Chimney Sweep · Malta, DeKalb County, IL
Chimney Sweep in Malta, IL
Home of Kishwaukee College and a stretch of the historic Lincoln Highway, Malta’s farmhouses and village homes rely on wood and gas heat we help keep safe.
Malta is a small farming village west of DeKalb, best known as the home of Kishwaukee College and for a marker honoring the 1914 “first seedling mile” of the Lincoln Highway. Out here, wood stoves and fireplaces are real heat sources, not weekend ambiance, and the older farmhouses often go years between professional cleanings — which is how a thin creosote glaze becomes a stage-three problem.
The work Malta chimneys tend to need is the honest, unglamorous kind: a thorough sweep, a camera inspection to catch cracked liners or spalling brick, and a cap to keep rain and animals out of a flue that has stood open for decades. We find what the chimney actually needs and fix that — nothing invented.
Malta students attend the DeKalb district (DeKalb High School), and the village is a short run west for us with no trip charge. From a farmhouse wood stove to a village fireplace, Malta gets one crew that shows up and does it right.
What a chimney camera inspection actually reveals
A visual check from the firebox tells you almost nothing about the flue itself. That is why we run a video camera on a rod up the full length of the chimney, and it consistently finds problems that would otherwise stay hidden until they became emergencies. The camera reveals cracked or missing flue tiles, gaps and deterioration in the liner, the true thickness and stage of creosote, spalled masonry inside the flue, offsets and blockages, and the condition of the smoke chamber and damper.
Each of those findings changes what a chimney needs. A cracked clay tile means heat and combustion gases can reach the surrounding structure — a fire and carbon-monoxide risk that calls for relining. Heavy glaze means the chimney has gone too long between cleanings. A blockage explains a draft complaint. We show Malta homeowners the footage on the spot, because seeing the inside of your own flue turns an abstract recommendation into an obvious decision. It also keeps us honest: when we say a chimney is in good shape, you can see it for yourself, and when we say it needs work, the evidence is on the screen.
Learn more about the community we serve at the Village of Malta, or check the local school district at DeKalb High School. Insured & Bonded, working to NFPA 211 standards — call (815) 449-4265 to book your Malta chimney service.
Malta FAQs
Chimney questions from Malta homeowners
Our Malta farmhouse chimney hasn’t been swept in years — is that dangerous?
It can be. Years of buildup can reach the stage where creosote is hard to remove and easy to ignite. Start with a sweep and camera inspection so you know exactly where things stand.
Do you service wood stoves as well as open fireplaces in Malta?
Yes. Wood stoves and inserts common in Malta farmhouses actually build creosote faster than open fireplaces and often need more frequent attention.
Is there an extra charge to come out to Malta?
No. Malta is on our regular route west of DeKalb, with no trip fee.
Do you offer any guidance on how to burn to keep my chimney cleaner?
We do, and it makes a real difference. Burn only seasoned hardwood dried below about twenty percent moisture, build hot, brisk fires rather than slow smolders, and give the fire enough air to burn cleanly. Avoid burning green wood, cardboard or trash, which foul the flue fast. For a Malta farmhouse that heats with wood all winter, these habits noticeably slow creosote buildup between our visits — though they do not replace the annual sweep.
Book a Malta chimney sweep
Talk to Chuck’s crew directly — 7 days a week, 7am to 9pm.