Our Guarantee & Warranty - Top Hat Chimney

The Top Hat Chimney Guarantee

Since 1999, we’ve stood behind every sweep, repair, and liner job we’ve done in Brooklyn. That’s not a slogan. It’s how Wendell Pike built this company, and it’s why the 90-Day Done Right Promise is stamped on every single job we complete. If something isn’t right, one call brings the crew back. No arguing, no fine print, no “that’s normal wear and tear.” You tell us it’s wrong, we come back and make it right. That’s the whole promise. It’s been working for over 29 years, from Park Slope brownstones to Sheepshead Bay walk-ups, and it’s not changing now.

Call (516) 289-9316

What’s Covered

• Workmanship on every job, no exceptions. The 90-Day Done Right Promise covers the labor we perform, whether it’s a standard sweep, a crown repair, or a full liner rebuild.
• Parts and materials we install. We work with trusted brands like DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield, and we stand behind how they’re put in.
• A clean jobsite when we leave. Your floors, furniture, and rugs stay as we found them. Drop cloths go down before a tool comes off the truck, and the work area gets vacuumed when we’re done.
• The price we quote is the price you pay. Upfront pricing comes before work begins. The number you hear on the phone is the number on the invoice. If something changes mid-job, we stop and talk to you first.
• An honest arrival window. You get a real time frame, and if the truck is running late, we call you. Wendell and his crew don’t leave you waiting and wondering.

Our Satisfaction Promise

Here’s how the 90-Day Done Right Promise actually works for a homeowner in Brooklyn. When we finish a job, you get it in writing, stamped on your invoice. If you notice something off within 90 days, whether it’s a draft coming back through a repaired damper or a cap that shifted in a coastal storm off the Narrows, you call (516) 289-9316. A live person answers, around the clock. No voicemail box, no call center. Wendell or one of his crew comes back, looks at the issue, and makes it right at no additional cost. We don’t ask you to prove it was our fault. We don’t charge a re-visit fee. We just fix it. That’s the promise, and it’s been tested plenty of times over the years. It holds up because we’d rather return to a Brooklyn chimney once than lose a neighbor’s trust.

Licensed & Insured Backing

A guarantee only matters if the company behind it is still around to honor it. We’re locally owned and owner-operated, with a published Brooklyn address. Wendell puts his name on the work, and he runs into you again on Saturday, which is the best quality control there is. We’re licensed and insured, and every technician who shows up at your door is background-checked and in uniform. Insurance isn’t just paperwork; it’s what protects your home and ours if something unexpected happens during a job. When you combine real licensing, real insurance, and a written promise from a company that’s been here since 1999, you get something stronger than any warranty card. You get a neighbor who has to look you in the eye.

What “Done Right” Means to Wendell

Over 29 years, we’ve learned that chimneys in Brooklyn have their own personalities. A brownstone flue in Park Slope built in 1905 behaves differently than a mid-century flue in Marine Park. The bricks, the mortar, the way wind whips between attached homes, the salt air coming off the harbor, all of it matters. Done right means the flue pulls properly on a cold January night. It means the crown sheds water instead of holding it. It means the liner is sized so the fireplace actually works the way you expect it to when you light the first fire of the season. Your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes. Our job is to make sure it breathes properly, and we don’t consider a job finished until that’s true. First-degree creosote is a brush job. Third-degree is a glaze. Catch it early, and you’re talking about an hour of work and a couple hundred dollars. Let it go, and you’re looking at liner work. We’d rather tell you the truth early than sell you a rebuild later. That’s what the guarantee is really about: doing the job right the first time so the promise rarely has to be called in.

What the Guarantee Doesn’t Cover

We’re honest about this part too, because a guarantee that pretends to cover everything isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. The 90-Day Done Right Promise covers our workmanship and the materials we install. It does not cover damage from improper use, like burning unseasoned wood, construction debris, or trash in a fireplace. It doesn’t cover pre-existing structural issues we flag before work begins and you choose not to address. If your chimney has loose brickwork at the top that we point out during a sweep, and you decide to wait, we can’t guarantee that section until it’s fixed. We’ll put the camera down the flue, show you exactly what we’re seeing, and give you a plain-English verdict every time, no exceptions. Then you decide. The guarantee applies to what we do, not what we warned you about and you chose to postpone.

How Often Should You Have Your Chimney Swept?

Once a year, burn or no burn. Chimneys break in the off-season too. Humidity in a Brooklyn summer works its way into mortar joints and starts the same freeze-thaw cycle that crumbles sidewalks. By the time fall comes, what was a hairline crack in April can be a real problem in November. A yearly sweep and inspection catches that early. We see it every season: homeowners in Gravesend who burned once or twice all winter and think the flue is “basically clean,” but the inspection reveals a cracked crown that’s been letting rainwater into the brickwork for months. The cost of a sweep is a fraction of what a rebuild runs. Ask anyone on your street who’s had to do one. They’ll tell you to get the sweep.

How Much Does a Chimney Sweep Cost in Brooklyn?

Do I Really Need a New Liner?

Maybe, but not as often as some companies want you to think. Before we recommend a liner replacement or a rebuild, we run a camera through the flue. The footage and a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions. You’ll see what we see. Stainless steel liners from brands like DuraFlex are designed to last decades, and plenty of Brooklyn homes from the 90s still have perfectly sound original liners. But if the camera shows cracked tiles, gaps in the mortar, or signs of heat transfer through the flue wall, that’s not a maybe. That’s a fire risk behind your walls. We’ll show you the exact footage, explain what it means, and let you decide. If your liner is sound and all you need is a sweep, that’s all we’ll recommend. Call (516) 289-9316 for a straight answer.

What Actually Happens If You Skip a Sweep?

Best case, you get a less efficient fire and a smoky room. Worst case, the creosote that’s been building up season after season finally ignites, and you’re dealing with a chimney fire. Those burn hot and fast. Even if the fire department gets there quick, the damage to the flue lining can be done, and now you’re looking at a rebuild instead of a sweep. Carbon monoxide is the quieter risk. A partially blocked flue can send exhaust back into the home, and you won’t see it or smell it. That’s why we say once a year, burn or no burn. The sweep who shows up at your door will spot problems while they’re still brush jobs, not glazes. It’s the cheapest insurance a Brooklyn homeowner can buy. Call (516) 289-9316 and get on the schedule before the burn season fills our calendar.

Standing Offers Worth Knowing About

We’ve kept the same standing offers for years because they’re simple and they honor the people we serve. Every job includes $40 off any repair over $200. If you’ve got a written estimate from another company, we’ll give you a free second opinion on it, no strings attached. There’s no trip charge for calls inside the county. And we always keep a 10% discount for seniors and veterans. It’s not a promotion, it’s not seasonal, and it’s not going away. It’s just how we do business in Brooklyn. Call (516) 289-9316 and tell us what you’re working with.

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