Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 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.
Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Davie, FL | Flint Chimney Co Fort Lauderdale
We provide independent Gelco chimney cap and damper service across Davie, from Forest Ridge to Shenandoah. What sets our work apart here is straightforward: Davie’s tree-lined neighborhoods and humid, off-season months create specific Gelco failure patterns we see weekly. Rust on galvanized caps, squirrel nests under loose lids, seized dampers from creosote and moisture. Call (754) 354-1430 for a written estimate before any work starts.
We’re Gelco sales & service specialists operating independently, not a manufacturer affiliate. Hank Delano, our owner, learned the trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and has spent the better part of two decades working chimneys across South Florida. His rule, and ours: tell you what we found, what it costs, then do the work clean.
Why Davie Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
Gelco caps and dampers are common on Davie chimneys, especially the 1970s-1990s ranch homes that define much of this town. We know how those components age here. The galvanized steel on a Gelco Standard Single-Flue Cap behaves differently in Davie’s humidity than it does in drier climates. We see that difference, and we plan for it.
When we service a Gelco chimney in Davie, we arrive with genuine Gelco replacement parts on the truck whenever they’re available and spec’d correctly. If a commercial-grade stainless aftermarket cap is the better call for a severely corroded unit, we’ll say that plainly and give you the written price for both options. No guessing, no upsell. Just a background-checked, uniformed technician, a written price before the first tool comes off the truck, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise on every repair we make. If it fails within a year, we return free. That’s The Garrison Standard, the code every Garrison Partners location follows, and it applies in Davie the same as anywhere else.
Hank’s been known for thorough inspections and leaving a job site exactly the way he found it. No creosote dust on the mantel. No mystery line items. If you’re in Davie and your Gelco cap has seen better days, you’ll know exactly what’s wrong and what it costs to fix.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Davie
- Surface rust and corrosion on galvanized Gelco caps. Davie’s hot, humid summers punish galvanized steel. We regularly find older ranch homes off Stirling Road and Orange Drive with Gelco Standard caps that have rusted through at the seams after a decade or two. Once the galvanization fails, the cap stops protecting the flue. We replace with new Gelco or a commercial-grade stainless cap, depending on what’s left underneath.
- Animal nesting under ill-fitting Gelco caps. Mature trees and rural lots in neighborhoods like Forest Ridge mean squirrels and birds are always looking for a way in. A Gelco cap that’s slightly loose or has gaps around the flue tile is an invitation. This is the single most common Gelco issue we fix across Davie, and it usually involves removing a nest, clearing creosote, and installing a properly sized cap with mesh small enough to keep wildlife out.
- Damper seizure from creosote and moisture buildup. Davie fireplaces sit idle most of the year. Sporadic use during brief winter cold snaps doesn’t clear the creosote that co-accumulates with moisture in the flue. On Gelco top-mount dampers, that gunk seizes the pivot mechanism. We clean, inspect the damper track, and either free it up or replace the assembly if it’s beyond saving.
- Wind-blown debris clogging Gelco cap mesh screens. After summer storms and Atlantic wind events, palm fronds, twigs, and leaf matter collect against Gelco cap mesh. Draft drops. Smoke backs up into the house. We clear the mesh, check the cap’s mounting, and recommend a finer mesh replacement if it’s happening season after season.
- Improperly sized Gelco caps on older masonry chimneys. Many 1970s-1990s Davie homes have masonry chimneys that never got a modern liner, much less a correctly measured cap. A cap that doesn’t match the flue dimensions lets rain in during storms and animals in during the off-season. We measure the flue and install the right Gelco cap size for a proper seal.
Gelco Service in Davie: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Davie’s rural, tree-lined neighborhoods like Forest Ridge and Shenandoah see frequent bird and squirrel intrusions into chimneys, so we stock and fabricate Gelco-compatible caps with smaller mesh to keep wildlife out during the long idle season. That’s not a detail we copy from a brochure. Off SW 61st Avenue last summer, our tech responded to a home where a Gelco Standard Single-Flue Cap had been torn loose by a branch during a summer storm. A squirrel had already built a nest in the flue. After removing the nest and clearing the creosote, we installed a new Gelco Deluxe cap with a reinforced mesh screen and sealed the crown. The homeowner lit their first winter fire without a hint of smoke backup.
That’s the Gelco reality in Davie. The long idle season, the tree canopy, the humidity: they combine to make animal intrusion and cap corrosion the two dominant failure modes here, and they demand a cap that’s mounted correctly, sized to the flue, and screened tightly enough to actually keep a squirrel out. A generic cap from a hardware store won’t hold up the same way.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in Davie
We work on the full Gelco line you’ll find on Davie chimneys: the Gelco Standard Single-Flue Chimney Cap, the Gelco Deluxe Multi-Flue Chimney Cap, the Gelco Top-Mount Damper, and Gelco Custom Chimney Caps when a fireplace needs a non-standard footprint. Our parts policy is simple: we install genuine Gelco replacement parts when they’re available and the right fix for the job. If a cap is severely rusted or the flue is damaged, we’ll recommend replacement over repair, and we’ll tell you if a quality aftermarket stainless steel cap makes more sense for Davie’s humidity. We stock common Gelco cap sizes and mesh screens locally so turnaround for most Davie jobs is days, not weeks.
See the difference
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AfterGelco Service Pricing in Davie
A standard chimney sweep with Gelco cap inspection in Davie typically runs $180-$340, depending on flue condition and access. If we’re replacing a rusted Gelco cap, the cap itself generally falls between $120-$350 for standard sizes, with custom caps running higher. Add labor if the old cap is seized or the crown needs sealing. Repairs to top-mount dampers range from $125-$300 for cleaning and re-seating, up to $500-$700 for a full damper assembly replacement.
What drives the cost here: how much creosote is packed in the flue, whether an animal nested and left debris, and whether the existing cap mounting points are still sound. Every estimate is written, itemized, and in your hands before work starts. Call (754) 354-1430 and we’ll give you the exact price for your Davie chimney before you commit to anything.
Serving Davie, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Davie area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Gelco Chimney Cleaning in Davie
Once a year is the right cadence for a Davie ranch home, and the best time is late summer or early fall, before any cold snap triggers fireplace use. Davie’s hot, humid summers accelerate rust on galvanized Gelco components, and the long idle season invites animal activity. An annual inspection catches surface corrosion before it becomes a hole and catches nests before they become a fire hazard. Call (754) 354-1430 to book a Gelco cap inspection, we’ll give you a written price upfront.
If the rust is surface-level and the cap still fits tightly around the flue tile, we can often clean it, treat the affected area, and re-mount it. But if the galvanization has failed and pitting is visible, replacement is almost always the better call. A rusted-through Gelco cap on a 1980s Davie chimney won’t keep water out, and that water accelerates creosote breakdown and damper seizure. We’ll show you the damage and give you both repair and replacement prices in writing before you decide.
Yes. Gelco Top-Mount Dampers are designed for masonry chimneys and work well on Davie’s 1970s-1990s ranch homes, provided the flue tile is in sound condition. The damper sits on top of the chimney and closes with a cable mechanism, which keeps out rain, debris, and animals when the fireplace isn’t in use. We install and service Gelco top-mount dampers throughout Davie, and we’ll verify the flue condition before recommending one. Call (754) 354-1430 for a free estimate.
The Gelco Standard Single-Flue Cap, with a properly sized mesh screen, is usually the right fit for a Davie fireplace that sits idle most of the year. What matters is that the mesh is fine enough to keep squirrels and birds out, and that the cap fits the flue tile tightly. If the chimney has multiple flues, the Gelco Deluxe Multi-Flue Cap is the better option. For homes with heavy tree cover like Forest Ridge, we recommend a custom-compatible cap with smaller mesh. We stock common sizes locally for faster turnaround.
No. A Gelco cap is one part of moisture protection. It keeps out direct rainfall, debris, and animals, but Davie’s humidity works its way into the flue and masonry regardless. If the crown is cracked, the mortar joints are failing, or there’s no vapor barrier, you’ll still get moisture issues inside the chimney. That’s why every Gelco cap service we do in Davie includes a crown and mortar inspection. We’ll tell you exactly what’s letting water in and what it costs to fix. Call (754) 354-1430 for a free estimate.
Service Areas Near Davie
Flint Chimney Co Fort Lauderdale serves Davie and the surrounding communities, including Davie service area. We also run Gelco chimney cleaning calls in Gelco service in Fort Lauderdale, Gelco service in Oakland Park, Sunrise, and Tamarac.
Book Your Gelco Service in Davie Today
If your Gelco cap is rusted, loose, or letting wildlife into your Davie flue, don’t wait until the next cold snap. Call (754) 354-1430 and we’ll schedule a written estimate at your convenience.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner at Flint Chimney Co Fort Lauderdale, serving Davie since 2002.