Famco Chimney Cleaning & Sweep in Philadelphia, PA

Famco Chimney Cleaning & Sweep in Philadelphia: What to Know First

We provide independent Famco chimney cleaning and sweep services throughout Philadelphia, with most jobs completed in a single visit and upfront pricing that matches the final invoice. A standard Famco sweep and Level 1 inspection runs $180-$260, while a Level 2 camera inspection with full documentation runs $320-$450. We answer the phone with a live person 24 hours a day, and we schedule most appointments within 48 hours.

Call (866) 580-4069

This page is for Philadelphia homeowners who installed a Famco chimney cap, damper, or venting product in the last ten to twenty years and need it inspected, cleaned, or diagnosed by someone who knows the hardware. We are an independent Famco service provider, not affiliated with or authorized by the manufacturer. If you’re seeing draft problems, creosote buildup, or a damper that won’t seat properly, call (866) 580-4069 for a free estimate.

How Famco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them

• Famco 304 stainless chimney caps with mesh screens - common in Fishtown and Port Richmond rowhomes - collect creosote at the mesh corners where Philadelphia’s wet freeze-thaw cycles accelerate corrosion. The screen narrows, draft drops, and smoke backs up into the living room. We remove the cap, ultrasonic-clean the mesh, and replace it with a same-spec Famco unit or a Gelco equivalent if the frame has warped.
• Famco top-sealing dampers (WD series) - installed heavily in 1990s Center City condo conversions - develop cable fray where the stainless control line exits the firebox through a sharp-edged thimble. The damper hangs open, bleeding heat all winter. We fish a new cable, smooth the thimble edge with a deburring tool, and test the seal with a smoke pencil.
• Famco round-back adjustable elbows - used in tight Philadelphia chimney flues, especially in pre-war twins in West Philly - pack with soot at the inner radius where creosote condenses in the slower-moving air. Homeowners smell a chemical odor when the furnace kicks on. We pull the elbow, rotary-brush the interior, and reinstall with a inspection mirror check of the joint.
• Famco galvanized wall vents (older B-Vent lines) - still running in Northeast Philadelphia homes from the 1980s - rust through from the inside where condensation meets combustion byproducts. The vent looks fine from the street but leaks CO into the wall cavity. We run a camera, document the breach with photos you can see, and replace with DuraFlex or an OEM Famco stainless upgrade.
• Famco chimney fans (RV and CEF series) - popular in Manayunk homes with marginal draft on shallow-pitch roofs - seize when grease and creosote cake the impeller. The motor hums, the draft doesn’t improve, and the homeowner burns through firewood. We disassemble the fan housing, clean the impeller in solvent, test amperage draw against spec, and replace only if the motor is genuinely burned out.

Our Famco Chimney Cleaning & Sweep Process

1. 1
   Call and schedule. A live person answers, notes your Famco model if you know it, and books a window. We confirm by text the morning of.
2. 2
   Arrival and protection. Our technician arrives in a marked van, lays drop cloths from the door to the hearth, and runs a Level 1 or Level 2 inspection depending on what you called about.
3. 3
   Diagnosis with documentation. For Level 2 jobs, we run a camera up the flue and photograph every Famco component we encounter: cap, damper, elbow, fan housing. You see the images on a tablet and get a plain-English verdict before any work begins.
4. 4
   Parts decision. If something needs replacing, we explain OEM Famco versus quality aftermarket options from Gelco or Olympia Chimney. No builder-grade substitutes. You choose; we don’t pressure.
5. 5
   The sweep and repair. We rotary-brush the flue, HEPA-vacuum the firebox, and complete any agreed repair. Most Famco jobs finish in one visit.
6. 6
   Test, guarantee, and cleanup. We pressure-test or smoke-test every joint, leave the work area cleaner than we found it, and hand you the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not right, we come back. No arguing.

What Famco Chimney Cleaning & Sweep Costs in Philadelphia

What moves the price: accessibility of the chimney top, whether we need to remove a Famco fan or damper assembly to clean behind it, and the condition of adjacent components that may need attention. We give you the full number before we start. The estimate is the invoice.

Call (866) 580-4069 for a free estimate - we’ll look at your Famco setup and tell you exactly what it needs.

Why Philadelphia Homeowners Call Hearthstone Chimney Co. of Philadelphia for Famco Work

We’ve been sweeping chimneys in Philadelphia since 1984. Carl Bridwell trained at Rosedale Technical College and spent twenty years working chimneys from Bella Vista to Allegheny West before building Hearthstone into what it is now. We know Famco hardware because we’ve removed, cleaned, and reinstalled it in hundreds of local homes.

Our technicians carry Famco-compatible inventory from Gelco, Olympia Chimney, and HeatShield, so we’re not waiting on a parts truck while your fireplace sits cold. The 90-Day Done Right Promise covers every job in writing. Calls are answered by a live person, 24 hours a day. Background-checked, uniformed techs. Most jobs done in one visit. Upfront pricing with no surprises on the bill.

If it’s worth burning wood in, it’s worth knowing what’s above it.

FAQs