Frequently Asked Questions

We show up in the window we gave you, lay drop cloths around the hearth, run rods and a properly sized brush from the firebox up or from the roof down depending on access, and vacuum as we go. Then the camera goes in. You watch the footage with us. We point out what's normal, what's not, and whether anything needs attention now or can wait. The whole visit for one flue usually takes 60 to 90 minutes.

Plan on an hour to an hour and a half for a single flue in typical Norwalk conditions. A two-flue job runs longer, and a steep roof with a high flue exit adds setup time. We don't rush the camera pass at the end, because that footage is the whole point. You'll know exactly what your flue looks like before we pack up.

Once a year, burn or no burn. Chimneys break in the off-season too, and the spring and summer in Fairfield County bring rain, nesting birds, and freeze-thaw cycles that crack crowns and let water in. If you burn weekly through the winter, annual is non-negotiable. If you burn occasionally, annual is still the answer because creosote doesn't care how often the fire was lit, only that it was lit at all.

Yes. Gas fireplace flues collect a lighter acidic residue that still needs brushing, and oil furnace flues in older Norwalk homes build soot that hardens over a firing season. A blocked furnace flue is a carbon monoxide risk, so we treat it with the same care as a wood fireplace. One visit can cover both flues if they share the chimney, and we'll quote them separately.

It shouldn't be. We lay protection around the hearth, run a HEPA vacuum, and keep the soot where it belongs. The roof side stays tidy too. You won't find boot prints across the living room or soot smears on the mantel. Wendell's customers have been calling him back since 1999, and leaving a mess is not how you keep someone for twenty years.

Sometimes. If the flue is straight, the firebox is accessible, and the cap isn't blocking a clean drop, we can brush from the bottom up and save the roof trip. Norwalk ranches and raised ranches with a shallow pitch often work well this way. But the camera pass still matters, and some caps require a look from above. We'll tell you honestly which side we need to work from once we see the house.

We work with DuraFlex and Olympia Chimney products, and we use HeatShield for flue resurfacing where a full liner isn't needed. These are trade-standard names that hold up to Connecticut winters and hold their warranty. The brand matters less than the install and the fit. We measure the flue, show you why the existing liner failed, and explain what the replacement does before we touch it.

HeatShield is a resurfacing system, not a full liner. If the flue tiles have cracked but the structure is still sound, HeatShield can seal and stabilize the flue without tearing out the old liner. It costs less than a full reline and restores draft and safety. If the damage goes deeper, a full stainless liner is the honest fix. We show you the camera footage that tells us which road you're on.

Yes. A missing or rusted cap lets rain straight down the flue and gives raccoons, squirrels, and starlings a warm dry place to nest. Norwalk's oak canopy means more branches over roofs and more animal pressure on chimneys. We stock standard stainless caps for most flue sizes and can order specialty pieces. A cap is a small job that prevents a big one, and we'll quote it on the spot.

Every pro working under the Top Hat Chimney name is required to hold the licensing and insurance the state of Connecticut requires for chimney work. Wendell Pike owns this Norwalk branch, puts his name on every job, and stands behind the work in writing. Homeowners who call a local number and get a real address in this county can rest easier than those who don't know whose name is on the truck.

Yes. This is a locally operated branch of Top Hat Chimney, and Wendell Pike is the owner who answers for the work. You'll see the same face at the door, at the hardware store, and on the sideline. That's the oldest accountability mechanism there is. When the owner lives twenty minutes away and you'll run into him again on a Saturday, the work gets done right.

Wendell Pike has been sweeping chimneys professionally since 1999 and carries the state-required credentials for chimney work in Connecticut. The job isn't regulated like plumbing or electrical, so the real qualification is the camera footage: a proper sweep leaves a clean flue that you can see with your own eyes. The license covers the business, and the footage covers the work.

Stop burning immediately, cover the firebox if water is actively coming in, and call us at (475) 375-2748. Water intrusion in Norwalk usually means a failed cap, a cracked crown, or missing flashing at the roofline. None of these fix themselves, and each storm pushes the damage deeper into the masonry. Our phone hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM, and we'll work to get you on the schedule.

Call us at (475) 375-2748 and we'll walk you through what to do. You can often hear the problem before you see it: scratching, chirping, or a smell that gets worse on warm days. Norwalk's older neighborhoods with mature trees see more raccoon and squirrel chimney entries than newer subdivisions. We get the animal out, clean what it left behind, and install a cap that keeps it from happening again.

Our regular hours run Monday through Friday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM, and Saturday and Sunday 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM. We work evenings and weekends as part of the normal schedule, not as an emergency surcharge line. Call (475) 375-2748 during those hours and a live coordinator will connect you with the local team and find a window that works.

A chimney fire, strong smoke backup into the house, or a strong gas or oil smell from the furnace flue. If the flue is drafting carbon monoxide back into the living space, that's an immediate hazard, and you should ventilate the house and call a professional. A blocked flue or a damaged liner is fixable, but it needs the camera look before anyone can tell you how deep the problem runs.

Yes. Every chimney job comes with a written ninety-day warranty from Wendell Pike. If something isn't right, one call brings him back. The warranty is short because the honest truth is that chimney problems show themselves fast: a bad cap leaks in the first rain, a weak liner shows on the first camera pass. What we really stand behind is the promise that Wendell puts his name, his address, and his license number on the work, and he answers his own phone.

The guarantee is simple: if the work isn't right, Wendell comes back and makes it right, no argument. That's the ninety-day written warranty on every chimney job. It covers the sweep, the cap, the crown work, the liner. The point of the guarantee isn't the fine print. It's that the owner lives twenty minutes from most Norwalk homes and would rather keep you for twenty years than win one big ticket.

Yes. If the camera pass shows a clean flue and no issues, that's exactly what Wendell tells you. He has swept the same Norwalk chimneys every autumn for years and knows them better than the people who own them. Saying "you don't need this yet" costs him money in the short run, and that's precisely why he still has the customers he started with in 1999. Your flue doesn't care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes.

You get a written quote before the work starts, a written report after the camera pass, and the ninety-day warranty in writing on every chimney job. No verbal handshake confusion, no price that changes at the door. The flat price we agree on is the price you pay, and the footage you watch is the record of what we found. Call (475) 375-2748 and we'll set a window, show up on time, and tell you the truth about your flue.

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