We recently purchased a new Neo 1.6 wood stove to replace our ancient smoke dragon Earth stove. After placing our order at Warm Hearth in La Mesa, it was time to line up someone to install the stove. That someone turned out to be Jan Richardson, the owner of ChimTech. Jan came out to our house to take a look at our old stove, the existing stove pipe, and the cap. Our existing pipe and cap were all in good shape, but needed a good cleaning. Jan referred us to Matt at Kleen Sweep to clean everything out before the installation. We were fortunate to get both Matt and Jan scheduled before Christmas -- this is a very busy time of year for chimney sweeps and stove installers. The day of the installation went like clockwork. Jan showed up on time with our stove -- he picked it up at Warm Hearth before coming over. He first removed our old stove, then installed the new one -- reusing our existing stove pipe and cap. No more than an hour and a half after Jan arrived, we had our old stove gone and our new stove in place. Jan is a remarkably talented, old world craftsman. I can't imagine there's anyone else in Southern California with his knowledge and skill when it comes to all things stoves and fireplaces. Just a super experience all around. An easy 5 stars. Highly recommended. read more

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Jan came out as part of an inspection for our cracked fireplace tiles. He tried to take a backseat as he was I believe in a training/oversight mode since selling his company. However, his knowledge and insights became instantly obvious and he was a wealth of information and delightful to work with. He gave us key details on next steps with recommendations on who was best equipped to handle before it came back to ChimTech. We were sorry to hear he sold the business, but glad they are still availing his services to train the team. J read more

As you can see there are not any recent reviews - that is because they sold the business. The new owner was awful to work with. Smug and defensive. Do yourself a favor and shop around - I am so glad we went another direction with our fireplace remodel. read more

I own a 1924 craftsman and I was looking for a gas insert that would provide heat to the living room. Jan helped me through the entire process!! He came out & inspected the chimney & firebox. I needed to move the gas line & add electric to the firebox. He gave me referrals for the plumbing work (Patterson Plumbing) that I was also very happy with. I chose a Regency unit with a blower to distribute the hot air. I started working with him back in the fall of 2011. I was going through a lot of life changes and it was obvious that my "to do" list was out of control. Jan offered to fix a couple projects on the roof as well. I feel this gesture was from his very kind nature and I appreciated the help. I didn't feel he was trying to up sell me in any way, just offer a helping hand. I've called him over the years with various question and he always follows up with me and provides the correct information. He knows his products! Would be happy to work with him again. read more

Having purchased a home in a rural mountain town in far East County, and not having a lot of experience with electrical heat pumps I figured the pre-existing electrical heat pump would be fine. After all, it worked great when the temperature was in the 40s & 50s... boy was I wrong... As soon as we had a number of winter nights in the 30s & even 20s I got tired of sleeping with a ski jacket, two plug-in mobile heaters, and the family dog just for warmth... Heck, one night, I even begged an old girlfriend to get back together with me just so she'd stay over and I'd get extra body heat! Okay, just kidding about that last one but you get the idea... So this past summer, I decided to invest in a new wood burning stove. Next, I needed to find an installer and I was referred to Jan & his company Chim Tech. YES, the stars were truly aligned in my favor with this recommendation! I cannot stress to the review readers what a true professional, amazing craftsman, and genuinely nice guy Jan was! Not only did he install my new stove to perfect functional and aesthetic standards but he was extremely educational on how he was installing my new investment as well as how I should use it properly. As this November has already brought several nights at freezing temperatures, I really, really, appreciate having a perfectly installed wood burning stove. Thanks again for the excellent work Jan! read more

I chose Jan based on all the positive yelp reviews and if you don't have anything go wrong, I am sure he does good work. Unfortunately, I found him to struggle with a unit he was less familiar with, and he seemed less than interested to learn about it. I saw how he reacted to problems, which is to blame shift. He had a tough install and instead of taking responsibility, he alternately blamed me and blamed the unit and washed his hands. I paid someone else to take a look and they found a kink in his venting. Now I have to pay someone else to have it redone. While you as the reader will not know whether I am right or wrong in my concerns, I can say this - I know what it looks like when someone takes responsibility for challenges, and if you value that, move on and find someone else. read more

Our experience with Chimtech was perfect from start to finish. Jan installed a Regency gas log insert for us, and he checked everything from the condition of our chimney and roof, to the measurements and a problem with a gas leak, and helped us pick the best insert for the layout of our home. I had picked out two discounted "last year's" insert models from Warm Hearth in La Mesa, and after looking at our fireplace, Jan went to the store to see them and picked out the right one. Jan went above and beyond at each step of the process, and his expertise, professional and friendly manner was the best I have ever seen! We love our insert, and can now enjoy a warm, cosy living room instead of a drafty vent that made our home colder whenever we used our fireplace! read more

WOW - Jan is awesome and provide 'the best' service and advice for installing a new fireplace. The Regency products are great..... But, Jan really makes the difference. Exceeds expectations. read more

My wife and I decided to replace our 1959 freestanding cone fireplace with a Regency U39 direct vent gas stove. Jan offered us a single source solution for purchasing and installing the stove. After inspecting the old cone fireplace, Jan explained what preparation was needed for installation of the Regency unit. Jan was able to use the existing vent pipe insulation cylinder saving us a considerable amount of money because the job didn't require roofing services. Jan was constantly looking for the best and most cost effective way to install the unit. Additionally, he is very safety-minded when it comes to gas appliances. The day of the installation couldn't have gone better. Jan's attention to details was much appreciated! We couldn't be happier with the new gas stove and Jan's workmanship! We can recommend ChimTech without reservation. read more

Jan is fantastic and I HIGHLY recommend his service and expertise. Last year, I had 2 of my 3 chimney's cleaned by ANOTHER company. They told me there was damage and that the fireplace was unsafe to use. The other company quoted me nearly $2400. Jan took a look and said the guy was not only wrong but was attempting to rip me off. Jan recommended the right size insert for our great room, took measurements, and told me to call him when I was ready. No pressure, just an HONEST hardworking business man. He thoroughly explained the process, what might be causing some of our smoke in the house and gave us excellent suggestions to maximize our efficiency. If you're looking for a knowledgeable, honest man look no further than Jan! read more

I highly recommend Jan and his company, Chimtech, for any fireplace related project. I had an old but very well built open wood burning fireplace, it wasn't very efficient and I did some research and decided to put a wood insert fireplace into existing firebox to improve both efficiency, safety and a modern look that fits our interior. After comparing several companies,Chimtech's Jan, he is the owner, not only provided a competitive quote but more importantly the best response times and depth of knowledge in terms of type and brand will suit my needs. He is direct, honest, no nonsense type of guy that takes pride in his work, so the project was executed smoothly in a very detailed manner and the site was cleaned after the installation. More importantly, he was able to point out some safety hazards in my chimney(40 yrs old and closed to the ocean) that need to be addressed. He is a fantastic one stop shop and he has a good team of fireplace professionals that helps clean and prep my chimney before installation. Thank you for the great work. Check out my picture with the newly installed Regency wood insert. read more

ChimTech - Our new Regency wood insert, clean and modern. - Fireplace Services Near Me - Poway, California

A true professional and craftsman! I am at the tail end of a major house remodel and was in need of two gas fireplaces to be installed. I was given a list of names and phone numbers of potential installers. Thankfully Jan the owner of Chimtech called me right back. He was able to schedule me for that week and arrived on time. He was very professional and explained everything before he started work. There were a few problems, but thankfully his van was stocked with the parts he needed. Although he was very detailed making sure everything was right, he finished quickly. He also cleaned up the area and told me to call him on his cell if there were any problems. Best part was he charged me his initial phone quote, which was considerably less than his competitors. Having dealt with dozens of contractors on this job, Jan has been the best. Thank You! read more

Jan is amazing! He was responsive, and informative. Most of all he was very personable. He knows his fireplaces! He has so far installed two inserts for us and will be bidding on another. They look fabulous. I would recommend him to anyone looking for a "Real" person and professional. I look forward to working with him on our future projects read more

Jan saved the day. Very professional, very nice and personable, super knowledgeable, very dependable, and reasonable!!! The long story: One of my only source of warmth, a gas fire stove, broke back in November 2015. I first called another service technician that charged me $125 to tell me it was broken (really?!), and said he would come back with the part; I never saw him again and he never returned my 5+ calls. Then I called a second service technician who was super nice, repaired the broken part but found out that the valve was broken and the manufacturer had discontinued it. So I had to buy a new stove which he told me he would install. We made an appointment but for a reason or another, he decided not to do it and recommended that I contact ChimTech - BEST RECOMMENDATION EVER. Jan came and got it done in a couple hours. Cannot say enough good thing about Jan and ChimTech and would recommend him to anyone looking for gas fireplace and stoves services. read more

I was absolutely thrilled in every way. Chimtech is hands down the best chimney company out there. I wanted to put a wood burning stove in our remodeled family room. I contacted a couple of companies, but just didn't get a good feeling about them. They seemed more concerned with how much money I had to spend, and in making a sale rather than finding out what was best for me. On the recommendation of a friend I contacted Jan at Chimtech. What a difference!! Jan talked to me on the phone, and asked quite a few questions to find out exactly what I was looking for. When he came to my house he talked to me about different options, and advised me how to get the most value for my money. He even let me know that some of the more expensive options were not a good fit for my needs given the layout of my house (some of these options were being pushed by the other companies). He was knowledgeable, professional and straight forward He showed up (early) on the scheduled install day. From the minute he started working, I knew I was in good hands. He was truly remarkable. The work he did was perfect and he even cleaned up afterwards. And he gave us a great price. I would recommend Chimtech to ANYONE who needed stove or chimney work. I would call him again in a second if I needed some other work to be done. read more