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 Waterford Team Behind Top Hat Chimney
Top Hat Chimney has been rolling trucks out of Waterford since 1999, and the crew we send to your door is the same crew you’ll run into at the hardware store on Saturday. Nobody here got hired off a temp agency list. These are local people who know the difference between a cedar shake roof in Atco and a slate roof in Hammonton, and who grew up understanding what a South Jersey winter does to a masonry chimney. Wendell’s rule is simple: if he wouldn’t let you work on his own mother’s fireplace, you don’t work on anyone’s.
Our People
Wendell Pike, Owner and Founder
Wendell Pike started Top Hat Chimney in Waterford in 1999 with one truck, a set of brushes, and a belief that chimney work should be explained in plain English. Nearly three decades later, he still climbs ladders when the job needs a second set of experienced eyes, and he still answers the phone when it rings at odd hours. Wendell is the reason every job at Top Hat carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise: one call brings him back, no argument, no invoice. He’s trained extensively in liner system installation from the brands we trust, including DuraFlex and HeatShield, and he’s spent years teaching what he knows to every tech who’s ever worn the Top Hat patch. If you live in Waterford, you’ve probably seen his truck on your street, and he will remember your name when you wave.
Dave R., Lead Technician
Dave R. has been with Top Hat for over fourteen years, making him the guy we send when a chimney has a problem that takes more than a standard sweep to figure out. He specializes in mid-season repairs and flue diagnosis, and he’s the first to say that first-degree creosote is a brush job, while third-degree is a glaze you should catch early. Dave went through manufacturer training for Gelco and Olympia Chimney components, so when he talks about a damper or a crown, he’s quoting specs he’s actually installed. Off the clock, he’s the one who brings a camera to every job because, as he puts it, “the footage doesn’t lie, and neither do I.”
Chris M., Senior Installer
Chris M. handles the heavy work: liner replacements, rebuilds, chase covers, and chimney cap and crown work. He’s got twelve years in the trade and is the person you want on a roof when a liner has to come out in one piece and a new one has to drop in clean. Chris is our lead certified installer for DuraFlex and HeatShield systems, and he’s rebuilt enough Waterford chimneys to know exactly how local freeze-and-thaw cycles eat at mortar joints. He keeps a notebook in the truck with every job he’s ever done, including sketches of flue layouts that aren’t on any blueprint. Ask him about his garden in Winslow and he’ll talk longer than you’d expect from a guy who spends his days on rooftops.
Sandy T., Service Coordinator
Sandy T. is the voice on the phone when you call Top Hat at (856) 699-1992, and she’s been answering that line for over eight years. She’s the one who walks through upfront pricing before a single tool comes off the truck, and she works with Wendell and the crew to give you a real arrival window, not a five-hour mystery. Sandy grew up in Waterford and knows the area well enough to tell you which side of town gets standing water in the spring and whose fireplace she’s personally helped schedule for a fall sweep. She keeps the job board straight, makes sure nobody gets a surprise charge, and she’ll tell you plainly whether a second opinion is worth your time before we ever send anyone out.
One Standard, Every Job
Every tech on this team works under the same one rule: the work is done right, and if it’s not, we fix it. That’s the 90-Day Done Right Promise, in writing, on every single job, and it’s not a slogan. When Dave or Chris runs into something they can’t fully explain from the roof, they take camera footage and walk you through it in plain English. That’s the same standard Wendell set in Waterford in 1999, and the same one we take to every town we serve across New Jersey. Whether it’s a simple sweep in your flue or a full rebuild, the number you hear on the phone is the number on the invoice, and the person who shows up is background-checked, uniformed, and accountable to Wendell. Once a year, burn or no burn. Chimneys break in the off-season too.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Waterford since 1999.