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 Lakeway, TX | Ashton Chimney
We provide independent Gelco chimney cleaning, inspection, and repair across Lakeway, TX and the 78738 ZIP. What makes our Gelco work different here is that we know most Lakeway Gelco fireplaces sit unused for months at a time, so the problems we find are moisture damage, animal nesting, and seized components rather than heavy creosote buildup. If you own a Gelco fireplace in Lakeway, call Ashton Chimney at (855) 507-9184 and we’ll tell you what’s actually going on in that flue. We’re an Gelco sales & service specialist serving Lakeway, and we work with the same professional-grade parts and materials Gelco owners expect.
Why Lakeway Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
We’ve serviced Gelco factory-built fireplaces across the Lake Travis shoreline for years, long before many of these homes changed hands. That means we recognize the brand’s firebox, damper, and termination-cap quirks by sight. We’re an independent Gelco service provider, not authorized or affiliated with the manufacturer, and we give owners a straight answer on whether a repair still makes sense or whether it’s time to consider replacement. Nolan Pruett, our owner, grew up in the Buttercup Creek neighborhood of Cedar Park and has spent the better part of fifteen years working on fireplaces and flues across the Austin metro. He trained in HVAC and combustion fundamentals through the Building Trades program at Austin Community College’s Round Rock Campus, and he’s the guy neighbors call when a Level 2 inspection turns up a liner problem someone else missed. Serving the Lakeway service area is home turf for us, not an occasional trip.
When you book Gelco service with us, you get one company handling the sweep, the inspection, and any follow-up repair. No hand-off to a separate contractor, no vague recommendations. We name the products we install so you know exactly what’s going into your home.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Lakeway
Here’s what we actually find when we open Gelco fireplaces in Lakeway. Each one ties back to how these homes are built and how they’re used:
- Rusted and seized termination caps. Gelco prefab systems rely on the cap to shed water and keep the flue dry. Lakeway’s lake-humidity cycles and intense Hill Country sun rust these caps out faster than you’d expect. When the cap seizes or rusts through, water tracks down the chase and the flue stays damp year-round.
- Corroded gas components in idle units. Gelco gas fireplaces in part-time Lakeway homes sit unused for seasons. Pilot assemblies, thermocouples, and burner orifices corrode or clog with dust and insect debris during those idle months. The result is delayed ignition, a lazy flame, or a unit that won’t light at all.
- Warped or stuck damper blades. After a long idle period, Gelco damper blades warp or stick. Homeowners force them open, bend the pivot, and suddenly the damper won’t close properly. We see this kind of mechanical damage far more often than heavy creosote problems in Lakeway.
- Animal nesting and debris in open flues. Vacant second homes and lake places leave Gelco flues open and unused for months. Birds, wasps, and raccoons move in. Nesting blocks the draft, packs the firebox with debris, and creates a fire hazard the moment you light that first fire of the season.
- Cracked crowns above the chase. Masonry crowns above Gelco units crack after spring storms and the freeze-thaw cycles we get off the lake, then let water track down the chase and into the firebox framing. A cracked crown is the most common structural issue we find on Gelco systems in Lakeway.
Gelco Service in Lakeway: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Because so many Lakeway homes off Ranch Road 620 are second homes or snowbird retreats, Gelco flues routinely sit wide open and unused for months. That’s exactly why spring calls in Lakeway are animal-nest and wasp removal, not creosote scraping. A Level 2 camera inspection finds blockages a simple look-up-and-down never would: a wasp nest packed against the damper, a raccoon family settled in the smoke shelf, a rusted cap letting rain straight down the flue. If you own a Gelco fireplace in a part-time Lakeway home, your first service call after a long idle period should be an inspection, not a sweep. Cleaning a flue that’s packed with live nesting material without first identifying what’s in there is how fires start, and how service calls go sideways. We camera-check every Gelco flue we service in Lakeway before we put a brush anywhere near it.
On a lake-side Gelco prefab in a Lake Travis shoreline subdivision off Ranch Road 620, our tech opened a firebox that hadn’t been burned in two seasons and found a raccoon nest packed against the damper with a rusted-through termination cap above it. We pulled the debris, replaced the cap, freed and re-seated the stuck damper, and ran a Level 2 camera check down the flue. The firebox was sound, so the owner kept the unit rather than replacing it. That’s what honest Gelco service in Lakeway looks like.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in Lakeway
Our crew works on the full range of Gelco product lines found in Lakeway homes, including the Gelco Heat-Circulating Series (GHC) factory-built wood fireplaces, Gelco See-Through and Peninsula two-sided units, Gelco gas log and gas fireplace insert lines, and Gelco outdoor and patio fireplace systems with prefab chimneys. For parts, we fit Gelco-approved OEM components whenever they’re still available: dampers, caps, firebox panels, gas valves, thermocouples. When a part is discontinued, we turn to quality aftermarket equivalents from suppliers we trust, and we tell you which is which before we install it. On older Gelco fireboxes, we give an honest verdict: repoint, recoat, and re-cap when the steel and masonry are sound, and recommend replacement when the firebox or chase framing is rusted or water-damaged beyond economical repair.
See the difference
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After
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Before
AfterGelco Service Pricing in Lakeway
Gelco chimney cleaning and inspection in Lakeway falls into clear service tiers. A standard cleaning with a basic visual inspection runs $189 to $349. A Level 2 camera inspection, which we recommend for any Gelco unit that’s sat unused for a season or more, runs $300 to $600. Cap replacement on Gelco prefab systems runs $250 to $600 depending on the cap style and whether the old one needs to be cut off. Gas fireplace service, including pilot and thermocouple work, runs $150 to $350. Crown repair or resealing runs $400 to $900. Every quote includes a phone call about what we found and what your options are, and we’ll show you camera images when we recommend major work. Call (855) 507-9184 for a free estimate on your Gelco fireplace in Lakeway.
Serving Lakeway, TX — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Lakeway 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 Lakeway
Start with an inspection, not a sweep. A Gelco fireplace that’s sat unused that long is far more likely to have animal nesting, debris, or a rusted cap than heavy creosote. We’ll camera-check the flue, and if the firebox and flue are clear, you may not need a full sweep at all. Call (855) 507-9184 and we’ll tell you what your unit actually needs.
Because Lakeway’s lake humidity and intense sun are hard on exposed metal, and Gelco caps on prefab systems take the brunt of it. The cap sits on top of the chase with nothing protecting it from weather, and once the finish goes, the metal underneath rusts through in a couple of seasons. Replacing it with a quality stainless cap and keeping the chase top sealed extends the life of the whole system.
Usually it’s a gas component problem, not a flue problem. Pilot assemblies, thermocouples, and burner orifices corrode or clog with dust and insect debris while the unit sits idle. We’ll check the gas line, clean or replace the affected components, and confirm the venting is clear so the unit lights and burns properly.
At least once a year, and ideally before the first burn of whatever season you’re using it. Even if you never light a fire, moisture, animals, and rust are working on the system. An annual inspection catches a cracked crown or a seized damper before it becomes a full firebox replacement. Call (855) 507-9184 to schedule your annual Gelco inspection.
In most cases yes, if the crack is caught early and the chase framing underneath is still sound. We clean and prep the crown, fill the cracks with a flexible crown sealant rated for exterior use, and recoat the surface. If the crown is severely spalled or the chase framing is rotted, a rebuild is sometimes the only honest option. We’ll show you camera images either way.
Service Areas Near Lakeway
We also provide Gelco chimney service in West Lake Hills and nearby Gelco service in West Lake Hills, as well as Lost Creek and surrounding communities through our Gelco service in Lost Creek. Our service area covers Lakeway, Cedar Park, Anderson Mill, Brushy Creek, Jollyville, Leander, and Jonestown. If you’re off Ranch Road 620 or along the Lake Travis shoreline, we’re close by.
Book Your Gelco Service in Lakeway Today
One call covers the inspection, the cleaning, and any repair your Gelco fireplace needs. We serve all of Lakeway, TX 78738 with free estimates and honest recommendations. Call Ashton Chimney at (855) 507-9184 and tell us what your fireplace is doing, and we’ll tell you exactly what’s going on in that flue.
Written by Nolan Pruett, Owner at Ashton Chimney, serving Lakeway and the greater Austin metro with honest fireplace and venting service.