Frequently Asked Questions

We lay drop cloths, run a high-powered HEPA vacuum, and brush the flue from either the top of the chimney or the firebox, depending on the setup. The goal is to remove creosote, soot, and any debris like leaves, nests, or dead animals. After the mechanical cleaning, we inspect the full length of the flue with a camera, check the damper, cap, flashing, crown, and firebox brick, and walk you through what we found. You get a written report and the camera footage. The whole visit usually takes 60 to 90 minutes.

Once a year, burn or no burn. The National Fire Protection Association recommends annual inspection and cleaning as needed, and in Suffolk County's climate that's the right rhythm. Salt air, freeze-thaw cycles, and the occasional nor'easter do damage even when you aren't burning. Chimneys break in the off-season too. If you burn more than two cords of wood a year, or you burn green or unseasoned wood, you may need a mid-season check. Once a year is the baseline. It's the cheapest insurance a fireplace owner can buy.

Most jobs in Commack and the North Shore towns take between one and two hours from setup to final walkthrough. A straightforward fireplace with a clean-burning history is usually on the shorter end. A wood stove with a long liner, a fireplace that hasn't been touched in five years, or a flue with heavy creosote buildup takes longer. We'd rather take the extra twenty minutes and do the job properly than rush through it. You'll know the time window when you book, and we call if anything changes.

Not much. We ask that you clear the area around the fireplace so we have room to work, and if you've had a fire in the last 24 hours, let us know when you book so we can plan for a fully cooled firebox. We bring drop cloths, a HEPA vacuum, and everything else we need. Keep pets in another room while we're working, mostly so they don't track soot through the house or get curious about the equipment. That's the whole prep list. We handle the rest.

A sweep removes creosote and soot from the flue. An inspection evaluates the condition of the entire chimney system: the liner, the crown, the cap, the flashing, the masonry, the damper, and the firebox. Every sweeping we do includes an inspection as part of the visit. There's no separate "inspection charge" and no scenario where we sweep a flue and ignore the condition of the chimney. We show you the camera footage and tell you what we found, whether that's "you're good for another year" or "this tile liner is spalling and needs attention."

Yes, though the work is different from a wood-burning flue. Gas fireplaces produce acidic condensation and very fine soot, and the vents need to be checked for blockages, corrosion, and proper draft. Many homeowners with gas fireplaces assume they don't need service. They do. A blocked or corroded gas vent is a carbon monoxide risk you cannot see or smell. If you have a gas fireplace in Commack, Smithtown, or anywhere nearby, call us at (631) 502-3612. We'll check the full system and explain what you're working with.

It can be. A chimney sweep involves working at height on a roof, often on a pitch, sometimes around power lines, and always with creosote that is flammable and irritating to skin and lungs. There are dozens of chimney brush kits sold at hardware stores, and every year we get calls from homeowners who tried it and either made a mess they couldn't clean, damaged a liner, or got halfway up a ladder and realized they were in over their head. This is one job where paying a professional is cheaper than the alternatives.

We install and service liners and components from trusted manufacturers like DuraFlex, Copperfield, and Olympia Chimney. These are brands that have stood up well in the Northeast climate, and we choose parts based on what your chimney actually needs, not what we happen to have on the truck. If a liner is required, we'll show you the damage on camera and explain why a particular brand and grade of steel is the right call for your flue. No one should ever be sold a liner sight unseen. Call (631) 502-3612 if you've been told you need one.

For wood-burning appliances, stainless steel is the right choice. Aluminum liners are for gas appliances only, because the acidic condensation in a wood flue will eat through aluminum in a few seasons. Within stainless steel, there are different alloys and flex patterns for different appliances, and choosing the wrong one shortens the life of the liner. We specify the liner to the appliance and the flue, and we document the installation with photos. This is a place where the wrong "bargain" part costs you twice.

Usually, yes. We carry or can order caps, dampers, and components that fit chimneys built decades ago, and we work with suppliers who stock parts for older masonry and factory-built systems. If you have a chimney in a mid-century Commack home with an odd flue dimension or a discontinued damper, that's not unusual. We find the part. Where a true match isn't available, we'll show you the alternative and explain the tradeoffs before anything goes on the roof.

Yes. We install caps to keep rain, leaves, and animals out of the flue, and we install top-sealing dampers when the throat damper is rusted or missing. On Long Island, rain and critters are the two biggest threats to a chimney that's never used. A missing cap lets in raccoons, squirrels, and enough rain to damage the firebox and liner over a few winters. When we inspect a chimney, the cap and damper are always part of the checklist.

Every pro working under the Top Hat name is required to hold the license and insurance their state requires. Wendell Pike is the owner here in Commack, and he puts his name on every job. That's the accountability part. You're not getting a rotating crew from three counties away. You're getting a local company with an owner who lives in the area, answers the phone, and stands behind the work. Ask us anything about credentials when you call (631) 502-3612. We'd rather you ask than wonder.

We're a local branch of Top Hat Chimney, an established brand, built for this market and run by Wendell Pike. Wendell lives in the community, works here every week, and has been serving this area for 27 years. The brand supplies the standards and the guarantee. The crew, the trucks, the knowledge of which Commack chimneys have trouble with which wind directions, that's all local. When you call, a live coordinator connects you with our team. You'll see the same faces year after year.

Because we show you the camera footage. Every inspection ends with video of your flue, and Wendell gives you a plain-English verdict. If your chimney is fine, he tells you it's fine and you don't need to see him again until next year, even though that costs him money. It's why he still has customers from his first years in business. The L.O.C.A.L. code we work by isn't just posted on a website. Accountable means the owner puts his name on the work. You can verify everything we tell you with your own eyes.

The difference is what happens when something goes wrong. Wendell Pike publishes his name, his address, and his license number, and answers his own phone. He lives twenty minutes from most of the homes he works on, and he's going to run into you again at the hardware store. That's the oldest accountability mechanism there is. A national operation can vanish into a call center. A local owner cannot. We're part of a national family of brands, and we're held to those standards, but this branch is run by a neighbor whose name is on the truck.

Yes. A chimney fire sounds like a freight train, a loud rushing or rumbling noise from the flue, often with flames or dense smoke visible at the chimney top. If you have one, get everyone out of the house and call 911 first. After the fire is out and the chimney has cooled, call us at (631) 502-3612. A chimney fire can crack a terra cotta liner, warp a stainless liner, and damage the surrounding masonry, and the chimney should not be used again until it has been inspected. Even a small chimney fire can create the conditions for a bigger one later.

We're open seven days a week, and our hours are Monday through Friday 7:00 AM to 7:30 PM, Saturday and Sunday 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM. We do our best to prioritize homeowners dealing with a chimney that can't be safely used, and we'll always be straight with you about when we can get there. Call (631) 502-3612 and tell us what's going on. If it can wait a few days, we'll say so. If it can't, we'll work to fit you in as soon as the schedule allows.

First, contain the water inside with buckets and towels, and move anything valuable away from the area. A leak during a Long Island storm is usually a flashing failure, a cracked crown, or a missing cap. The good news is that none of those are an immediate structural emergency. The bad news is that water inside a chimney does damage quickly: it soaks into masonry, rusts dampers, and degrades liners. Call us once the weather clears and we'll come out to inspect. Don't wait until spring. The longer water runs through a flue, the more expensive the repair.

Yes, and this is the one that surprises people. A chimney that hasn't been used in years can still have a bird's nest, a dead animal, a failed cap, water damage, or a cracked liner you'd never know about until you light a fire and smoke pours into the house. The first fire in a long-dormant chimney is a common cause of chimney fires, because years of accumulated debris or a hidden blockage go undetected. Before you light that first fire in your Commack home, have the flue inspected. Call (631) 502-3612 and we'll check it out.

Ninety days in writing on every chimney job. If something we did isn't right, one call brings Wendell Pike back. That's the promise, and it's been the promise since this company was founded in 1999. The guarantee is the same whether we're doing a standard sweep, a liner replacement, or a masonry repair. We don't split hairs about what's covered. If our work failed, we make it right. That's what Accountable means in the L.O.C.A.L. code, and it's not negotiable.

We stand behind every liner we install under the same 90-day workmanship guarantee that covers all of our chimney work. The liner itself also carries the manufacturer's warranty, which varies by brand and product line, and we'll walk you through the terms before anything is ordered. What matters most is that the liner is specified correctly for your appliance and installed properly, because most premature liner failures are installation errors, not material defects. We document every installation. If there's ever a question, we have photos.

Call us. If you don't feel like the job was done thoroughly, Wendell will come back and make it right. In 27 years of serving Commack and the surrounding towns, the reason his customer list still includes people from his first seasons is simple: he'd rather keep you for twenty years than argue over one visit. We show you the before and after on camera, so you can see exactly what came out of the flue and what it looks like now. That transparency is the guarantee. You verify the work with your own eyes.

Call (631) 502-3612. A live coordinator picks up, asks about your setup, and gets you on the schedule. You'll get a written quote before any work starts, and your appointment window is the window, with a phone call if anything slips. We're open seven days a week: Monday through Friday 7:00 AM to 7:30 PM, Saturday and Sunday 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM. Estimates are free, and the camera inspection is included in every sweep. Call today and get it handled before burning season.

Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Commack, NY since 1999.