Masonry repair
Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
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.
Fast, Reliable Fireplace Repair Across Miami Shores
Fireplace repair in Miami Shores usually costs between $185 and $2,900 depending on what’s wrong, and most jobs can be diagnosed with a camera inspection in under an hour. That’s the honest range: a gas valve replacement or pilot light repair sits at the low end, while a full firebox rebuild with new refractory panels runs at the top. We answer the phone at (850) 787-8597 around the clock, and we give every homeowner a written price before any work starts. If you live in Miami Shores and your fireplace smells, smokes, or won’t light, call us. Nathan Corliss and the Ashby Chimney Miami crew know these 1920s chimneys well enough to tell you what’s actually wrong, not what’s easiest to sell.
Why Ashby Chimney Miami Is Miami Shores’s Preferred Fireplace Repair Company
We’ve worked on enough Miami Shores fireplaces to know what’s behind most problems: dampers that were never installed, flues that were never lined, and clay tile crowns that South Florida rain has been eating away since the Coolidge administration. Homeowners in Miami Shores call us after other companies have already given them a quote, because nobody else pulled a camera out. That’s the difference. Before we recommend a single repair, we scope the flue and show you the footage, live, on our screen. If we find a cracked firebox panel, you’ll see the crack. If we find a squirrel nest behind the damper, you’ll watch us pull it out.
We’re part of the Kingswell network of independently owned chimney companies, and we’ve been doing this work since 2002. Every Ashby technician who knocks on a door in Miami Shores is background-checked and uniformed, so you know exactly who’s walking in. Every repair carries a written guarantee. And if something we fixed fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and make it right at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s not an add-on. It’s just how we work.
Response time to Miami Shores runs one to three business days for non-emergency repairs. If you’ve got smoke pouring into the living room, we treat that as a priority and move your appointment up. Our scheduling and dispatch run from the brand’s South FL office, but the tech who shows up at your house is assigned locally and knows Miami Shores streets, from Griffing Boulevard down to the canals off NE 6th Avenue.
Styles & brands we work with
Gas Fireplace Service in Miami Shores
Gas Fireplace Service in Miami Shores typically addresses pilot lights that won’t stay lit, thermocouples that have failed, clogged burner ports, and gas valves that need replacement or adjustment. South Florida humidity takes a toll on gas components: the pilot assembly and thermocouple corrode faster here than in drier climates, even when the fireplace gets used only a handful of nights each winter. Most gas fireplace repairs in Miami Shores run between $185 and $520. A full gas valve replacement or burner replacement lands between $380 and $850.
Pilot light and ignition diagnostics
When a Miami Shores homeowner tells us the pilot light won’t stay lit, we start by cleaning the pilot assembly and testing the thermocouple’s millivolt output. Often the fix is simple, and the written price reflects that.
Burner and valve tray service
For gas fireplaces that light but burn uneven or lazy, the burner ports are usually clogged with dust and pet hair. We remove the logs and glass, brush the burner, and verify the valve is holding pressure correctly. If the valve tray needs replacement, you’ll see the quote before we order parts.
Fireplace Insert Installation in Miami Shores
Fireplace Insert Installation in Miami Shores turns a drafty or decorative original fireplace into a sealed, efficient heat source. This matters here because many of the village’s 1920s Mediterranean Revival homes have original brick fireplaces that were built for aesthetics, not heat. They were designed without dampers, without caps, and often without proper flue liners. A modern gas or wood insert changes that: it vents through a new liner, seals the opening, and actually warms the room. Insert installation with a liner in Miami Shores typically runs between $2,200 and $5,800, with most jobs landing around $3,500 to $4,500 depending on flue height and whether the original firebox needs prep work.
Gas insert conversion
Converting a decorative Miami Shores fireplace to a gas insert usually takes one day. We size the insert to the firebox, run a new flexible flue liner up the existing chimney, install a cap, and connect the gas line. The result is a sealed unit you can start with a remote.
Wood insert placement
For homeowners who want actual wood heat, a wood insert with a liner and block-off plate gives you that. It also solves the draft problem that comes with an unlined original flue, because the insert vents directly through the liner instead of relying on the old masonry.
Trusted Brands We Service in Miami Shores
We stock and service parts from the brands we trust enough to put our name behind: Copperfield, DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco. That means when a Miami Shores homeowner needs a new chimney cap, a stainless flue liner, or a refractory firebox repair, we’re not waiting on a random part from a supply house across town. DuraFlex liners come out of the van on insert jobs. HeatShield resurfacing material is used for firebox and smoke chamber repairs. Gelco caps go on top of uncapped original chimneys all over Miami Shores. Using trade-brand materials that were designed for chimneys, not whatever happened to be in the truck, is the Kingswell Way.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Fireplace Repair Problems We See in Miami Shores Homes
- Animal nests blocking the flue: Many original Miami Shores chimneys have no cap, so squirrels and birds move in. The first cold snap comes, the homeowner lights a fire, and smoke pours back into the room because the flue is packed with nesting material. We remove it, show you the video, and cap the chimney so it doesn’t happen again.
- Spalling clay tile and deteriorating mortar: Salt air and heavy summer rain eat at the mortar joints and clay tile crowns on these 1920s stacks. You’ll see white chalky residue on the exterior stucco near the chimney, which is efflorescence from water moving through the masonry. Left alone, it spreads.
- Missing dampers and uncapped flues: A significant share of original Miami Shores fireplaces were built without dampers at all, which means the chimney is an open hole to the roof all year. That’s how heat escapes, rain gets in, and mold grows inside the firebox. A top-sealing damper or cap fixes it.
- Appliances vented into decorative chimneys: We regularly see water heaters or older furnaces vented into original brick chimneys that were never lined for that use. Exhaust gases condense inside the flue, the mortar erodes, and you get draft problems and a real carbon monoxide concern. We camera inspect before we touch anything.
Pricing for Fireplace Repair in Miami Shores, FL
Here’s what Miami Shores homeowners can expect, in plain dollars. A basic gas fireplace repair, like a thermocouple or pilot cleaning, runs $185 to $320. Chimney cap installation with animal nest removal lands between $350 and $650. A full firebox repair with new refractory panels runs $1,000 to $2,900 depending on firebox size and damage. Chimney crown repair and waterproofing, which matters a lot in Miami Shores with the summer rain, runs $600 to $1,800. Insert installation starts around $2,200. Every one of those numbers gets put in writing before we start, and the written price is what you pay. Call (850) 787-8597 for a free estimate, and we’ll come scope the chimney and give you a quote you can hold onto.
Nothing we recommend happens without camera evidence you can see with your own eyes. If the flue liner is cracked, you’ll watch us show you the cracks on the screen. If it’s fine, we’ll tell you it’s fine and what can safely wait. No one in this industry should be quoting you thousands of dollars for liner work you can’t verify.
We Also Serve Cities Near Miami Shores
Our Fireplace Repair crew works throughout northern Miami-Dade. If you’re in Miami, Hialeah, North Miami Beach, or Hialeah Gardens and need a scope and a straight answer, call us. We schedule across Miami Shores regularly and dispatch locally from the South FL office, so you’re not waiting on a tech from another county.
Serving Miami Shores, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Miami Shores 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 About Fireplace Repair in Miami Shores
Because water is getting in. In Miami Shores, uncapped or poorly crowned original chimneys let rain and humidity in, and the damp, dark flue is a perfect environment for mold. The musty smell travels down into the living room even when there’s no fire. The fix usually starts with a camera inspection to see where the water entry is, then a cap or crown repair and waterproofing. Call (850) 787-8597 and we’ll scope it and show you exactly where the problem is.
You’ll usually hear chirping or scratching from the firebox area, see nesting material or droppings around the hearth, or get a strong smell of decay. Many original Miami Shores chimneys have no cap, so birds get in without much trouble. If you hear anything moving in the chimney, don’t light a fire and don’t try to smoke them out. We remove the nest safely with a camera scope, install a cap so it can’t happen again, and show you the footage.
It is not safe to use an original unlined or partially lined fireplace for fires on a regular basis. The 1920s masonry and mortar in Miami Shores homes has been shrinking and cracking for a century, and the salt air accelerates the damage. Gases and heat can move into the surrounding walls. If your chimney predates modern liners, we recommend a camera inspection before any use. We’ll show you exactly what condition the flue is in, and if it needs a liner, we’ll give you a written quote. If it can wait, we’ll tell you that too.
Yes, and that’s one of the most common jobs we do in Miami Shores. Original fireplaces were often built without dampers or proper liners, so a gas insert with a new flexible liner solves the draft problem and gives you a source of heat. Most insert conversions take one day and run between $2,200 and $5,800 in Miami Shores. Call for a free estimate, and we’ll measure the firebox and give you a written number.
In most cases, the flue is blocked, usually by an animal nest or debris that accumulated while the fireplace sat unused through the humid season. Original Miami Shores chimneys often have no caps, so squirrels and birds move in during the warm months. The first time you light a fire, the blocked flue pushes smoke back into the room. We scope the flue, remove whatever’s in there, and cap the chimney. If draft issues continue after cleaning, we check whether the flue is properly sized and lined.
If you’ve got a fireplace in Miami Shores that needs a straight answer, call (850) 787-8597. We answer the phone with a live person, we show up in the window, and every quote is written before any work starts. Nathan Corliss and the Ashby Chimney Miami team have been doing this since 2002.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Miami, serving Miami Shores since 2002.