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
AfterChimney Cleaning Before & After in Waterford, NJ
Photos tell the truth faster than any guarantee we could print. Below are the kinds of transformations we see week in and week out across Waterford, Winslow, Hammonton, and the surrounding towns. Some of these chimneys had gone a decade without a brush touching them. All of them are breathing better now, and the camera footage from every single job backs up what you’re about to see.
Recent Transformations
Third-Degree Creosote Glaze Removal, Waterford
This flue belonged to a wood stove that burned a lot of unseasoned oak, and the creosote had gone past dusty and straight into mirror-finish glaze. A regular brush won’t touch that stuff, so Wendell ran the rotary whip with the HeatShield treatment right behind it. The result is a flue you can actually run a camera down without the lens smearing, and the homeowner doesn’t need to hold their breath every time they light a fire.
Bird Nest and Debris Blockage Clearance, Hammonton
The customer smelled something odd in their living room all spring, and when Wendell got up on the roof, he found out why: a starling had built a full nest right in the smoke chamber shelf. We pulled every bit of it out, swept the flue top to bottom, and put a new Gelco cap with mesh sides over the top. The smell was gone that afternoon, and the birds had to find a different neighborhood.
First-Degree Creosote Buildup from Off-Season Neglect, Waterford
A classic Waterford case: the fireplace got used a couple dozen times each winter, then sat untouched for three or four years. Creosote built up in the awkward middle sections where brushes sometimes skip, and the homeowner had no idea until our camera showed it. Once a year, burn or no burn. Chimneys break in the off-season too. This one took a standard brush job plus a vinegar-neutralizing rinse on the smoke shelf, and it’s back to clean.
Water-Damaged Smoke Chamber and Rain Streak Removal, Waterford Lakes
The chimney had a cracked crown that let every rainstorm drip straight down into the smoke chamber, carrying soot and staining the firebox walls. Wendell swept the flue first, then repointed the cracked crown with the proper sealant and put a new Copperfield cap over the top. No more streaks, no more musty fireplace smell after a storm, and the firebox looks a decade younger.
Fireplace Cleanout and Smoke Shelf Restoration, Atco
This home’s fireplace had a draft problem: smoke would roll back into the living room whenever the door was opened mid-burn. The smoke shelf was so gummed up that the flue opening had shrunk by nearly half. After vacuuming out the packed ash, scrubbing the shelf, and sweeping the full length of the flue, the draft came right back. The customer lit a fire that same evening with no hesitation.
Heavy Soot Buildup in a Furnace Flue, Waterford Township
Not every chimney we clean has a fire in it. This one vented an oil furnace, and the soot had built up enough to make the draft sluggish. That’s an efficiency problem and a carbon monoxide concern, not just a cosmetic one. We swept the entire run from the furnace connector all the way to the cap, and the homeowner’s furnace started breathing noticeably easier on the first cold night after the job.
Want Results Like These?
The only way to know what your chimney looks like is to look at it. We bring the camera, show you the footage, and tell you plainly what needs doing and what can wait. Call (856) 699-1992 to book a sweep in Waterford, Winslow, Hammonton, or anywhere else in our service county. No trip charge inside the county, and the price we quote is the price that appears on the invoice.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Waterford, NJ since 1999.