down the metal and can snag at kinks. We measure the liner before every sweep and use a brush sized to that inner diameter. An undersized brush leaves creosote in the corrugation valleys, which builds a shelf faster in Atlanta’s damp air. Call (678) 263-7908 and we’ll size it right the first time.
Atlanta’s spring pine pollen is the main culprit. From March through May, the air carries a heavy yellow pollen load that sticks to damp creosote on cap screens. Add in the cotton-like seed fluff from trees in Morningside and Druid Hills, and a Gelco cap screen that would stay clear in a drier city can load up in six weeks here. Our cleaning includes a screen scrub, and we recommend a seasonal check for homes with heavy tree canopy.
Sometimes, but only after a camera inspection. A chimney fire can warp a Gelco liner without leaving a visible crack, and the inner corrugation can separate enough to leak gases. If we see more than two kinks or thinning below 0.005 inches, replacement is the honest call. If damage is limited to one section, we’ll replace that segment with a coupler and leave the rest of the liner intact. We’ll show you the footage before we quote anything.
Not the kits themselves. The failure we see is in the installation, specifically the flashing caulk. Atlanta’s summer thunderstorms dump rain fast, and if the termination kit was sealed with standard roofing caulk instead of a high-temp mechanical seal and storm collar, water gets under the flashing within a few seasons. We re-seal Gelco termination kits with materials rated for both heat and sustained water exposure, then check the decking below for rot. Call (678) 263-7908 for a free estimate on a reseal.
Most Gelco chimney cleanings in Atlanta run between $189 and $329. The spread depends on liner type (rigid is usually faster to clean than corrugated flex), creosote stage, cap screen condition, and whether we’re adding a camera inspection. We include our Chimney Sweep services camera inspection with every first-time Gelco cleaning because it shows us what we’re dealing with and shows you what you’re paying for. Call (678) 263-7908 and we’ll give you a written price before the work starts.
Book Your Gelco Service in Atlanta, GA
If you own a home with a Gelco liner, cap, or termination kit in Atlanta, call (678) 263-7908 and we’ll schedule an inspection with a written estimate. Nathan and the crew at Ashby Chimney Atlanta will show up in the window they promised, do the inspection before touching a brush, and leave your fireplace cleaner than we found it.
Written by Nathan Corliss, owner at Ashby Chimney Atlanta, serving Atlanta since 2002.