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
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Before
AfterChimney Cleaning Services in Franklin Lakes, NJ
Most Franklin Lakes chimneys have not been looked at in years, and Wendell Pike will tell you that himself. He has been inside enough flues in this town to know which ones were built right, which ones were sealed with the wrong mortar, and which ones are one hard winter from a liner failure. If you own one of the large custom homes off Ewing Avenue or up along High Mountain Road, chances are you have multiple fireplaces that each need their own inspection. A chimney cleaning here is rarely a one-flue job. Call (973) 846-1622 and Wendell or a live person on his crew will answer, any hour, and give you a straight number before a tool ever comes off the truck.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Why Franklin Lakes Homeowners Choose Top Hat Chimney
Wendell started Top Hat Chimney in 1999 and has kept the same business model since: he answers the phone, he does the work, and he puts his name and license number on every invoice. Franklin Lakes homeowners tend to be done with the national outfits that send a different crew every season, quote a low number on the phone, and then find a reason to double it once they’re standing in your great room. That does not happen with Wendell. The price you hear before the appointment is the price on the invoice, and every job is backed by the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something is not right, one call brings him back. Homeowners in the neighborhoods around Franklin Lake and in the developments off Pulis Avenue have kept him coming back for years, and they will tell you the same thing: the camera footage he shows you is the same evidence he uses to make his recommendation. No scare tactics, no invented repairs, no pressure. Just the plain-English verdict of a sweep who has been doing this longer than most Franklin Lakes homes have been standing.
Every technician who arrives at your door is background-checked and in uniform, and you get a real arrival window. If that window slips, someone calls you. That seems like a small thing until you have spent an afternoon waiting for a contractor who never shows. Wendell understands who he is working for: homeowners in Franklin Lakes who have better things to do with a Saturday than babysit a contractor.
Chimney Cleaning Services We Offer in Franklin Lakes
Most of what we do in Franklin Lakes falls into five categories. The scope of each job depends on what the camera finds, and nothing gets recommended until you have seen the footage for yourself.
Chimney Cleaning & Sweep
A standard cleaning removes the creosote buildup that accumulates from wood fires, especially in flues that burn short and cool. In Franklin Lakes, where many fireplaces are used only on weekends or holidays, that creosote often sits long enough to glaze. Wendell will tell you plainly whether your flue needs a brush or a chemical treatment. Learn more about our Chimney Cleaning & Sweep in Franklin Lakes.
Chimney Repair
Cracked flue tiles, spalling brick, damaged mortar joints, and rusted dampers all fall under repair work. On Franklin Lakes homes built in the 1980s and 1990s, Wendell regularly finds original clay tile liners that are now cracked from two or three decades of thermal stress. Repairs can range from a simple damper replacement to full masonry rebuilding. Learn more about our Chimney Repair in Franklin Lakes.
Fireplace Services
Whether you burn wood or have a gas log insert, the firebox, damper, and surrounding masonry need periodic attention beyond the flue itself. Wendell services gas inserts, replaces refractory panels, rebuilds fireboxes, and installs new gas log sets using brands like Copperfield and Famco. Learn more about our Fireplace Services in Franklin Lakes.
Chimney Cap & Crown
Franklin Lakes’s dense tree canopy means caps and crowns take a beating from falling branches, leaves, and the raccoons and squirrels that live in the surrounding woodland. A cracked crown lets water into the chimney structure; a missing cap invites animals in. Wendell installs caps sized to your flue and repairs or repours crowns to keep water out for good.
Chimney Liner & Rebuild
When the camera shows a liner that has lost its structural integrity, the fix is either a HeatShield resurfacing job or a full liner rebuild with DuraFlex stainless steel. These are not small repairs, and Wendell will tell you when the work can safely wait a season and when it cannot. The camera evidence gets shown to you before any recommendation is made, which is why Franklin Lakes homeowners trust the call.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Franklin Lakes
Wendell and his crew work throughout Franklin Lakes, from the older streets near Franklin Avenue to the larger estate properties in the hills. You will commonly find Top Hat Chimney trucks on High Mountain Road, Ewing Avenue, Pulis Avenue, and Franklin Lake Road. Typical response time for a chimney cleaning in Franklin Lakes is a few days, and during the fall rush it can stretch to a week or two, so call before the cold sets in if you want a slot.
- Franklin Lake area
- High Mountain Road corridor
- Ewing Avenue developments
- Pulis Avenue neighborhood
- Colonial Road area
Why Franklin Lakes’s Climate & Housing Affect Chimney Cleaning
Franklin Lakes sits in the Ramapo Mountain foothills, at a higher elevation than most of Bergen County. That means colder temperatures, longer cold snaps, and more freeze-thaw cycles than homeowners in Wyckoff or Midland Park experience. Cold weather causes creosote to condense faster inside flues that are not burning hot enough, and many Franklin Lakes fireplaces are used only intermittently. A fireplace that gets one fire every other weekend builds creosote differently than one that burns every night. Wendell has seen the pattern hundreds of times: a great-room fireplace on High Mountain Road that burns every weekend in January but sits cold from March to November, a master-suite fireplace that gets lit twice a year, and a finished-basement fireplace that nobody has used since the house was purchased. Each flue tells a different story, and each one needs its own cleaning schedule.
The tree canopy that makes Franklin Lakes feel like a woodland town also works against your chimney. Falling leaves, twigs, and nesting wildlife are constant pressures, and raccoons and squirrels find uncapped flues especially inviting. A proper cap and a maintained crown are not optional here. They are the difference between a flue that breathes and one that becomes an animal den.
Pricing for Chimney Cleaning in Franklin Lakes
A standard chimney cleaning and inspection in Franklin Lakes typically runs between $225 and $395 per flue. That is the honest range given what we see on multi-flue homes here. Two-flue jobs are common, and three or four flue homes are not unusual, so the total cost for a full house cleaning and inspection often lands between $500 and $1,200. If repairs are needed, Wendell gives you an exact price after the camera inspection, before any additional work begins. No surprises, no add-ons at the door. The $40-off-any-repair-over-$200 credit and the 10% senior and veteran discount both apply, and there is no trip charge inside the county. Call (973) 846-1622 for a free estimate, and ask about the free second opinion on any competing written estimate.
Service Area - Cities Near Franklin Lakes
Top Hat Chimney serves Franklin Lakes and the surrounding Bergen and Passaic County towns. If you are in Wyckoff, Midland Park, Hawthorne, or Haledon, Wendell can be at your door with the same upfront pricing and the same Done Right Promise.
Serving Franklin Lakes, NJ - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Franklin Lakes area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Cleaning in Franklin Lakes
A single-flue cleaning and inspection in Franklin Lakes usually costs between $225 and $395. Multi-flue homes, which are common in Franklin Lakes, often run between $500 and $1,200 for the full cleaning and inspection of every fireplace. The exact number depends on how many flues you have, their liner condition, and whether any animal or debris removal is needed. Call (973) 846-1622 for a free estimate with a firm number before work starts.
Once a year, even if you do not burn much. Franklin Lakes’s cold, damp winters cause creosote to condense quickly, and the off-season months are when animals move in and water finds its way through cracked crowns. A yearly cleaning and inspection catches problems when they are still small.
You need a new liner only if the camera footage shows the current liner is cracked, separated, or no longer containing the flue gases. Wendell will show you the footage from the camera, point to the exact spot, and explain what he sees in plain language. If the liner is sound, he will tell you that too. Nothing gets recommended on a Top Hat job unless you can see the evidence with your own eyes. If you have a written estimate from another company recommending a liner, call for a free second opinion before you spend the money.
Glazed creosote builds up inside the flue, animals take up residence, and water from a failed crown or missing cap rots the masonry from the inside. Left long enough, the result is either a chimney fire or a liner that has to be fully replaced instead of just cleaned. The cleaning is the cheap part. Call (973) 846-1622 to schedule yours before the burning season starts.
Yes, and this is the norm in Franklin Lakes, not the exception. Most homes here have two to five fireplaces, and Wendell and his crew are set up to clean and inspect every flue in a single appointment. Each fireplace gets its own camera inspection, its own liner assessment, and its own cleaning notes. The pricing reflects the number of flues, and you get one report for the whole house at the end.
Wendell has been doing this work since 1999, and he still answers his own phone. That is not a marketing line. It is just how Top Hat Chimney runs. Call (973) 846-1622 for a free estimate, or visit our home page to see the full scope of chimney services available in Franklin Lakes and across Bergen County.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Franklin Lakes since the company was founded in 1999.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees - talk to a local chimney cleaning pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you - the visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Franklin Lakes Customers Say
"Gave me the photos from inside the flue on a memory stick along with the invoice. I have never had a trade hand me evidence before."
- Priscilla Ng"Turns up in the hat, which the children thought was the best thing that had ever happened, and left the hearth cleaner than he found it."
- Josefina Aranda"Creosote build up was bad enough that he showed me a jar of it. Explained the difference between the stages and why the wood I had been burning was the cause. I have burned seasoned wood ever since."
- Gordon Selkirk