Sierra Madre fireplace cleaning, upkeep and upgrades

Sierra Madre, the small foothill city at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains

Sierra Madre is the town Ember Craft Solutions puts first, and our visits here center on the fireplace itself. We clean the firebox down to the brick, brush the flue up to the cap, and check the damper, firebrick and hearth. Where a fireplace now runs on gas logs, we clean the burner and glass and set the logs where the maker placed them. If you are weighing a new surround or an insert, we can measure the opening during the same visit. Your notes sort the findings into three groups: work needed before the next fire, routine upkeep, and choices about looks or heat.

ZIP codes: 91024, 91025

Arcadia, from the Santa Anita Oaks area up to Highland Oaks

Plenty of Arcadia properties have been renovated or rebuilt, so the fireplace in front of us may be an original masonry firebox or a factory-built unit from the latest remodel. We work out which one it is before cleaning, because each takes different brushes, parts and clearance rules. A factory-built unit gets checked against its label. A masonry firebox gets a look at the firebrick and the mortar joints inside the opening. If you plan a new surround or a gas insert, we record the opening size and the flue condition so the plan fits what is there. When a home has two fireplaces, the notes cover each one on its own.

ZIP codes: 91006, 91007, 91066, 91077

Monrovia, from Old Town up to the canyon streets below the mountains

Monrovia's Old Town district and foothill streets hold homes from the early 1900s through recent construction, so a fireplace here could date from almost any decade. On an older brick firebox, we look at the firebrick, the damper and the mortar inside the opening before we suggest any change. If a joint needs repair, we use a mortar soft enough for older brick. On a newer unit, we clean the glass, check the door gaskets and confirm the vent is clear. Thinking about an insert? We measure the opening and the flue, then explain which fuel type and size will fit the room you heat.

ZIP codes: 91016, 91017

Altadena, the unincorporated foothill community above Pasadena

Altadena has many early 1900s Craftsman and masonry houses that still have their original brick chimneys. Since the January 2025 Eaton Fire, rebuild questions sit right next to routine cleaning here. For a standing home, we clean the firebox and flue, look for smoke and ash residue, and confirm the damper and cap are sound before you burn again. For a rebuild, we help you decide on the next fireplace, whether that is a restored masonry opening, a gas unit or an insert, and what its flue will need. Your notes cover the fireplace as it stands today and the options for the one that replaces it.

ZIP codes: 91001, 91003