Sweep & inspection
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 Orlando, FL | Hadley Chimney Orlando
We provide independent Gelco chimney cleaning and cap service across Orlando, from College Park to Lake Nona and everywhere between. The one thing that makes our Gelco work here different: we know exactly how Florida humidity and summer thunderstorms shorten the life of chimney caps and venting, and we show you photo proof before recommending any fix. If you own a home with a Gelco cap or chase cover, call us at (904) 822-8172 for a free estimate.
Our techs work on Gelco installations across Orlando every week, so we understand their venting and cap systems inside out. We’re not a factory-authorized dealer and we won’t pretend to be. What we are is an independent service team that sees which Gelco components hold up in Central Florida and which ones fail early, and we stock the parts to fix the most common issues without making you wait weeks on a backorder.
Why Orlando Residents Choose Us for Gelco Service
Gelco caps and venting are solid equipment, but Orlando’s climate tests them in ways a dry-climate homeowner never sees. Cory Mitchell, our owner and lead tech, learned chimney fundamentals at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College before spending years working chimneys across Southern California. Different climate, different failure patterns. Since bringing his crew to Florida, Cory has seen rusted Gelco cap bases in Conway, loosened multi-flue brackets in Winter Park, and creosote-caked spark arrestors in homes all over the city. He’d rather text you the photo and let you decide than talk you into something you can’t see for yourself.
We’re a phone-first chimney company. When you book with Hadley Chimney Orlando, you get a live arrival window, a written price before anyone starts work, and before-and-after photos documenting what we found and what we fixed. That’s the Relay Visibility Guarantee, and it applies to every Gelco service call we run in Orlando, not just the big-ticket repairs.
Styles & brands we work with
Common Gelco Chimney Cleaning Problems We Solve in Orlando
- Rusted Gelco GC cap bases. Orlando’s summer downpours come fast and hard, and the humidity between storms keeps metal damp for days. We regularly see GC Series caps with rust eating through the base where it bolts to the flue tile. That rust lets water drip into the chimney, which creates musty odors and accelerates mortar damage inside the flue. The fix is usually a cap replacement with proper sealing, not a whole new chimney.
- Clogged Gelco GP spark arrestor screens. A lot of Orlando homes use their fireplace maybe six times a year, for holidays or one cold snap. That occasional burning produces creosote that hardens on the screen mesh rather than burning off. A caked GP screen starves the firebox of air and pushes smoke back into the room. Cleaning the screen is part of our standard sweep, and we’ll tell you plainly if the screen is too far gone for cleaning alone.
- Loose Gelco GL multi-flue brackets. The 1980s masonry chimneys you find all over Orlando’s older neighborhoods expand and contract with the heat, and the brackets holding multi-flue caps can work loose over time. You might hear a metallic rattle during one of our frequent thunderstorm wind gusts. If left alone, the sway wears the mounting points and can crack the crown underneath.
- Flashing separation on custom Gelco caps. Custom caps look great, but the South Florida sun beats down on roofline flashing year-round. We see sealant dry out and pull away around custom cap flashing, opening a path for rain to streak down the chimney chase. That usually shows up as ceiling stains in an upstairs room, and the chimney only gets blamed after the drywall already needs repainting.
- Moisture trapped between Gelco cap and masonry crown. High humidity inside the flue condenses on the underside of the cap when the fireplace isn’t used, and over time that condensation feeds mold growth and a stale smell in the room. A sweeping plus a crown coating and proper cap ventilation solves it, and we waterproof the crown at the same time to keep Orlando’s wet season from making it worse.
Gelco Service in Orlando: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Here’s the thing that catches Orlando Gelco owners off guard every year. Chimney swift nesting season runs April through September, and it overlaps almost perfectly with the daily thunderstorm season. A Gelco cap that rusted through at the base in July usually goes unnoticed because nobody is burning fires, and by the time you notice the musty smell or hear chirping in the flue, a swift has already built a nest inside. Chimney swifts are protected under federal law, so you can’t just pull the nest out and toss it. Removal has to follow wildlife guidelines, and only after the birds are gone can we install a new cap. What this means for Gelco owners specifically: you want an annual cleaning and cap inspection scheduled before nesting season, not after. A stainless cap that fails in February is a $400 fix. That same cap left alone until August becomes a protected-species situation, and now you’re coordinating removal before you can even order parts.
Gelco Models & Products We Service in Orlando
We service the full Gelco line: GC Series chimney caps, GL Series multi-flue caps, GS Series custom caps, and GP Series spark arrestor caps. When a Gelco part needs replacing, we use factory-spec Gelco components if they’re available, because the fit matters and an OEM cap base seats correctly on the flue. But if a specific Gelco part is backordered and you’d rather not wait six weeks with an open flue, we’ll fabricate or fit a quality aftermarket stainless cap with equivalent corrosion resistance. In Orlando’s humidity, the worst thing you can do is temporarily patch a cap with a cheap galvanized piece that rusts out in one summer. We won’t do that. We keep common Gelco-compatible cap sizes and mounting components in local stock so most jobs get finished the same day.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterGelco Service Pricing in Orlando
A standard chimney sweep in Orlando and inspection runs $159 to $289 for most single-flue masonry chimneys, and homes with Gelco caps usually fall in that range plus any cap cleaning or replacement work uncovered during the inspection. A basic GC Series cap replacement starts around $180 and runs up to $450 depending on flue size and chase height, while GL multi-flue caps run higher, typically $350 to $750 installed because of the custom bracket work involved. Chimney waterproofing, which we recommend alongside most cap replacements in our humid climate, adds $200 to $350 depending on the exterior surface area. Before you book, we’ll give you a written price for the service you need, backed by a 365-Day Done Right Promise on every repair. Call (904) 822-8172 and we’ll walk you through what to expect, or set up a free estimate at your home.
Serving Orlando, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Orlando 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 Orlando
Stainless steel resists rust, but Orlando’s combination of high humidity and frequent salt-free rain creates constant moisture against the cap base. Many “stainless” caps are actually made from lower-grade 430 stainless, which will develop surface rust in Florida conditions within a few years. We see rust-through most often at the base seam, where water pools after a storm. Replace it with a higher-grade stainless cap or add a crown coating, and the problem stops. Call (904) 822-8172 for an inspection and we’ll show you the corrosion point before quoting anything.
Yes, we can. We remove active chimney swift nests under federal wildlife guidelines, which means waiting until the birds have naturally left if nestlings are present. We’ll assess the nest, tell you exactly what the timeline looks like under Florida law, and schedule the cap replacement for the day the chimney is clear. Call us and we’ll set up the inspection; you’ll have a written price before anything starts.
Not necessarily. Creosote crust on a GP Series screen is usually cleanable during a standard sweep. If the screen is intact and the mesh hasn’t corroded, we clean it thoroughly and leave it in place. If the screen is rusting or the mesh has torn, replacing just the screen or the cap is cheaper than living with a firebox that won’t draw. We’ll show you photos of the screen before recommending anything. Call (904) 822-8172 for a chimney clean and cap inspection, free estimate included.
Yes, it can. Orlando’s humid air works its way into the flue during the months when your fireplace sits unused, and condensation forms on the underside of the cap and the flue walls. That moisture feeds mold and mildew and creates the stale smell you’re noticing. A waterproof crown coating, proper cap ventilation, and an annual sweep before the wet season solve it. We also document everything with camera photos so you can see exactly where the moisture is collecting. Call us at (904) 822-8172 to schedule a moisture-focused inspection.
They are, if they’re installed and maintained correctly. GL Series multi-flue caps handle wind fine when the brackets are tight and the mounting surface is solid. The issue we see in Orlando’s masonry chimneys is thermal expansion and contraction over decades loosening the bracket bolts. A loose cap will sway in storm winds and eventually crack the crown. We check bracket torque, crown integrity, and flashing on every multi-flue cap service. If yours is loose, call (904) 822-8172 and we’ll inspect and tighten or re-mount it before the next big storm.
Service Areas Near Orlando
We serve all of Orlando plus Orlovista and Pine Hills to the west, St. Cloud to the south, and Sanford and Altamonte Springs to the north. Gelco owners in the Conway neighborhood, Thornton Park, Baldwin Park, and the older brick-lined streets of Delaney Park call us for Gelco service in Orlovista and Gelco service in Pine Hills when they want a team that works in their corner of town. If you’re in Gelco sales & service territory anywhere in the metro, our Orlando service area covers it.
Book Your Gelco Service in Orlando Today
If your Gelco cap is rusted, rattling, clogged, or just hasn’t been checked in years, now is the time to schedule Chimney Repair in Orlando. Call (904) 822-8172 for a free estimate, a live arrival window, and photo proof of whatever we find. We’ll get your chimney clean, dry, and capped before the next storm.
Written by Cory Mitchell, Owner at Hadley Chimney Orlando, serving Orlando and surrounding areas. Cory has over a decade of chimney cleaning and safety experience across Southern California and Central Florida, and he’s the one who’ll text you photos of your creosote, crown, and cap before he writes the estimate.