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 Orlando Homeowners Choose Gelco Chimney Cleaning
Gelco chimney cleaning in Orlando means removing creosote and moisture-damaged residue from cast-in-place refractory liners, terra-cotta flue tiles, stainless steel liner kits, or pre-cast crowns – and our team handles all of it. As an independent Gelco service provider, we’re not authorized by the manufacturer, which means we answer to you, not to a brand playbook. Kindling Chimney Orlando provides Orlando Gelco service throughout Dr. Phillips, Winter Park, College Park, and every neighborhood in between. Call (850) 940-3442 and a live person picks up – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Why Trust Kindling Chimney Orlando for Your Gelco Chimney Cleaning?
Our technicians know Gelco products the way a mechanic knows a specific engine family. Danny Cortes, owner of Kindling Chimney Orlando, learned the trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and spent more than two decades working on everything from prefabricated zero-clearance fireplaces to old masonry setups before bringing that methodical approach to Central Florida. He still does the inspection himself on jobs that need a second set of experienced eyes – not because the crew can’t handle it, but because he feels that’s what the homeowner is owed.
What that means for your Gelco system: we know which liner generations tend to spall at the smoke shelf, which crown profiles crack at the flue-to-crown joint after a few Orlando summers, and which stainless steel seam welds fail when humidity sits on scratched metal. We use OEM-grade Gelco refractory and terra-cotta components when they’re the right call. When they’re not, we tell you plainly and explain the better option. Every visit includes a written price before any work begins, shoe covers and drop cloths down on arrival, and a photo of the clean-up before we leave. That’s the Cedarwell Care Promise, and it applies to every Gelco job we run.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Fix in Orlando
- Spalled refractory lining near the smoke shelf. Gelco cast-in-place refractory liners are dense and durable when installed correctly, but Orlando’s summer humidity compounds acidic creosote condensate. The refractory absorbs moisture, the acid eats at the binder, and the surface starts flaking into chunks that trap creosote and nesting material. We’ve pulled 3-inch flakes out of a single flue. The fix is removal of loose material, rebuilding with high-temp refractory, and addressing the moisture source so it doesn’t return.
- Cracked or spalled Gelco pre-cast crowns. Orlando gets thermal cycling even without deep freezes – hot afternoons, sudden thunderstorms, UV exposure through the long summer. The flue-to-crown joint is the weak point. Water works into hairline cracks, expands, and before long you have efflorescence staining the brick face below the crown. We repair the crown joint, rebuild the crown wash with proper slope, and apply a vapor-permeable waterproof coating so trapped moisture can still escape.
- Efflorescence and mortar erosion on Gelco terra-cotta flue tiles. Those white crusty stains near the top of a terra-cotta flue? That’s mineral salts being pushed out of the mortar by moisture moving through it. Left alone, the mortar erodes, tiles lose support, and gaps open between sections – which is how carbon monoxide finds a path into the home. We remove the damaged mortar, assess each tile section for stability, and either repoint or line the flue depending on what the camera tells us.
- Rust-through at Gelco SL-Series stainless steel liner seam welds. Stainless steel liners shouldn’t rust – until the surface gets scratched. A previous sweep’s metal brush, an animal clawing inside the flue, or acidic condensate sitting on a compromised weld can start the process. We inspect every seam with a camera, not just the accessible sections, because seam failure in the middle of a liner is invisible from either end.
- Creosote buildup in rarely-used Orlando fireplaces. The subtropical climate means most Orlando families fire up the chimney a handful of times a year for ambiance, not heat. That intermittent use, combined with high humidity, creates a sticky, tar-like creosote that doesn’t dry and brush out easily. It requires mechanical removal plus a moisture assessment. We also find anole lizards and Cuban tree frogs nesting in unused fireplaces during the warm months – we remove them carefully before cleaning begins.
Gelco Parts & Our Repair-vs-Replace Approach
OEM Gelco refractory mix and terra-cotta tiles are high-quality products when they’re appropriate for the job. We keep common Gelco components stocked locally for fast turnaround on standard repairs. But here’s what we’ve learned after years of working on Gelco systems in Orlando: the crown and the flue-to-crown joint are the highest-failure zones, and those are exactly the spots where modern materials outperform original spec. We often upgrade to polymer-modified waterproofing for crowns and 316L stainless liners where the original carbon or 304 stainless has repeatedly failed.
Repair versus replace is always a conversation, never a mandate. We show you the camera footage before we recommend anything. If a Gelco cast-in-place liner has minor spalling at the smoke shelf and the rest of the flue is sound, we repair it. If the liner has separated, lost structural integrity, or is letting flue gas bypass into the chase, replacement is the only honest answer. We’ll tell you when a Gelco liner is beyond safe repair, and we’ll back the recommendation with photos you can see for yourself. Call (850) 940-3442 to schedule an inspection.
Our Gelco Service Process – Step by Step
- 1
Diagnosis. We run a camera through the entire flue – past the smoke shelf, through the mid-sections, all the way to the crown. For Gelco cast-in-place liners, we look specifically for spalling at the smoke shelf and moisture staining along the refractory wall. For SL-Series stainless liners, we check every seam weld. You see the footage.
- 2
Written price. After the camera work, we write down exactly what needs to happen and what it costs. No on-the-spot pressure. You get the number, you make the call. The price we write is the price you pay.
- 3
Repair or install. For creosote removal we use mechanical brushes sized to the Gelco flue dimensions, not a one-size-fits-all whip. For crown work, we rebuild the wash with proper slope away from the flue and apply a vapor-permeable coating. For refractory repair, we pack high-temp material in layers so it cures correctly.
- 4
Test. After the work, we verify draft, run the camera again, and confirm no debris remains. On liner work we check the entire run with a light test before declaring it done.
- 5
Clean-up and photo. Drop cloths come up, floors get checked, and we photograph the clean-up before the crew leaves. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every Gelco job: if it’s not done right, we make it right – no fine print, no runaround.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
Before
AfterGelco Products We Service & Install in Orlando
We service and install Gelco cast-in-place refractory liners, Gelco terra-cotta flue tile systems in both round and rectangular profiles, Gelco SL-Series stainless steel liner kits, and Gelco pre-cast chimney crowns in standard and custom slope configurations. We also work on the common support components around these systems – smoke shelves, damper assemblies, and chase caps – because a Gelco liner doesn’t fail in isolation. Most standard Gelco components are stocked locally or available within days, so your Gelco service in Maitland and surrounding areas isn’t waiting on a freight truck from out of state.
We Also Service These Brands
Gelco makes up a large share of our Orlando service calls, but we’re not single-brand dependent. We work with DuraFlex stainless steel liners and HeatShield cerfractory repair systems regularly, plus the other chimney components in your home. Our technicians are trained to assess the entire system, not just the branded part. If your fireplace has mixed components from different manufacturers, we’ll sort out what’s working and what isn’t.
FAQs – Gelco Chimney Cleaning Service in Orlando
No, we are an independent Gelco service provider. Kindling Chimney Orlando is not authorized by or affiliated with Gelco. What that means for you: our recommendations are driven by what your chimney actually needs, not by a manufacturer’s service menu. We work on Gelco systems every week across Orlando and know their failure patterns intimately. Call (850) 940-3442 to talk through what you’re seeing.
We use OEM-grade Gelco refractory and terra-cotta components when they’re available and appropriate for the job. For crown coatings and high-failure seam zones, we often specify 316L stainless steel and polymer-modified waterproofing because those materials outlast the original spec in Orlando’s humidity. We will always tell you which we’re using and why, with the cost difference written down before work starts.
A standard Gelco chimney cleaning runs 60 to 90 minutes. A crown repair or refractory patch typically takes half a day. A full liner replacement – cast-in-place or SL-Series stainless – usually takes one full day, sometimes two if the flue has complex bends or the old liner fights coming out. We’ll give you a written time window before we start, not an open-ended “we’ll be there sometime.” Call (850) 940-3442 for a specific estimate on your system.
We service the full Gelco lineup commonly found in Orlando homes: cast-in-place refractory liners, terra-cotta flue tile systems in round and rectangular profiles, SL-Series stainless steel liner kits, and pre-cast chimney crowns in standard and custom slope. Most 1970s through 1990s Orlando homes with masonry fireplaces have at least one Gelco component in the flue. If you’re not sure what’s in your chimney, we’ll identify it during the camera inspection.
If your Gelco system is still under warranty, our cleaning and inspection work won’t void it. We follow manufacturer-spec clearances and use tools sized to your flue. Repairs that involve replacing Gelco components with aftermarket materials could affect the warranty on those specific parts – we’ll tell you that before any work is done so you can make the call with full information. The Cedarwell Care Promise and our 365-Day Done Right Promise apply regardless of what brand is in your chimney.
Most standard Deltona Gelco service calls and Orlando cleanings run between $189 and $289, depending on flue condition, creosote stage, and whether we need to remove animal nesting first. Crown repairs typically add $300 to $700 depending on the extent of the damage. Full liner replacement is a bigger conversation – we’ll give you a written number after the camera inspection, not before we’ve seen the inside of your flue. Know what’s in your flue before the first fire of the season – everything else follows from that. Call (850) 940-3442 and we’ll schedule the camera inspection.
That white crust is efflorescence – mineral salts pushed out of the mortar and tile as moisture moves through them. In Orlando, the cause is nearly always water getting in at the crown joint or through cracked cap mortar, then slowly working its way through the flue system. It’s a signal that your crown needs repair or recoating before the mortar erodes enough to let tiles separate. We repair the crown, stop the water at the source, and clean the staining. Call (850) 940-3442 for a written estimate.
It depends on how much of the liner has spalled and whether the flue has lost structural integrity. Minor spalling at the smoke shelf is repairable with high-temp refractory. Widespread flaking, separation from the flue wall, or gas bypass means replacement is the honest answer. We show you the camera footage either way. One of our techs opened a Gelco cast-in-place liner in a 1980s Winter Park home and found the refractory had spalled into 3-inch flakes near the smoke shelf, trapping creosote and pigeon nesting material. We removed the debris, rebuilt the smoke shelf, and applied a vapor-permeable waterproof coating to the crown – restoring draft and eliminating the acidic condensate that caused the flaking in the first place. If the whole liner had failed, we’d have told them that too.
Yes, it can be. Rust at the seam welds means moisture is sitting on the metal, and once a seam opens, flue gas can escape into the chimney chase or the home – that’s carbon monoxide, and it’s colorless and odorless. Scratches from previous sweeps or animal activity are the usual trigger. We inspect every seam with a camera and replace liners with 316L stainless where seam failure is found. If you’re seeing rust, don’t wait. Call (850) 940-3442 and we’ll get a camera on it.
In Orlando, a Gelco pre-cast crown should be inspected every two years and recoated roughly every five to seven years, depending on sun exposure and how well the original crown was sloped. UV degradation here is relentless, and afternoon thunderstorms mean water is hitting the crown while it’s still hot from the sun – that rapid cooling stresses the material. A vapor-permeable coating applied at the right interval prevents 90% of the crown failures we see. We’ll tell you honestly if your crown can wait or if it needs work now.
Not until it’s been inspected. An unused Orlando chimney is an invitation for Cuban tree frogs, anole lizards, birds, and wasps to move in – plus the creosote from the last fires has been absorbing humidity for years. We need to remove the nesting material, check the flue for damage, and verify draft before the first fire. After that, it’s safe to enjoy. Call (850) 940-3442 to schedule the inspection before you strike a match.
Book Your Gelco Service in Orlando, FL
You have a Gelco chimney system, and we know how to care for it properly in Orlando’s climate. Whether it’s our Chimney Sweep services, a crown repair, or a full liner assessment, we’ll give you a written price before any work starts and a photo of the clean-up before we leave. Call (850) 940-3442 for a free estimate. A live person answers, every time.
Written by Danny Cortes, Owner at Kindling Chimney Orlando, serving Orlando and surrounding Central Florida communities.