Level 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.
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AfterFamco Fireplace Services in Commack: What to Know First
If you own a Famco fireplace in Commack and it’s acting up, we can help. Top Hat Chimney is an independent Famco service provider, not a factory arm, and we’ve been working on these units in Suffolk County homes since well before the big-box stores started carrying them. Most Famco service calls we handle in Commack are diagnosed and repaired in a single visit, and our pricing is given to you up front, before we unload a single tool. Call (631) 502-3612 and you’ll get a live person, not a menu.
This page is for homeowners in Commack who own a Famco wood-burning fireplace, gas log set, or fireplace insert and want to understand what’s actually wrong with it, what it should cost to fix, and whether it’s even worth fixing. We’ll cover the failure points we see most, the parts situation, and what a repair actually looks like from start to finish.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
How Famco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
- Famco gas log sets with lazy yellow flames and soot on the glass. This is the most common call we get from Commack homeowners with Famco gas fireplaces. The burner ports on many Famco vented log sets are spaced for natural gas, and when the set was converted to propane at some point, the orifices were swapped but the air shutters were never adjusted. You end up with a soft, sooty flame that blackens the glass and throws less heat. The fix is a full burner cleaning, correct air shutter adjustment, and a gas pressure check at the valve. On Famco sets we usually find the thermocouple is also tired by year eight or nine.
- Famco wood-burning fireplaces with dampers that won’t seat fully closed. Famco’s factory dampers are cast-iron and functional, but the pivot pins on older models corrode in Commack’s coastal air. Once those pins bind, the damper hangs open about half an inch and the flue pulls warm air out of the house all winter. We see it often in homes built in the 1980s and early 1990s. The repair is usually a pin replacement and seat grind, not a whole new damper, unless the frame itself has warped from years of overfiring.
- Famco inserts with refractory panels that crack within the first few seasons. The Famco insert line sold heavily through Long Island fireplace shops in the 2000s, and the refractory firebrick panels they shipped with are thinner than what we’d like to see. A hairline crack is cosmetic. A crack wider than a nickel that exposes the steel firebox behind it is not. We replace these panels with a denser aftermarket refractory that lasts longer than the OEM panels, and we’ll show you the difference in thickness before we install anything.
- Famco gas valves that click but won’t light when the weather turns cold. This is a classic Suffolk County problem. The standing pilot on older Famco millivolt valves doesn’t generate enough current when the thermopile is coated in a film of dust and the house has been shut up with the heat on. The symptom is usually a pilot that lights, a faint click, and nothing. We clean the thermopile, check millivolt readings under load, and replace the assembly if it’s weak. Before that, we rule out a spider nest in the burner tube, which we find about one in every ten Commack gas fireplace calls.
- Famco log sets with cracked or crumbling ceramic logs. The ceramic fiber logs on some older Famco sets get brittle after fifteen-plus years of heat cycling, especially when homeowners move them to clean under the set. A cracked log can drop debris into the burner ports and create an uneven flame and carbon buildup. We can match individual replacement logs for most Famco series still in circulation, and we’ll be straight with you when the set is too far gone to be worth piecing back together.
Our Famco Fireplace Services Process
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You call (631) 502-3612. A live person answers. We ask what the fireplace is doing (or not doing), what brand and model you have, and whether you smell gas or see soot. We give you a real arrival window before we hang up.
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Wendell or one of our crew arrives and does a full diagnostic. We don’t just look at the symptom. We check the gas pressure at the valve (for gas sets), inspect the damper and firebox, and put a camera up the flue if there’s any question about the venting.
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We give you a written quote before any work starts. The number we quote is the number on the invoice. No surprises. If we find something unexpected once we’re in, we stop and show you what we found on camera before we ask for another dollar.
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Parts decision. For Famco units, we’ll tell you when OEM parts matter (gas valves, safety controls) and when a quality aftermarket part is actually the better call (refractory panels, thermopiles). We never install a part we wouldn’t put in our own fireplace.
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The repair and the test. We run the unit through a complete cycle, check for leaks with a gas sniffer on gas work, and verify the draft on wood-burning fireplaces. The fireplace has to pass the test before we call it done.
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Cleanup and the 90-Day Done Right Promise. We sweep the hearth, haul off any trash, and hand you the invoice with the Done Right Promise on it. If something’s not right within 90 days, one call brings us back at no charge.
What Famco Fireplace Services Costs in Commack
Here’s what you can expect to pay for common Famco repairs in the Commack area. These are real numbers, not national averages pulled from a website.
- Gas log set service and burner cleaning: $175-$285
- Thermopile or thermocouple replacement: $145-$240, part included
- Damper repair (pin replacement, seat grinding): $190-$350
- Refractory panel replacement on a Famco insert: $320-$475 per side, depending on the panel size
- Gas valve replacement: $425-$650, part included
- Full diagnostic visit (applied toward any repair): $89 inside our service county, no trip charge
What moves the price on a Famco job is mostly whether the fireplace was installed by the original builder or retrofitted, and how accessible the gas line and controls are behind the unit. We’ll give you a firm price before we start, and remember: seniors and veterans get 10% off, every time, on every job. Call (631) 502-3612 for a free estimate. If you have a written estimate from another company, we’ll give you a second opinion on it for free.
Why Commack Homeowners Call Top Hat Chimney for Famco Work
We’ve been doing this since 1999, and we put our name on the truck, the invoice, and the work. Top Hat Chimney is owned and operated by Wendell Pike, and Wendell has spent nearly two decades running jobs through Suffolk County, including plenty of service calls in the Burr Farms neighborhood of Commack. The sweep who shows up at your door is background-checked, uniformed, and works for the company whose name is on the side of the van, not a franchise that rotated in last spring.
We also service the brands that often sit right next to a Famco unit: DuraFlex liners, HeatShield resurfacing systems, and Gelco chimney caps. So if your Famco fireplace needs a liner or a crown repair while we’re there, we can handle the whole job without you having to call three different companies. Every job is backed by our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not done right, we make it right. One call, and we’re back. That’s been the rule since day one.
FAQs
No. As an independent Famco service provider, we perform repairs and maintenance that are fully documented, and we use OEM or equivalent parts where appropriate. In practice, most Famco fireplaces in Commack homes are well past their original warranty period, so the real question is whether the repair is safe and cost-effective, not what the factory thinks about it. We’ll tell you honestly if a repair makes financial sense or if the unit is at the end of its serviceable life.
Most Famco gas log and wood-burning fireplace repairs in Commack are completed in a single visit. Common parts like thermopiles, thermocouples, and damper components are on our trucks. If we need a Famco-specific part that isn’t stocked locally, we’ll tell you the honest lead time before you spend anything, and you decide whether to wait or go a different route. Call (631) 502-3612 and we’ll give you a real answer for your specific model.
Once a year, burn or no burn. Gas fireplaces accumulate dust, rust, and spider nests inside the burner and pilot assembly that affect combustion even if you only light the thing twice a season. Wood-burning Famco fireplaces need the flue inspected yearly and swept as needed. Chimneys break in the off-season too, and a yearly look costs far less than waiting for a problem to announce itself. If it does not need doing, Wendell will be the first one to tell you.
It depends on the unit’s condition and what fails. A gas valve failure on a 20-year-old Famco set is a $425-$650 repair, which is usually worth doing if the burner and logs are still in good shape. But if the firebox steel is warped, the refractory is crumbling on multiple sides, and the unit is undersized for the room, you’re better off putting that money toward a new insert or gas set. We’ll show you the camera footage and give you a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions. Call (631) 502-3612 for an honest assessment.
Yes. Famco’s outdoor fireplace line shows up regularly on patios in Commack, especially in the larger, older lots near the north end of town. The failure points are different outdoors: rust on the firebox, corroded gas lines, and burner ports clogged with insects and yard debris. The good news is outdoor Famco units are generally simpler to work on than indoor inserts, and a full service plus a safety check typically runs between $200 and $350.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner, Top Hat Chimney at Top Hat Chimney, serving Commack and nearby areas.