Not cheap, but he is very good and very honest. He showed up when he said he would ànd cleaned up after himself. Our pellet stove has never been better! read more

Had a bit of trouble finding someone to work on our "old" gas-fired stove -- our only source of heat for the main part of the house. Earle to the rescue! He was able to come out straight away, diagnosed the problem & installed the part to get us going again. Professional, super organized and best of all, very friendly. Thanks Earle read more

Hanahou Hearth & Patio - All back to normal - Chimney Sweeps Near Me

Earle was fantastic! On time and got our problem fixed where as another company wanted double the rate!

Earle is a true professional and Identified exactly what I needed to have a safe and running wood burning stove for the winter. Dedicated to his profession and clients! read more

Very very expensive! Would not recommend him! He charged me way too much for just 1.5 hours of work. I would stay stay far away from this service if I were you. There are plenty of other people you can call on! read more

When I first purchased our home, one of our to-do list was to get our fireplace working. We struggled trying to have the pilot stay lit despite attempting it numerous times. I had PG&E come down and try to light it as well, but they concluded that I needed a new pilot. I contacted Earle back in September 2012 after finding his ad on Craigslist, but never scheduled an appointment to have him repair my fireplace until last Friday. I was planning on contacting other HVAC companies, but insisted that I work with someone who primarily is an expert in fireplaces. I described the issue with my fireplace to Earle and he was able to give me a fair estimated cost for the repair through e-mail. Earle was friendly and polite. He took off shoes when he arrived so that my carpet wouldn't get dirty. When disassembling my fireplace, he was careful to not let dirt get on the carpet by using his own floor covering to lay down the parts and tools. Earle simulated the issue that I encountered and provided me with info as to how my gas fireplace functioned during the process. Earle initially thought that I needed a new pilot because he was unable to get my pilot to stay lit. As he began to remove the parts, he identified that the wiring to my pilot starter wasn't connected to begin with. His further investigation identified that the reason why my pilot wouldn't stay lit is because a spider decided to lay his nest within the pilot which prevented it from staying lit or lighting at all! What a smart spider!! Earle removed the spider's nest and tested it. He put everything back together and ensured it worked without any problems. I finally have a working fireplace! Earle charged me less than his standard fee, but I gave him $25 more for his kindness and honesty. I paid with a personal check. Earle could've easily taken advantage of me by unnecessarily replacing the pilot for a new one and possibly stating that other parts needed to be replaced. I'm glad that he didn't and has truly proven his honesty! I would definitely use him again should I encounter future fireplace issues and highly recommend him to friends and family! Thanks Earle!! read more

Earle is the best! Honest, fair, hard working and kind! I'm sitting in front of a roaring fire right now, just minutes after Earle cleaned our chimney and fireplace. It had about 10 years of buildup and was not safe to use without the cleaning. One reason it was so dirty and dangerous is that we live in a condo with no safe roof access to the chimney, and a tiny, tiny flue. Earle came in, and did a topnotch chimney cleaning job even though he could only use his smallest brush on a flexible series of interlocking handles. It was backbreaking work, but he got it done. All the while, Earle educated us about fireplace safety, alternatives in gas inserts and pellet stoves, and helped us figure out how we could get a pellet insert on our tiny budget. Looks like if we find a good used one, he could help us get it in at half the cost of retail. We had such a good time, and more important, he did an outstanding job and is clearly extremely knowledgeable in his field. We can't wait to have him come back and install a pellet insert! read more

Earle is the man! He squeezed me in on a SUNDAY knowing that my son and I have had no heat all winter. He was communicative, professional, and so passionate about fireplaces. I am very impressed with his service quality and the care that he took to diagnose the problem, and find a solution. Earle is what all professionals should be - courteous, knows-their-stuff inside out, gets it done, and is willing to go the EXTRA MILE just to put a smile on my face. Thank you Earle. Glad to know you and happy holidays! Duncan read more

Earle came the day after we talked in the phone. Fixing our fireplace right away. I would highly recommend Hanahou and Earle. Great Customer Service. read more

I have been using this company for several years and want to recommend Earle and his work heartily! He is dependable, friendly and makes sure the job is complete. Highly recommended! read more

I found Hanahou Hearth via a web search, I was looking for a locally owned and operated fireplace and chimney cleaning service in the East Contra Costa Area. When I saw that H.H. was listed in Pinole via their website, I thought I found gold. After reviewing the website, I clicked on the Yelp link to read reviews. I found it odd that the owner's name is listed here, rather than the company name, and now the business is listed in Hercules. Still, not a problem since my overall goal of using a local small business is still being met. I admit to losing track of time so I was not able to call until Friday night around 6pm to schedule an appointment. Not a big deal since the posted hours of operation at 8am to 8pm 7 days a week. Earle answered the phone and I could tell he was driving. After confirming I was calling the right place - I expected to be greeted with "Thanks for calling Hanahou Hearth...." not "Hello" - we tentatively set up a chimney cleaning appointment for 11am for the upcoming Tuesday. I told him I had seen a coupon special for an open fireplace on his website for around $190 but I wasn't sure the price was right (nor did I give the coupon code). He said it would be about that price but would get back to me. Earle asked me to text him the details of our conversation and he would confirm the time when he could get to his calender. Honestly, this was my first experience in texting a professional business for services, but hey, overhead like an office, phone line, receptionists, etc are expensive. Per his request, I texted him the conversation details and my address, phone number, and email and also asked for a price quote and method of payment. He replied back that it would be $200 cash or check. I agreed. To be fair, this part is my fault. I didn't go back and re-check his website for the listed service price and coupon code, nor did I specifically tell him coupon code "HanaHotFall2013" over the phone or via text. It wasn't until a day later when I was able to go back to his website and see this, "Open Fireplace Cleaning~$179.00." Again, this part is 100% my fault for not re-checking his website and it cost me an extra $21.00. In a perfect world, he would have mentioned his price difference, but he's under no obligation as a business owner to do that. During our texted communications, we were able to change the appointment to 10am since he is flexible. The day of the appointment, he texted at 9:35am that he was on his way to my house. I texted back a thank you and did some house work while I waited. 50 minutes went by (now 10:24am) and Earle/Hanahou Hearth had not arrived nor notified me of any changes. I texted him and he texted back that he was stuck in traffic and would be there in 9 minutes. At 10:34am he arrived. I had to assume it was him since he never identified himself at the front door, nor was his truck branded with the company name, nor was he wearing anything that said "Chimney Cleaning Guy." I had to ask him if he was the chimney guy before letting him in. I was home alone that day; I had to be sure who I was letting in the house. Safety first people. When I asked him where the traffic was, he said he was coming from Oakley and he was stuck in traffic. Apparently he had just moved there. which is why his websites had not been updated. I wasn't too happy with the delay, since I had to get to work, but I had a feeling Earle was of Pacific Islander decent from the company name (later confirmed) and time/schedule are never set in stone for Islanders. He was able to clean the chimney chute and remove the ashes that were built up in the fireplace in about 35 minutes. He set up a plastic cover so dust, soot, and anything else in the chute would not be allowed into the living room. I'm glad I called a professional out to clean since the amount of cobweb build up was so think, the smoke would not have been able to get out. He gave me tips on how to clean the bricks, methods and techniques to clear ashes, and recommendations for wood burning stoves, should I decided to go that route. When he was done, he cleaned up and took the ashes into to trash can and gave me a receipt when asked. Overall, the work gets 5 stars but I would rate the overall experience as 4 stars. That being said, I would recommend his work to my friends with a flexible schedule. FYI, There is another listing for this company on Yelp, under "Earl Aku Jr." read more

I called Earl based on a referral to fix my fireplace as it was loud and the logs needed to be swapped out. I got a quote of 375 for what turned out to be a routine service. Learning that the job was routine and was told it would only take 30 to 45 minutes to do, I quickly called around for a competitive quote. The next establishment I called quoted me 150 for the exact same work. As I was out their service area I had to get someone else. At the end of the day I ended up paying 90 versus 375 dollars to get my fireplace serviced. I might need to change professions if I can get 375 per hour fixing fireplaces. read more

Earle is the best. He will be there when he says he is going to be or he let's you know. He is knowledgeable, kind and gets the job done. I don't know what I would have done without him. Thanks Earle! read more

In a attempt to be unbiased and objective without sounding overly subjective as a lot of reviews tend to be I will only list the factual Pros & Cons of my experience with Hanahou Hearth. This way the consumer may decided for themselves... Pros * Owner/Operator of the business has a friendly personality *Provides a 1 year warranty on his work * End result- He fixed my fireplace Cons *Not punctual- He made two visits to fix my gas fireplace. First visit he was 70 minutes late, second visit he was 1hr 40min. late. * Service Performed- Upon the first visit I explain my problem which was gas fireplace failing to ignite despite having a visible pilot light. He said he would service it without providing a description of service, nor stating a price for said service. For this service he disassembled a handful of parts, borrowed my shop vac to clean them up and put everything back together. As a result of this, the fireplace ignited, although the flame would not sustain itself i.e. it would repeatedly turn off, then turn back on before finally staying lit, clearly not normal. I pointed this out to him and his response was "this is normal- there is a "sensor" in there that senses the heat and once it is hot enough then it stays lit". Total service time was approximately 40 minutes, Service Charge was $375. I forgot and failed to ask him for written documentation of the work done and payment rendered. The next day I turn on the fireplace and experience the same issue which I pointed out to him the day before. The fireplace would repeatedly turn on and off before staying lit, eventually it just did not stay lit. I called him, explain the problem and his response was "oh yeah, that "sensor"in there is fried and needs to be replaced. He told me he would order it and quoted me $300 for it. 1 week later he installs the new "sensor" and charges me $350. *His Follow Up- After the repair of my fireplace was complete and I paid him again for his services I asked him for paperwork for my home records. He said he didn't have paperwork with him but that he would fill it out when he got home and scan it to me. I waited 1 week, did not receive it, and texted him to remind him. He acknowledged it, 1 week later (total now 2 weeks) and I still don't have any documentation that he every did any work for work for me. All I have are my cancelled checks to support any warranty work should I ever need it within the year he installed the new part. read more

I am so impressed with Earle's expert troubleshooting with my Hearthstone gas-fired heater. Other repair guys from local "dealers" of Hearthstone stoves just tried to get as much money from me as possible, without fixing anything! Earle, figured out what was wrong, reconnected loose wiring, replaced parts and installed a great automatic thermostat all in one day. Earle's awesome! Thank you, from a warm and cozy customer! read more

We had a very unfortunate experience with Earle. We have two gas fireplaces in our home: one had creosote build up on the glass and the other had a pilot light that would occasionally go out. The good news: Earle came over quickly the day of my call, as he was in the neighborhood and worked on both problems. The bad news: He charged us an exorbitant amount for the two minor repairs he did--$750, especially annoying was the two service charges, one for each fireplace, given only one visit was necessary. At the end of his visit he said "you own me for a year," i.e. he wouldn't charge another service charge if we needed him to return in the next year. At the time we thought that was cute and friendly and made up to an extent for his enormous fee. A couple of months ago I called him to say that the creosote was still building up and the pilot was still failing, and asked him to come out again as he promised. He said he was just packing to go on vacation and I said, since it wasn't an emergency that it could wait until his return. He never called me. Again, a few weeks ago, I called him--twice, and emailed. This time he said he was on vacation and "it wouldn't be a vacation if he responded to work calls." Neither his phone nor email had vacation messages. When I asked when he would be returning to work, he said "tomorrow" and he would call me. Is it surprising to hear he never called us?! My year of free service has now passed, not for lack of trying on my part. I am done with this company. read more

Earle was awesome - he was not able to resolve my problem but was very helpful in promptly driving up to my house, quickly diagnosing the issue and referring me to someone that could help me. He collected the necessary specifications and prepared me for how to describe the problem to the other technician - it effectively expedited the entire process, He was very friendly and truly went out of his way to help me. He did not charge me anything. I would highly recommend Earle! read more

Earle Aku worked on not only getting our gas fireplace insert, he sold our wood burning fireplace insert, installed our new one, and repaired the chimney for us. Earle follows through on his word and we were in awe of the restoration he did to make our "new" fireplace look as good as new. He not only keeps his promises, his work is neat and thorough. Truly he goes beyond the call of duty in completing the project to your satisfaction and accommodating your schedule. The fireplace is exactly what we were looking for! I'd recommend him highly for anyone who is looking for a new used fireplace insert. Paulette S. read more

Earl is the pearl! I live in Oakland, and have a VERY old gas fireplace that had stopped working 6 months ago. Finally got around to fixing it, and based on other Yelp reviews including comparing to others gas fireplace repair people Yelp in the area, I called up Earl. He got back to me right away, fit me into his schedule, and was over all in one day. I'm an engineer, and though I don't know much about gas fireplaces, I know when a technical person knows what they are doing - and I could tell, Earl knows! He meticulously checked out the various components of the system, (while explaining to me how it all works) diagnosed the problem (needed a new thermopile/pilot assembly), took down all the information on my ancient antique-like part, figured out where to order it (he knows all the parts distributors in the area personally, including which ones know what they're doing and which don't!). As soon as the part came in, he picked it up (in San Leandro) and came over later in the afternoon and reassembled. It didn't work right away, and I was worried I would need another, more expensive parts - but as Earl says, he treats each job as if it were his own home - so he patiently fiddled around with the new pilot till it finally started working again - and voila, Flame On! My 30 year old fireplace is reborn! So if you want someone who knows their gas fireplaces (and stoves, and I'm sure whatever else he works on); is a no b.s. guy but does talk good Hawaiian story (mainland translation - he's friendly and likes to talk!); charges a very reasonable rate, and tries to keep your costs down while still doing the job right - Earl is your man! Many Mahalos Earl! read more

If you are into a "real green" fireplace solution, Earle is the guy to do work with. I had a Lopi Freedom low emission wood burning stove in excellent condition. With the abundance if "Spare the Air days", I wanted to change to a gas insert. Rather than buying a another new insert , Earle was able to find and refurbish the exact gas burning insert I was looking for and he found a customer who was looking for a wood burning stove insert just like mine. Earle did all the work, saved both of us half the cost of new inserts and altogether we all helped mother earth! Do your part - CALL EARLE! Donna D. read more

Ours was a tough repair, and he nailed it! Would not stop until it was fixed and at a decent price. Great guy, a pleasure to work with!

Earle was both extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He was able to figure out what was wrong with our 20 year old gas fireplace insert and helped us get the pilot problem quickly resolved. His prices seem very reasonable, too. I will most definitely call on him again next time there's a problem with our heater. read more

It's cold outside, so of course my fireplace (gas insert) Heat and Glo is not working. And guess what? Here in the city the one place that does repairs, Blaze is so backed up the earliest appointment they have is three weeks out. Yikes! Enter Earle Aku. He drove over from the East Bay at 7:00 at night because we were freezing to death. He's a great guy, totally honest and knows his stuff. We had Kidd come out in years past... not my favorite. So happy to have found an honest reliable tech! read more