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.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFamco Fireplace Services in Brooklyn: What to Know First
We service and repair Famco fireplaces across Brooklyn, and most jobs are done in a single visit. You’ll get an honest read on whether the fix is a $50 part or something deeper - and if it doesn’t need doing, we’ll tell you that too. This page is for Brooklyn homeowners with a Famco gas or wood-burning fireplace who want a straight answer about what’s wrong, what it costs, and whether it’s worth fixing. Call (516) 289-9316 and you’ll get a live person, not a call center.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
How Famco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
Famco built a reputation for solid, no-nonsense fireplaces and dampers back when a lot of Brooklyn’s row houses were being renovated. But every brand has its patterns, and after years of working on them, here’s what we see most often:
- Famco top-seal dampers that won’t seat flush. The cable mechanism on Famco’s top-mount dampers can stretch or bind over time, especially in older brownstone chimneys where the flue liner has shifted slightly. The symptom is a damper that closes but still lets a draft through. We replace the cable assembly or adjust the mounting plate - and we show you the before and after on camera.
- Famco throat dampers with rusted frames in pre-war flues. Brooklyn’s humidity and salt air do a number on cast-iron damper frames, particularly in homes near the water in Bay Ridge or Sheepshead Bay. The damper blade wedges against the rusted frame and won’t open or close. Sometimes it’s a cleanup and graphite lube. Sometimes the frame has to come out and a newer Famco or aftermarket damper goes in.
- Gas log sets where the burner ports clog unevenly. Famco’s vented gas logs are dependable, but the burner tubes collect dust and pet hair faster in Brooklyn apartments than the manufacturer’s cleaning schedule assumes. The flame gets lazy on one side. We pull the logs, clear the ports with compressed air, check the gas pressure, and put it back together the way Famco intended.
- Pilot assemblies that drop out on windy nights. This one shows up in taller buildings and on rooftop-adjacent flues in neighborhoods like Park Slope and Prospect Heights, where wind gusts hit the chimney cap at odd angles. The pilot flame lifts off the thermocouple and the fireplace shuts down. We correct the pilot position, verify the draft, and if the cap is missing or undersized, we’ll tell you that’s the real culprit - not the Famco valve.
- Firebox refractory panels cracking from thermal cycling. Famco fireplaces use standard refractory panels, and Brooklyn winters with frequent hot-cold cycles eventually crack them. Hairline cracks are cosmetic. A panel that’s crumbling and exposing the metal firebox behind it is a fire hazard, and we’ll replace it before you burn again.
Our Famco Fireplace Services Process
Here’s what a typical Famco job looks like when you call us:
- 1
You call (516) 289-9316, and a person answers. Wendell or someone on his crew asks what the fireplace is doing - or not doing - and gives you a straight range over the phone. No dispatch maze.
- 2
We show up with a real arrival window. Background-checked, in uniform, and we call if traffic on the BQE wrecks the schedule.
- 3
Diagnostics come first, and you see what we see. We run a camera into the flue, check the damper, the gas valve, the burners, the firebox. You get the footage and a plain-English verdict - every time, no exceptions.
- 4
We price the repair before a single tool comes off the truck. If it needs a Famco OEM part, we say so. If a quality aftermarket part does the same job for less, we tell you that too and let you choose.
- 5
We fix it, test it, and clean up. The fireplace gets run through multiple cycles, the gas connections get checked, and your hearth looks like we were never there - except the fire actually works.
- 6
You get the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not right, one call brings us back. No charge, no argument.
What Famco Fireplace Services Costs in Brooklyn
Most Famco fireplace repairs in Brooklyn run between $180 and $650, depending on what’s actually wrong. A dirty pilot or clogged burner tube is on the low end. A damper replacement with parts runs $300 to $500. A cracked refractory panel or a full gas valve replacement lands at the higher end. Here’s the honest breakdown:
- Service call and diagnostic: No trip charge inside our service county. You pay for the diagnosis only if we don’t do the work - and you keep the camera footage.
- Gas log cleaning and burner service: $140-$220
- Pilot assembly repair or adjustment: $180-$300
- Damper repair or replacement (throat or top-seal): $300-$500
- Refractory panel replacement: $350-$650 depending on panel size
- Full gas valve replacement: $450-$800 with parts
What moves the price is parts availability and whether we’re working on a standard Famco setup or an older model that’s been modified over the years. Brooklyn chimneys have seen a lot of hands. Call (516) 289-9316 for an exact quote - estimates are free, and we’ll tell you plainly if the repair isn’t worth the money.
Why Brooklyn Homeowners Call Top Hat Chimney for Famco Work
Wendell Pike started Top Hat Chimney in 1999, and he’s been working chimneys across Brooklyn ever since - from the brownstones off Flatbush Avenue to the row houses in Carroll Gardens. He learned the mechanical side at Palomar College, but the real education came from rooftops. When a Famco fireplace misbehaves, we know what the manufacturer intended and what fifty years of Brooklyn weather did to it. Every job gets the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. The phone gets answered by a person, 24/7 - often Wendell himself. And if your Famco fireplace needs parts that cross over to DuraFlex, HeatShield, or Gelco components, we work with those brands too. This is owner-operated work, not a franchise that rotated in last spring. Ask anyone on your street.
FAQs
No. As an independent Famco service provider, we use manufacturer-approved methods and OEM parts where the job calls for it. Famco’s warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship, not routine service. If we find a defect that’s still under warranty, we’ll tell you how to pursue it - and document everything with photos.
Common parts like damper cables, pilot assemblies, and refractory panels are usually in stock or available within 2-3 business days. Oddball parts for discontinued Famco models take longer, and we’ll give you a straight timeline before you commit. You’ll never wait on a part we could replace with a quality aftermarket equivalent without knowing your options.
That depends on the firebox and flue, not just the brand name. A 30-year-old Famco with a solid firebox and a clean flue is often worth a $300 damper repair. A unit with rusted seams or a cracked heat exchanger isn’t. We’ll show you the camera footage and give you a plain-English verdict - if it doesn’t need replacing, we won’t try to sell you one.
Yes. We’ve converted plenty of Famco wood-burning fireplaces in Brooklyn to vented gas logs or inserts. The job depends on your existing flue size and condition - some older brownstone flues need a liner first, and that’s a conversation we’ll have before we quote, not after we open the wall. Call (516) 289-9316 for a free estimate.
They skip the annual inspection because “it worked fine last year.” Your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes. First-degree creosote is a brush job. Third-degree is a glaze - catch it early. If you skip a year and we find a blocked damper or a cracked panel the hard way, that’s a bigger bill than the $40 off any repair over $200 you’d have put toward the inspection.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner, Top Hat Chimney at Top Hat Chimney, serving Brooklyn and nearby areas.