Meet the Team - Kindling Chimney Orange County

Meet the Orange County Team Behind Kindling Chimney Orange County

We’re a small crew that spends our days on rooftops and inside fireboxes from Huntington Beach to Yorba Linda, and most of us have been doing this long enough that a flue full of creosote doesn’t surprise us anymore. What unites the team at Kindling Chimney Orange County is a shared belief that people deserve to know exactly what’s happening inside their chimney before anyone starts recommending repairs. Danny Cortes, Owner, put that standard in place, and every technician who works under the Kindling name is background-checked, uniformed, and trained to follow the C.A.R.E. values on every visit: Courtesy, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence.

Call (831) 217-7981

Our People

Marcus T. – Lead Technician

Marcus has been sweeping and repairing chimneys across Orange County for 14 years, and he’s the person most likely to be on your roof when we arrive. He holds a CSIA certification and specializes in diagnosing liner damage with a camera before any recommendation gets made. Marcus is the one who once pulled a pelican skeleton out of a sealed flue in Corona del Mar, and he’ll tell you that story if you ask, but only after the sweep is done and the drop cloths are clean. He’s the quietest member of the crew around customers and the loudest around a misaligned damper. Marcus lives in Santa Ana and prefers prefab fireplaces to masonry ones, though he’d never say so in front of the homeowners who love their brick.

Lena R. – Senior Installer & Repair Specialist

Lena handles most of the liner work and fireplace repair jobs we take on, and she’s been with Kindling since the Orange County location opened. She’s certified on DuraFlex and HeatShield systems and does the majority of our stainless steel relining work, particularly in older homes in Fullerton and Orange where original terra cotta liners have started to crack. Before joining the team, Lena worked in fireplace restoration, and she’s the one who notices when a hearth extension is six inches too short or a clearance to combustibles is off by half an inch. She keeps a small notebook in her truck with sketches of unusual flue configurations she’s encountered, and she will absolutely show you the page for your house if you’re curious. Outside of work, Lena restores mid-century furniture and has strong opinions about the right way to strip veneer.

Carlos V. – Service Coordinator

Carlos is the voice on the phone when you call (831) 217-7981, and he’s been answering since before the sun comes up on most days. He schedules every sweep and inspection, keeps the route tight so crews aren’t driving back and forth across the county all day, and makes sure the written price gets to you before anyone shows up at your door. Carlos knows the difference between a Level 1 and Level 2 inspection cold, which means when you describe what’s going on with your fireplace, he can usually tell you which service you actually need without a callback. He grew up in Garden Grove and still referees youth soccer there on weekends. If you call at 3 a.m. because you smell something odd from your fireplace, Carlos is the one who picks up and talks you through it.

Sam D. – Apprentice Technician

Sam is the newest member of the crew and splits his time between learning the sweep process from Marcus and assisting Lena on liner and repair jobs. He’s been with us for two years and is working toward his CSIA certification now. Sam runs the camera during Level 2 inspections, handles the drop cloths and floor protection setup, and takes the crawlspace access points in older homes where the flue runs are tight. His favorite part of the job is the moment a fireplace that hasn’t worked in years gets its first good draft back. He’ll tell you that straight up. Sam is from Anaheim and is the one who asks the most questions, which we consider a good sign for whoever ends up with a cap that’s been rusted shut for a decade.

One Standard, Every Job

The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies to every technician on this page, no exceptions. If the work isn’t right, Kindling makes it right, no fine print and no runaround. That’s the standard Danny set when he opened this location, and it’s the same promise that applies across the Cedarwell family of companies, which has been operating since 2003. The Cedarwell Care Promise is what you’ll see in practice when we arrive: shoe covers and drop cloths go down on arrival, nothing is moved without asking, and a photo of the clean-up is taken before the crew leaves. We use pet-safe products where there is a choice, and we keep tools quiet when the kids are asleep. Every person named above is background-checked, arrives in uniform, and answers to the same standard whether they’re sweeping a fireplace in Mission Viejo or repairing a liner in Brea.

Written by Danny Cortes, Owner at Kindling Chimney Orange County, serving Orange County since 2003.