Chimney sweep in Plano, IL

Local knowledge

A genuinely old downtown with genuinely old masonry

Plano’s historic centre is well preserved — enough so that it stood in for a 1930s streetscape when Road to Perdition filmed here in 2001. That charm comes with nineteenth-century masonry, and nineteenth-century masonry has specific requirements that modern practice frequently violates.

Chimneys of that era were laid with soft lime-rich mortar, deliberately softer than the brick so that joints erode first and can be replaced. Repointing them with a hard modern portland mix inverts that relationship: the mortar becomes stronger than the brick, and the brick faces begin spalling off within a few winters. We assess the existing mortar and match it. Details on our tuckpointing page.

Older homes, older flues, more unknowns

Alongside the mortar question, Plano’s older housing raises the liner question. Chimneys built before roughly 1930 were frequently constructed without any liner at all, with combustion gases passing directly against brick and, in the worst cases, against structural framing. Others were lined later with clay tile that has since cracked.

An unlined or failed flue serving an active appliance is a real safety matter rather than a maintenance nicety, and it cannot be assessed from the ground. A camera scan during a Level 2 inspection settles it in under an hour, and we will tell you plainly if the answer is that the chimney is fine.

We serve the whole city and the surrounding Kendall County countryside, including families throughout Plano School District 88.

Serving Plano and Kendall County

We cover all of Plano with no trip charge, working alongside the City of Plano area residents and families throughout Plano Community Unit School District 88. Open 7 days a week, 7am to 9pm, with same-week appointments in most cases.

Popular services here: chimney sweeping, inspections, repair and flashing, dryer vent cleaning and air duct cleaning.

Nearby areas we also serve: Yorkville, Sandwich, Oswego.