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
AfterTrusted Chimney Liner & Rebuild for Brooklyn Homeowners
A chimney liner does two jobs: it carries smoke and gases up and out of your house, and it keeps heat from reaching the brick and wood around your flue. When the liner cracks, those jobs fail. In Brooklyn, where row houses and brownstones share party walls, a failed liner in one home can become a problem for the house next door. That’s a fact Wendell Pike has seen play out since 1999, and it’s the reason Top Hat Chimney treats liner work as the most important repair a chimney can need. Most liner replacements in Brooklyn run between $1,800 and $4,200 depending on flue size, access, and whether the crown needs work. We show you the camera footage before we recommend anything. Call (516) 289-9316 and you’ll get a live person, a straight answer, and a price before any tool comes off the truck.
We’re the home team for Brooklyn chimney work: owner-operated, locally owned, and backed by a 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing on every single job. Wendell puts his name on the work because he runs into you again on Saturday.
Key Takeaways:
- Chimney liners fail from heat, moisture, and age. Brooklyn’s freeze-thaw winters accelerate the damage.
- A cracked liner is a fire and carbon monoxide risk, not a cosmetic issue.
- We never recommend liner replacement without showing you the camera evidence first.
- Pricing is quoted upfront and flat: the number on the phone is the number on the invoice.
- Every liner and rebuild job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise. One call brings Wendell back.
What Our Chimney Liner & Rebuild Service Includes
Every chimney in Brooklyn is different. Some flues are square clay tile. Some are round terra cotta. Some were built for coal and converted to gas, with old brick and odd offsets that were never meant to vent a modern appliance. That’s why liner and rebuild work is never one-size-fits-all. Here’s what we actually do, and when each job is the right call.
Stainless Steel Liner
A stainless steel liner is a continuous metal sleeve that runs from the appliance or fireplace all the way up through the flue. It’s the standard fix for an old clay liner that’s cracked, spalling, or missing sections. In Brooklyn, we most often install stainless liners in homes converting to a gas boiler or direct-vent fireplace, where the original flue was never sized for modern equipment. Wendell and his crew size the liner to the exact BTU output of your appliance, because an oversized liner condenses and an undersized one chokes the draft.
Flexible Liner
Flexible liners are used when the flue has bends, offsets, or irregular construction that a rigid pipe can’t navigate. Many Brooklyn brownstones have chimneys that jog sideways to avoid structural beams, and flexible stainless handles those turns without cutting open walls. We use insulated and non-insulated flexible liner depending on whether you’re venting a fireplace or a furnace. Insulation matters more in exterior chimneys, which is most of what we see in Brooklyn’s attached housing.
Liner Replacement
Liner replacement means removing the old clay tile or metal liner and installing a new one, either by breaking out the damaged tile or by sliding a liner inside the existing passage when the dimensions allow. This is the fix when the liner has cracks wider than a hairline or when pieces of tile have fallen into the smoke shelf. Top Hat Chimney always does a camera inspection before and after replacement, so you see the condition you started with and the clean flue you’re left with.
Partial Rebuild
A partial rebuild addresses the portion of the chimney above the roofline: the crown, the top few courses of brick, and the flue tile that extends past the cap. These are the first parts to fail in Brooklyn because they take the full force of rain, snow, and freeze-thaw cycles. We rebuild from the roof up, matching mortar and brick as closely as the existing structure allows. If your liner is good but water is getting in at the top, a partial rebuild is often the most honest fix.
Full Chimney Rebuild
A full rebuild comes down to the roofline and goes back up, and occasionally extends below the roof if the structural brick is compromised. This is not a job we recommend lightly. Wendell has been on Brooklyn roofs since 1999 and he will tell you plainly when the brick can be repointed and when it genuinely needs to come down. Full rebuilds address leaning stacks, severe spalling, and chimneys where the mortar joints have turned to sand for multiple courses. We quote it flat before work starts, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise covers the rebuild from cap to roofline.
Liner Repair
Not every liner problem calls for replacement. A small crack at the flue tile can sometimes be sealed with a proper refractory repair rather than a full liner. Liner repair makes sense when the damage is limited, the tile is still seated, and the chimney is otherwise sound. We will show you the camera footage and tell you if repair is a safe, lasting option, or if you’d be paying for a patch that buys you one heating season and not much more. We don’t sell patches when a liner is needed.
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.
Brands We Service for Chimney Liner & Rebuild
We work with a few brands consistently because they hold up in Brooklyn’s climate and they’re backed by manufacturers who stand behind their product. Gelco liners are common in homes converting from oil to gas here, and we’ve installed and serviced enough of them to know the sizing charts and clearance requirements by heart. The Gelco warranty process is one we can navigate without guesswork when a manufacturer defect does show up.
Olympia Chimney and Famco both make liner components and termination caps that show up regularly in Brooklyn rowhouses, and we keep their standard parts in the truck for common flue sizes. Copperfield makes the chase covers and caps we use on many rebuilds, especially where a Brooklyn roof sees heavy wind off the harbor. Your chimney doesn’t care about the brand name. It cares about the install. We match the product to the flue and the appliance, and we stand behind the labor.
Signs You Need Chimney Liner & Rebuild Right Now
- Pieces of tile at the bottom of your flue. Clay tile fragments sitting in the smoke shelf or firebox mean the liner is breaking apart. In Brooklyn, this often follows years of water intrusion and freeze-thaw cycling. Once tile starts falling, the flue is no longer a continuous protective channel, and the gaps are where heat and gases escape.
- White staining or efflorescence on the exterior brick. That white powder is salt being drawn out of the brick by trapped moisture. On an exterior chimney in Brooklyn, it means water is getting in, usually through a failed crown or cracked liner. The brick is spalling from the inside out, and the damage compounds every winter.
- A smell of smoke or soot in rooms next to the chimney. When a liner cracks, combustion gases don’t always go up and out. They can press through the gaps and into wall cavities, and you’ll notice the smell before you notice anything else. In attached Brooklyn housing, that smell can drift through party walls into the neighbor’s unit too.
- Visible cracks in the flue on the camera scope. If a previous sweep mentioned a cracked liner, get the footage. We hand you the video and explain exactly what you’re looking at. A crack wider than the edge of a dime, especially in an exterior flue, is generally a replace-it situation, not a wait-and-see.
- Water in the firebox after heavy rain. Rain coming straight down the flue often points to a failed cap or crown, but water running down the inside of the flue walls points to liner trouble. In Brooklyn, warm chimney gas meeting cold rain-soaked liner is a recipe for accelerated deterioration.
Our Chimney Liner & Rebuild Process - Step by Step
You’ll know what’s happening before we start, what we find while we’re working, and what we left when we’re done. No surprises, no phone calls from a stranger saying the price changed. The process follows a set order because that’s the only way to do it right.
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Inspection and camera scope. We start with the chimney from the roof and the firebox, then run a camera up the flue. You see the footage with us, in real time, on the screen. We point out what’s sound, what’s damaged, and what can wait. If the liner is fine, we tell you it’s fine and we leave.
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Written estimate and flat price. Before any work begins, you get a written estimate with the full scope and the exact price. That number holds. If we find something unexpected once we open the chimney, we stop and talk to you before doing anything else. The price never changes without your spoken approval.
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Prep and protection. We cover furniture and floors around the fireplace, drop cloths from the door to the hearth, and a rooftop setup that keeps debris off your roof and out of your gutters. Brooklyn roofs are close together, so we take extra care with tarps and barriers when a neighbor’s skylight is nearby.
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Liner installation or rebuild. Whether it’s a stainless liner slid down an existing passage or a full rebuild from the roofline up, Wendell and his crew do the work with an eye on the existing masonry. Mortar matches the neighborhood character, and the liner is sized and insulated correctly for the appliance it serves.
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Post-work camera review and cleanup. After the job, we run the camera again and show you the new flue from top to bottom. You get the after footage alongside the before. Then we clean the work area, carry out our debris, and leave the house the way we found it, except with a working chimney. The 90-Day Done Right Promise is in writing before we pack the truck.
How Much Does Chimney Liner & Rebuild Cost in Brooklyn?
A straightforward Chimney Liner & Rebuild - Brooklyn job like a stainless steel liner replacement in a single-story rowhouse usually lands between $1,800 and $3,200. Add a second story or tricky chimney access off a ladder against a party wall, and that range shifts to $2,800 to $4,200. A partial rebuild above the roofline starts around $2,500 and goes up with the height and brick condition. A full rebuild is the most variable job in chimney work: $5,000 on the low end for a simple one-story stack, $12,000 and up for a three-story brownstone chimney with structural repairs.
What drives how much Chimney Liner & Rebuild costs: flue height and diameter, liner type (rigid vs. flexible, insulated vs. not), the condition of the existing masonry, roof access, and whether the crown and cap need replacement at the same time. In Brooklyn, roof access is often the wild card. Tight courtyards, shared roof decks, and steep pitches all add time and scaffolding. We quote it flat and we don’t pad the number. A fair estimate includes the crown and cap because leaving those out on a liner job makes no sense.
How to avoid overpaying: get a camera inspection you can see, get a written price that holds, and ask whether the crown and cap are included. Then call us for a free second opinion on any written estimate. Wendell has looked at thousands of Brooklyn chimneys and he’ll tell you if that other quote is fair, high, or selling you a problem you don’t have.
Chimney Liner & Rebuild Near Brooklyn - Our Service Area
We work throughout Brooklyn and the surrounding neighborhoods: Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Brooklyn Heights, Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Ridgewood, Williamsburg, Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Flatbush, Bensonhurst, Canarsie, Red Hook, Sunset Park, and Glendale. Most liner inspections are scheduled within a week, and we give you a real arrival window. If the roof schedule slips because of weather, you’ll hear from a live person before you have to wonder. No trip charge for calls inside our home service county, and 10% off always for seniors and veterans.
Serving Brooklyn, NY - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Brooklyn area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions - Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Brooklyn
Chimney Liner & Rebuild - Ridgewood work involves removing the damaged clay tile liner and installing a new stainless liner, or rebuilding the top portion of the chimney where the liner exits the masonry. In Brooklyn, it’s the repair that addresses cracked flue tiles, water damage at the crown, and brick spalling above the roofline. The goal is a continuous, correctly sized flue that safely vents your fireplace or heating appliance.
Most stainless liner replacements are done in one day, including the before and after camera inspection. Partial rebuilds typically take two to three days depending on weather and brick matching. A full rebuild can run five to ten working days. We give you a schedule before work begins and you’ll know if weather pushes it.
Expect $1,800 to $3,200 for a typical one-story replacement, and $2,800 to $4,200 when the chimney is taller or access is tight. Partial rebuilds start around $2,500. Full rebuilds run $5,000 to $12,000 and up depending on height and masonry condition. Call (516) 289-9316 for an exact quote on our Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Howard Beach or nearby: the estimate is free, and the price you hear is the price you pay.
Yes. We install and service liners and components from Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield, and we keep standard parts for the common Brooklyn flue sizes in the truck. If you have a different brand, bring us the model information and we’ll give you a straight answer on parts and service. Wendell has worked on hundreds of these systems since 1999.
If your liner has failed to the point where you can smell smoke in the house or see water running into the firebox, stop using the fireplace or appliance and call us. Our phones are answered by a live person around the clock, and it may be Wendell himself picking up. We’ll schedule the inspection as fast as the schedule allows and talk you through whether the chimney is safe to leave cold until we arrive.
Every liner and rebuild job is backed by our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If the work isn’t right, one call brings Wendell and his crew back at no additional cost. Manufacturer warranties on liner materials are passed through to you and we handle the claim process if a defect shows up. Your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks, it cares how it breathes: we guarantee ours breathe.
Clear the area around the fireplace so we can get a clean drop cloth down and a ladder in, and keep the roof access clear of anything we might trip over. Move cars if your house has a shared driveway or courtyard the truck needs to back into. You don’t need to do anything else. We bring the camera, the tarps, and the tools, and we’ll walk you through what we find before anything gets touched.
Schedule Your Chimney Liner & Rebuild Service in Brooklyn Today
Call (516) 289-9316 for a free, no-obligation estimate on your chimney liner or rebuild in Brooklyn. You’ll talk to a live person, get a straight answer, and a flat price before any tool comes off the truck. Wendell has been working Brooklyn chimneys since 1999, and he puts his name on every job. Ask anyone on your street.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Brooklyn since 1999.