Frequently Asked Questions

We show up at the scheduled window, protect the area around your fireplace, and run brushes through the flue to remove creosote and soot. Then we inspect the entire system: cap, crown, flashing, damper, firebox, and flue liner. We run a camera through the flue so you can see exactly what we see. The whole job usually takes 60 to 90 minutes. Before we leave, you'll know exactly what shape your chimney is in and whether anything needs attention.

Most standard sweeps take between one and two hours from start to finish. Factors that add time include heavy creosote, a tall or steep roof, unusual flue construction, or the presence of an animal nest. We'll give you a realistic window when we book the appointment, and the window we give you is the window. If anything slips, we call you before the appointment, not after.

No. We lay down drop cloths around the fireplace and use equipment designed to keep dust and soot contained. We protect the floor and the surrounding area before we start, and we clean up fully before we leave. Most customers are surprised by how tidy the process is. The whole point of a sweep is to make your home safer and cleaner, and we're careful to make sure you'd never know we were there except for the fact that your chimney is clean.

Most of our Quakertown-area sweeps are done from the roof down, but the method depends on your chimney and roofline. Some chimneys are accessible from the firebox side, and we'll use whichever approach is safer and more thorough for your setup. We have the ladder and safety gear for the job. You don't need to do anything except show us where the fireplace is.

Once a year, burn or no burn. Even homes that only use their fireplace occasionally should get an annual sweep and inspection. Creosote builds up with every fire, but chimneys also break in the off-season: a cracked crown lets water in, a missing cap lets animals in, and a damaged flue liner is invisible from the outside. The annual visit catches those problems before they become expensive repairs or safety hazards.

Creosote is the tar-like residue that forms when wood smoke cools and condenses inside your flue. It's highly flammable, and it's the fuel for most chimney fires. First-degree creosote is a brush job. Third-degree creosote is a glaze, and it takes specialized tools and sometimes longer work to remove. Catching it early, before it hardens into glaze, keeps your chimney safer and keeps the cost of the sweep down. That's the case for the annual visit.

We check the cap, crown, flashing, flue liner, damper, smoke shelf, and firebox. We look for creosote buildup, cracks, water intrusion, animal nests, and any sign of damage to the liner or masonry. Every inspection ends with the camera footage and a plain-English verdict. We'll tell you what's fine, what can wait, and what needs attention now. Nothing gets recommended unless you can see the reason with your own eyes.

We install and work with dependable brands like Olympia Chimney, Copperfield, and DuraFlex. These are quality manufacturers with a solid track record for liners, caps, and other chimney components. We pick parts we'd put in our own homes, and we stand behind the work and the materials. If your chimney needs a part we don't stock, we can order it and schedule the install when it arrives.

Yes. When a flue liner is cracked, deteriorated, or missing, we install a new stainless steel liner, often a DuraFlex or Olympia product, sized to your fireplace and furnace. A damaged liner is not something to put off; the liner is what protects your home from the heat and gases the flue is meant to carry. We'll show you the camera footage that documents the damage, explain the options, and give you a written estimate before any work begins.

Yes. A properly fitted chimney cap keeps rain, snow, animals, and debris out of your flue. We carry caps from brands like Olympia and Copperfield and will match the cap to your chimney's dimensions. We can install a new cap as part of a sweep when we find a missing or damaged one, and we'll let you know if the cap can wait or needs replacing now. You'll see the condition for yourself in the camera report.

Yes, and we recommend it. If you're under contract on a home with a fireplace or wood stove, a level one or level two chimney inspection is a smart move before you close. We'll sweep it if needed and run the camera through the flue so you know what you're buying. You'll get the footage and a written summary you can take to your realtor or use in negotiations. Call (484) 603-6713 to schedule an inspection before your closing date.

Every pro who works under the Top Hat name is required to hold the license and insurance their state requires. We're a local Quakertown business, led by Wendell Pike, and we put our name on every job. Before you book, you're welcome to ask about credentials. We'll tell you plainly what coverage we carry and what it means for the job at your home.

We're local. Wendell lives in the area and our address is in this county, not three states away. When you call, you talk to a live coordinator who connects you with the local team. We work in Quakertown, Milford, Telford, Franconia, Harleysville, Perkasie, Souderton, Sellersville, Pennsburg, East Greenville, Hellertown, and Emmaus. We buy materials locally, and we hire locally. That's community first, and it's the oldest accountability mechanism there is.

We do our best to address urgent chimney problems quickly, but we book appointments rather than promising same-day dispatch. If you've had a chimney fire, a water leak from a storm, or an animal inside the flue, call (484) 603-6713 and tell us what's going on. We'll explain what to do right away, and we'll get you on the schedule as soon as possible. Our hours are Monday through Sunday, 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM.

If you've had a chimney fire, even a small one, stop using the fireplace immediately and call us at (484) 603-6713. A chimney fire can crack the flue liner and damage the masonry even when the flames stayed mostly inside the chimney. Do not build another fire until the chimney has been inspected. A cracked liner is a serious hazard, because the flue is what protects your home from heat and gases. We'll inspect everything and show you the camera footage of any damage we find.

It depends on the season. Fall and early winter are our busiest months in Quakertown, so we recommend booking your annual sweep in late summer or early fall, before the first fire of the year. In spring and summer, we usually have more flexibility. Call (484) 603-6713 and our coordinator will find you a time that works.

Yes. Every chimney job comes with a 90-day written warranty. If something isn't right within 90 days of the work, one call brings Wendell back. That's the promise he's built the business on since he started, and it's stamped on every job we do. We'd rather keep you for twenty years than win one big ticket. If a problem comes up, call (484) 603-6713 and we'll make it right.

We do. The parts we install are backed by the manufacturer's warranty, and our labor is covered by the 90-day workmanship warranty on every job. We use materials from reputable brands like Olympia, Copperfield, and DuraFlex, and we install them correctly the first time. If a part fails due to a defect, we'll help you handle the manufacturer's warranty. If the failure is on our installation, we fix it under our own warranty.

We'll leave a full summary of the work, including the camera footage and our plain-English recommendations. If you have questions, you can reach us by phone during business hours. Most of our customers in Quakertown are home during the visit, because part of the value is seeing the camera footage yourself. But if you can't be there, we'll leave everything you need to understand exactly what we found and what we did about it.

Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Quakertown and Upper Bucks County since 1999.