Our Guarantee & Warranty - Top Hat Chimney

The Top Hat Chimney Guarantee

We’ve been cleaning and repairing chimneys in Reading since 1999, and the guarantee hasn’t changed once: if the job isn’t done right, Wendell comes back and makes it right, free of charge, for 90 days. That promise is stamped on every job we finish in Reading, Wyomissing, West Lawn, and every other town we serve across the county. No fine print, no conditions buried in a clause, no phone tree to fight through. One call to (484) 209-0837, and the sweep who did the work returns to your door. Wendell Pike puts his name on the work because he runs into you again on Saturday at the hardware store, and he’d rather say hello than hide in the aisle.

Call (484) 209-0837

We back a simple idea: the number you hear on the phone is the number on the invoice, the work gets done the way we said it would, and if it doesn’t hold up, we return. That’s the whole warranty in one breath.

What’s Covered

• Workmanship for 90 days after the job. If a cap we installed loosens, a crown we patched flakes, or a liner connection shifts, one call brings the crew back at no additional cost.
• Parts and materials we supply. We install products from DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield, and we stand behind how those components are fitted and sealed in your flue.
• Cleanup before we leave. A sweep shouldn’t leave soot footprints on your carpet or ash dust across the mantel. If our drop cloths slid or the work area isn’t clean, we come back and make it right. That’s part of the job, not an add-on.
• The arrival window we give you. Wendell and his crew arrive when they say they will, in uniform, and if traffic or a prior job runs long, you get a phone call before the window slips, not after.
• The price we quoted. No-hassle upfront pricing happens before a single tool comes off the truck. If the invoice doesn’t match the number you heard on the phone, that’s our mistake, and we fix it.
• Honest recommendations. You get camera footage and a plain-English verdict every time, no exceptions. If your chimney doesn’t need a repair, we’ll say so, and we won’t write up a liner replacement to pad a ticket.

Here’s one thing the warranty doesn’t cover: damage from a chimney fire that started after we left because the flue wasn’t maintained between visits. We’ll tell you plainly what your chimney needs, and what it doesn’t, but once a year, burn or no burn, is the rule that keeps a Reading house safe. A 90-day workmanship promise doesn’t replace an annual sweep, and we won’t pretend it does.

Our Satisfaction Promise

If a homeowner in Reading isn’t satisfied with the work, the process is straightforward. Call (484) 209-0837. A live person answers, around the clock, and it may well be Wendell himself on the line. Explain what’s wrong. We schedule the return visit, send the same crew back, and fix it. No arguing about whether the problem is real, no six-week wait, no voicemail box that eats the message. The 90-Day Done Right Promise exists for exactly this moment, and it’s in writing on every single job we complete.

Sometimes the issue is a simple fix, like a cap that needs reseating or a damper that binds. Sometimes it’s a deeper problem that the first visit simply revealed more clearly. Either way, the standard is the same: the work gets done properly, at no additional cost to you, within the 90-day window. If we made a mistake, we own it. Wendell has spent 29 years building a reputation in this county, and a single unresolved call would undo more than any amount of advertising could rebuild.

What we ask from you, honestly: run your chimney the way we explained it, and don’t skip the annual sweep. A warranty is a promise about the work we did, not a shield against neglect. If you’ve kept up your end and something we touched still isn’t right, we’re already on the way.

Licensed & Insured Backing

Every guarantee is only as good as the company standing behind it. Top Hat Chimney is licensed and insured, with a published address and a real license on file, not a P.O. box and a burner phone. That matters when a sweep is on your roof, when a liner is being fed down your flue, and when you’re deciding whether the company you hired will still exist next winter. Wendell Pike is owner-operated and has been serving Reading and the surrounding towns since 1999, which means the person who answers the phone owns the outcome. Insurance means if something goes wrong on the job, you’re protected. Licensing means the work was done by a company accountable to the state that issued the credential. Together, they’re the real guarantee behind the paperwork, and we’re happy to point you to both before we ever schedule the visit.

Why This Guarantee Works in Reading, Specifically

Reading’s housing stock runs old, and old chimneys come with old problems. Clay tile liners cracked by decades of freeze-thaw cycles. Crowns spalled by Pennsylvania winters. Unlined flues in row homes that haven’t been inspected since the Carter administration. We see the same issues in West Reading, Shillington, Mount Penn, and Exeter Township, and they don’t get cheaper when they’re ignored. A guarantee only matters if it’s tied to a company that knows what it’s looking at, and we’ve spent 29 years learning the flues on these streets. Ask anyone on your street; chances are somebody they know has had a sweep from Top Hat Chimney.

The 90-Day Done Right Promise is not a marketing line. It’s the same promise Wendell made when the company was founded in 1999, and it’s the reason the phone still rings with referrals two decades later. Your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes. We make sure it breathes right, and we guarantee the work.

Common Questions About Our Warranty

What does the 90-Day Done Right Promise actually cover?

It covers the workmanship on every job we complete, for 90 days after the job is finished. If a repair fails, a cap shifts, a crown cracks, or a liner connection comes loose within that window, one call to (484) 209-0837 brings the crew back at no charge to fix it. The promise is in writing on every single job, stamped right on the paperwork.

Do you guarantee the parts you install?

We stand behind how every part is fitted and sealed. We install liners from DuraFlex and HeatShield, crown materials from Gelco, caps from Olympia Chimney and Famco, and chimney products from Copperfield. If something we installed isn’t holding up within the 90-day window, we’ll make it right. Manufacturer warranties on those products run separately, and we’ll show you exactly what’s covered before we start.

What if I’m not happy with the cleanup after a sweep?

Call us. Sweeping a chimney is dusty work, but your living room shouldn’t look like it. We lay drop cloths, we run a HEPA vacuum, and we leave the hearth cleaner than we found it. If something slipped, that’s on us, and we’ll come back and clean it properly. A messy job is a job not done right, and the Promise covers it.

How do I know you’ll actually honor this?

Because Wendell Pike lives here. He’s been in Reading since 1999, he’s not a franchise that rotated in last spring, and he answers the phone himself more often than not. The company is licensed and insured, with a published address, and if you ever need the promise honored, a live person answers every call, 24/7. No voicemail box, no call center, no runaround. Call (484) 209-0837 and try it yourself.

Does the warranty replace annual chimney maintenance?

No, and no honest sweep would tell you otherwise. Our workmanship promise covers the work we did. It doesn’t cover creosote buildup that happens after we leave, or damage from a chimney fire that starts because a flue wasn’t swept for three years. Once a year, burn or no burn, is the rule that protects your house. First-degree creosote is a brush job. Third-degree is a glaze, and by then you’re not talking about a cheap sweep anymore.

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