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.
HeatShield Chimney Cleaning in Onion Creek, TX | Ashton Chimney
We provide independent HeatShield chimney cleaning and ceramic refractory lining service across Onion Creek, Texas, and also offer Manchaca HeatShield service. The thing that makes our HeatShield work here different is simple: we check for flood damage before we ever pick up a brush. Too many Onion Creek fireplaces carry silt lines and water-damaged mortar from 2013 and 2015, and a cast-in-place liner poured over damp masonry will delaminate. If you need a sweep, a camera inspection, or a HeatShield lining assessment, call (855) 507-9184.
Why Onion Creek Residents Choose Us for HeatShield Service
Most chimney companies can sweep a flue. Fewer can tell you whether that flue is a candidate for HeatShield ceramic resurfacing or whether it needs full relining. We do both, and we are not married to either answer. Our crews are trained specifically on the HeatShield cast-in-place system, and we use genuine HeatShield refractory materials for every lining and sealing job. HeatShield sales & service is a core part of what we do, but we are an independent contractor, not a manufacturer arm. Nolan Pruett runs the shop, and his rule is the same on every Onion Creek job: never recommend a pour until the flue is swept, camera-inspected, and bone dry.
That matters here because Onion Creek’s housing stock runs heavily to 1990s and 2000s brick-veneer and stone homes with clay tile flues. Those flues crack. HeatShield is designed to seal cracks and open joints, but only if the prep work is done right. We do the prep, the pour, and the sign-off under one roof.
Styles & brands we work with
Common HeatShield Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Onion Creek
- Cracked clay tile flues in 2000 – 2015 homes. Onion Creek’s master-planned subdivisions went up fast during the Austin boom, and a lot of those original clay tile flues now show open joints from thermal cycling and settlement. HeatShield cast-in-place coating seals those joints after the flue is swept to bare masonry.
- Silt and water damage from the 2013 and 2015 floods. We routinely find fireboxes and flues in 78747 with a silt line three feet up the wall, rusted dampers, and water-softened mortar. A HeatShield liner poured over that wet substrate will fail early. We repoint and dry before we pour.
- Hard-freeze spalling and crown cracks. Central Texas ice events are rare but mean when they hit. Spalled brick and cracked crowns let moisture wick behind the flue, and a HeatShield coat applied over a wet, deteriorating flue is wasted money. Crown repair comes first.
- Animal nesting and creosote hardening in idle fireplaces. Onion Creek fireplaces sit unused from April through October. That is long enough for birds and squirrels to build in the flue and for creosote to harden into a glaze. A sweep has to happen before any lining work can be scheduled.
- Smoke backing into the room on the first cold night. We get a wave of these calls every late November in Onion Creek. Often it is a rusted damper or a silt-blocked smoke shelf from flood repairs. Sometimes it is a cracked tile joint above the smoke shelf, which HeatShield can seal once the flue is clean.
HeatShield Service in Onion Creek: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Onion Creek is flood-recovery territory, and that changes how HeatShield work gets done here. In a typical Central Texas suburb, a chimney cleaning starts with the brush. Here, it starts with a moisture and structure check. The 2013 Onion Creek floods inundated hundreds of homes in 78747 to several feet, and the 2015 event hit many of the same streets again. Houses that were rebuilt or repaired often have fireboxes with silt lines, rusted dampers, and mortar that looks fine until you touch it and it crumbles. Our tech was called to a brick-veneer home near the Onion Creek golf course in 78747 where the homeowner had fired up a gas-assist wood fireplace for the first cold snap and gotten smoke backing into the room. Pulling the damper, we found a silt-line rust ring from flood repairs and an open clay tile joint above the smoke shelf. We swept the flue, documented the joint on a Level 2 camera run, and scheduled a HeatShield cast-in-place coat once the firebox mortar was repointed and dry. That sequencing is not optional here. If the substrate is damp, the liner will not bond, no matter how good the refractory material is.
HeatShield Models & Products We Service in Onion Creek
We service the full HeatShield product family, including cast-in-place ceramic refractory linings in round and multi-flue profiles, the HeatShield Top Plate sealing system, and the heat-cured refractory coat applied over existing clay tile flues, plus HeatShield repair in Shady Hollow. We also handle HeatShield ceramic resurfacing for fireboxes and smoke chambers, which is common in Onion Creek homes where flood repairs left firebox mortar scarred or repointed with mismatched material. We use genuine HeatShield refractory for any lining or sealing work. Caps, dampers, and crown materials may be standard-quality aftermarket parts where they meet code and perform, but the refractory itself is never substituted. That keeps turnaround in Onion Creek faster because we are not waiting on knockoff material or doing a re-pour after a failure.
See the difference
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AfterHeatShield Service Pricing in Onion Creek
HeatShield chimney work in Onion Creek is priced per job, not per square foot of guesswork. A cleaning and Level 2 inspection typically runs $250 to $500 depending on flue condition and access. A HeatShield cast-in-place liner resurfacing generally starts around $2,500 and goes up based on flue height, profile, and how much structural prep the flood damage left behind. Crown repair runs $400 to $1,200 depending on material and surface area. The factors that drive cost here are the same ones we described above: silt remediation, mortar repointing, and rusted damper work before any pour. Our free estimate includes a camera documentation run, and we will show you what we found before we quote anything. Call (855) 507-9184 and we will give you numbers you can actually plan around.
Serving Onion Creek, TX — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Onion Creek 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 – HeatShield Chimney Cleaning in Onion Creek
Yes, and it is the first thing we check. If your firebox or flue carries moisture damage from the 2013 or 2015 floods, the substrate has to be dried and repointed before any HeatShield pour. A liner applied over damp or crumbling mortar will delaminate, usually within the first season. We inspect first, then recommend.
Because that is when the flue is cold, the damper is stiff, and any blockage from nesting or silt is at its worst. In Onion Creek homes with flood-repaired fireplaces, a silt line or rust-ring from standing water often narrows the smoke chamber enough to cause backdraft on startup. Call (855) 507-9184 and we will camera the flue and show you what is in there.
HeatShield is a cast-in-place ceramic refractory lining. It is not a spray-on paint or a patch. The material is poured and compressed against the existing flue walls, then heat-cured. It creates a new insulated surface inside your old flue, sealing cracks and open joints. It is a legitimate relining method for flues that are structurally sound but have failed joints.
Yes, and we will tell you straight. A cracked or spalled crown lets water run down behind the flue, and that moisture will compromise a HeatShield liner. Crown repair is a standard part of our Onion Creek prep work, and we quote it separately so you can see what is going into the total. Call (855) 507-9184 for a free estimate with camera documentation.
Both. Onion Creek’s newer custom and rebuild stock includes a lot of gas fireplaces and inserts, and HeatShield systems apply to gas flues just as much as wood. The prep standards are the same: clean, dry, structure-checked. Whether your fireplace burns wood or gas, we start with the same inspection sequence.
Service Areas Near Onion Creek
We serve Onion Creek and the surrounding South Austin communities, plus the broader metro. If you are outside 78747, we also cover Onion Creek service area neighbors and run calls across Central Texas. For HeatShield work to the west, see HeatShield service in Dripping Springs. For communities east of Austin, see HeatShield service in Garfield. We also serve Cedar Park, Brushy Creek, Anderson Mill, Jollyville, Leander, and Jonestown.
Book Your HeatShield Service in Onion Creek Today
If your Onion Creek fireplace is due for a sweep, a camera inspection, or a HeatShield lining assessment, call us at (855) 507-9184, or book our Chimney Sweep in Onion Creek online. We will schedule a visit, put eyes on the flue, and give you a straight answer about what your fireplace actually needs. Estimates are free.
Written by Nolan Pruett, Owner at Ashton Chimney, serving Onion Creek and the Austin metro.