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
AfterMeet the Norwalk Team Behind Top Hat Chimney
When you call Top Hat Chimney in Norwalk, the person who picks up the phone may well be the same person who shows up at your door with a brush and a camera. That’s how Wendell Pike has run things since 1999. We’re not a franchise with rotating crews and scripted pitches. We’re a small, local outfit of people who live and work in Fairfield County, who know the difference between a Norwalk Center colonial and a Rowayton beach house chimney, and who answer to our neighbors, not a regional manager three states away. Ask anyone on your street. They’ve probably seen one of our trucks.
Our People
Wendell Pike, Owner and Lead Technician
Wendell founded Top Hat Chimney in 1999 and has spent the last 29-plus years with his head inside more Norwalk flues than he can count. He’s the one who inspects the tricky jobs, writes up the estimates, and stamps the 90-Day Done Right Promise on every invoice that leaves the truck. Wendell is CSIA-certified and holds a Connecticut contractor’s license, which means he’s the guy other sweeps sometimes call when a chimney won’t behave. On weekends you might find him at the Norwalk Oyster Festival, or in the hardware aisle at Ring’s End, talking shop with whoever asks. His favorite call is the one where he gets to tell a homeowner their chimney is actually fine, and no work is needed today.
Rich M., Senior Installer
Rich has been with Top Hat Chimney for over 15 years, and he’s our lead on liner installs, rebuilds, and the masonry-heavy jobs that make a chimney structurally sound again. He’s certified on DuraFlex and HeatShield systems, and he’s the one who can look at a crumbling crown and tell you in plain English whether it needs sealing now or repointing next spring. Rich grew up in Bridgeport and knows the old housing stock in South Norwalk and East Norwalk like the back of his hand. He keeps a notepad in his back pocket with measurements from every job, and he’ll show you the camera footage before he suggests spending a dime. When he’s not on a roof, he’s coaching his daughter’s soccer team.
Betsy D., Service Coordinator
Betsy is the voice you’ll hear when you call (475) 375-2748 at 7 a.m. or 11 p.m. She’s been answering the phones at Top Hat since 2011 and has probably spoken to half the homeowners in Norwalk at least once. Betsy knows the schedule, the service area, and which jobs are urgent versus which ones can wait until the fall rush settles down. She’s the reason we give you a real arrival window and actually call if the truck runs late. She grew up in Wilton and has a dry sense of humor that survives even the busiest October days. If you call about a sale or a spam pitch, you’ll get a quick, polite goodbye. If you call about a chimney, you’ll get an answer and a scheduled visit.
Devon K., Apprentice Sweep
Devon joined the crew in 2023 and is learning the trade the old-fashioned way: on the roof, behind the brush, and inside the firebox with Wendell or Rich a few feet away. He handles the setup, the drop cloths, the vacuum runs, and the first-stage creosote removal while he works toward his own CSIA certification. Devon grew up in Danbury and drives the truck with the Top Hat logo you might see parked on East Avenue. He’s the one who’ll ask if you want your smoke detector batteries checked, because he was trained to notice the small things most people miss. When he’s not sweeping chimneys, he’s fishing the Norwalk River and telling anyone who’ll listen about the one that got away.
One Standard, Every Job
Every crew member at Top Hat Chimney works the same way, whether the job is a simple sweep on a Flax Hill Road ranch or a full rebuild on a historic home near the Green. Pricing is set before the first tool comes off the truck, and the number quoted on the phone is the number on the invoice. The camera footage and a plain-English verdict come with every inspection, no exceptions. If something isn’t right after we leave, one call brings Wendell back under the 90-Day Done Right Promise. That’s not a marketing line. It’s in writing, on every single job, since 1999. We work with trusted brands like DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield, but the real guarantee is simpler than that: the person who shows up at your door lives near enough to run into you again on Saturday.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner of Top Hat Chimney, serving Norwalk and Fairfield County since 1999.