Frequently Asked Questions

We run the brush from the roof or up from the firebox depending on the flue, while a second person manages the vacuum at the firebox to control dust. Then we pull the damper, run the camera from bottom to top, and check the crown, cap, flashing, and firebox masonry. Every inspection ends with the camera footage and a plain-English verdict. You'll know if the flue is clear, if there's first-degree creosote starting to build, or if something needs repair before you burn again. That's the only way to do this job honestly.

Most sweeps take forty-five minutes to an hour and a half from setup to cleanup. Older chimneys with heavier creosote buildup, or chimneys with hard-to-access roof lines in places like Lower Alsace or Lorane, can run a bit longer. A full Level 2 camera inspection adds another twenty to thirty minutes. We protect the floor around your firebox with drop cloths and run a HEPA vacuum during the sweep so the soot doesn't end up in your living room. You'll get a straight time window when you book.

Clear the area around the fireplace or wood stove so we have room to work. Move furniture, rugs, or fire tools that are within about six feet of the firebox. Make sure the fire is completely out and the firebox is cold. If you have pets, keep them in a closed room so they don't bolt when the vacuum turns on. That's really the whole list. We bring the ladders, the brushes, the vacuum, the drop cloths, and the camera equipment.

Most of the time, yes. We brush from the top down so creosote falls toward the vacuum at the firebox rather than back into the living space. Some flues can be cleaned completely from below through the firebox, but a proper sweep almost always involves roof access. Safety is the reason we're careful with this. Steep roof lines in Reading's hill neighborhoods and in the wooded lots around Birdsboro and Spring can be slippery in fall and winter. A trained professional with the right harness and ladder setup is the only safe way to do it. We never ask a homeowner to get on their own roof for this.

We can for certain flues, especially direct-vent gas appliances and some wood stoves where the run is short and straight. But for a masonry chimney, a below-only clean misses the crown, the cap, and the top section of the flue where most water and creosote damage happens. The camera inspection is always done from both ends when possible. That's the only way we can see the full length of the flue and tell you honestly what condition it's in.

We run a flexible camera up the full length of the flue after the sweep, from the firebox to the crown. The camera shows us the mortar joints, the flue tiles, the liner if you have one, and any cracks, gaps, or glaze deposits that a visual check from the roof can't show. We record the footage and go through it with you on the spot. You don't have to take our word for anything. If we tell you the liner needs attention, you'll see exactly what we saw and why we're recommending the fix.

Once a year, burn or no burn. Chimneys break in the off-season too. A chimney you didn't use still takes rain, snow, and freeze-thaw cycles in the Berks County winter, and the cap and crown can shift. If you burn wood as your primary heat source through a Reading winter, you may need a second sweep mid-season if you're burning green wood or if the flue starts to build creosote faster than normal. The safest rhythm is one professional sweep and inspection every fall before burning season starts.

A Level 1 inspection is the standard check that comes with every sweep: a visual look at the accessible parts of the flue, firebox, damper, and exterior masonry. A Level 2 inspection is a camera scan of the entire flue interior, used when you've had a chimney fire, you're buying or selling a home, you've changed fuel type, or there's been a weather event like a lightning strike. In Reading, home sales in neighborhoods like Wyomissing and Shillington commonly include a Level 2 inspection as part of the closing. We'll tell you which level your chimney actually needs, and we won't upsell you into a Level 2 if a Level 1 is sufficient.

We lay drop cloths around the firebox, run a HEPA vacuum during the entire sweep, and seal the fireplace opening while we work so soot doesn't drift into the room. The vacuum runs from the first brush stroke to the final cleanup. We take the soot, creosote, and debris with us when we leave. The only thing you'll find when we're done is a clean firebox and a clear flue.

We install and service components from Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield, which covers the vast majority of chimney caps, dampers, and liner components in homes around Berks County. These are the brands we trust because they hold up to Pennsylvania's freeze-thaw cycles and they're widely available when a repair can't wait. If you have an older chimney with a different brand of cap or damper, we can usually source a compatible replacement or adapt the existing opening correctly.

We recommend the cap that fits your flue correctly and holds up to Reading's winters. Olympia Chimney and Gelco both make heavy-gauge stainless steel caps that stand up to ice and wind, and Famco makes solid dampers and caps for a wide range of flue sizes. Copperfield components are worth considering if you're dealing with a prefabricated chimney system. The brand matters less than the fit and the installation. A cap that's the wrong size or installed with the wrong fasteners is the one that ends up in your yard after the first winter storm.

Yes, and that's most of what we repair. Most homes in Reading and the surrounding townships have chimneys built decades ago, long before we arrived. The brand of the original cap, damper, or liner doesn't stop us from servicing it. The camera tells us what's wrong and what needs to be replaced. We'll find a compatible component from a manufacturer we trust, often Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, or Copperfield, and we'll show you the new part before we install it. We repair a lot more than we replace, which is how it should be.

Every professional who works under our name is required to hold the license and insurance their state requires. We carry the coverage a homeowner should expect from anyone working on their roof and around their chimney. The owner, Wendell Pike, has served Reading and the surrounding areas since 1999 and puts his name on every job. If you'd like to verify our licensing or insurance before booking, call (484) 209-0837 and we'll have the paperwork ready for you.

The technicians who work under our name are held to the professional standards Top Hat Chimney requires across every branch, which includes proper training on brush technique, camera inspection, and safe roof work. Wendell Pike has built his career in this trade and knows a flue from the inside out, and the people who work with him are trained the same way. When you book, ask us anything about training and credentials. We'd rather you ask now than wonder later.

We live here. Wendell Pike is twenty minutes from most of his customers in Reading, Wyomissing, Shillington and the surrounding areas, and he's the one who answers the phone and the one who walks up to your door wearing the top hat when he's in the field. We hire in Berks County, we buy from local suppliers, and you'll run into us at the hardware store on a Saturday. The address on the truck is in this county, not three states away. Ask anyone on your street. That's the oldest accountability mechanism there is.

Yes. Wendell Pike answers the phone and puts his name on the work. When you call (484) 209-0837, you're not handed off through a corporate menu. You speak with a live coordinator who connects you with the local team, and Wendell is available to his customers in Reading by cell. His name, his address and his license number are published for anyone to verify. The man in the top hat answers his own phone. That's the promise and it's how he's kept customers since 1999.

Any active chimney fire, smoke backing into the house, or a strong smell of gas near a gas fireplace or gas appliance counts as an emergency. Call 911 first if there's flame or you suspect a chimney fire, then call us once the fire is out so we can assess the flue before you burn again. For smoke backing into the living space or a carbon monoxide detector going off, call us at (484) 209-0837 right away. The phone is answered 24/7 and we'll walk you through what to do in the moment.

We'll get you on the schedule as quickly as the problem requires. The phone is answered 24/7 at (484) 209-0837, and when a chimney issue is urgent, Wendell will work it into the route. We won't promise a specific arrival window we can't keep. What we will promise is that you'll get a clear, honest read on whether the issue can wait or needs immediate attention, and we'll work with you on the soonest available opening.

Stop using the fireplace immediately and open a window to ventilate if it's safe. If you have a carbon monoxide detector and it's going off, leave the house and call for help. Smoke backing into the room usually means the flue is blocked, the damper is closed or stuck, or the chimney isn't drafting properly. It can also mean a flue obstruction from a bird's nest or a collapsed liner. Do not try to burn through it. Call us at (484) 209-0837 and we'll get a camera in there to find the cause before you light another fire.

Yes. Ninety days in writing on every chimney job. If something isn't right after we've been there, one call brings Wendell back. He doesn't hide behind a call center or a claim department. His name, his address and his license number are published for anyone in Reading to see. The warranty is simple: if the work we did doesn't hold up, we make it right. That's the promise and it's stamped on every job.

The fair read on this is that we'd rather fix the problem than leave you unhappy. If the work we did isn't right, call us and Wendell will come back and put it right. The ninety-day written guarantee covers the workmanship and the parts we install. If there's an issue with a component like a cap or a damper from one of the brands we work with, we'll handle the claim and make it right with you. We're not in the business of arguing with customers in Reading over workmanship. We're in the business of keeping you for twenty years, not winning one big ticket.

Yes. The flat price we quote in writing before we book is the price you pay when we show up. No basement lowball on the phone that turns into a bigger number at your door. That's the thing people in Reading have been burned by before, and it's the thing we refuse to do. If the camera inspection finds something that needs work beyond the original quote, you'll see the footage, get a line-item price, and approve the work before we touch it. You'll never open the door to one number and sign for another.

Then we'll tell you that, and there's no charge for the visit. Wendell has talked more than one homeowner out of a sweep they didn't need, which costs him money and is exactly why he still has the customers he started with in 1999. The sweep who tells you your chimney is fine is the sweep you'll call again. If we come out, run the camera, and find the flue clear with no buildup, you'll pay nothing except the inspection if we do one, and you'll know your chimney is safe for another season.

Call (484) 209-0837. Wendell or the local team will ask about your chimney, your last sweep if you remember it, and what you've been burning. You'll get a written quote and a time window, and we show up when we say we will. We'll call if anything slips. The window we give you is the window, and the price we quote is the price you pay. That's how it works with a local sweep who lives twenty minutes from your door.

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