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 Rye, NY
You can read about chimney sweeping all day, but nothing lands like seeing the flue before a brush touches it and again when we’re done. These are the jobs we see most often in Rye, Mamaroneck, Harrison, and the surrounding Sound Shore neighborhoods. Same crew, same camera, same plain-English verdict before and after. Wendell’s been doing this since 1999, and he still climbs the ladder himself.
Recent Transformations
First-Degree Creosote Removal in a 1940s Rye Colonial
The homeowner on Forest Avenue burned seasoned oak but couldn’t remember the last sweep. The flue had a coat of first-degree creosote the consistency of coffee grounds, about a quarter inch thick in the smoke chamber. Wendell and his crew ran the brush system top to bottom, then vacuumed out the firebox and smoke shelf. Total time on site: just under two hours. The after footage showed clean terracotta tile with no glaze spots, and the homeowner didn’t need a follow-up for another year.
Bird and Nest Removal from a Chimney Serving Two Fireplaces
A house near Rye Golf Club had a fireplace that suddenly wouldn’t draw, and the smell in the living room gave away the problem before anyone got on the roof. Wendell found a starling nest packed into the first flue tile, mostly twigs and feathers, compacted enough to block roughly two-thirds of the passage. The crew pulled the material, swept both flues, and recommended a cap since the clay tile top was open. The cap went on the same visit. Fireplace drafted normally that same weekend.
Off-Season Neglect: A Summer Home’s Chimney Before Burning Season
Once a year, burn or no burn. Chimneys break in the off-season too. This Rye Neck summer home hadn’t been used since April, and the damp Long Island Sound air had turned leftover soot into a paste inside the smoke chamber. The damper plate was rusted stuck. Wendell swept the flue, freed and lubricated the damper, and ran the camera through. The liner was sound, which saved the homeowner from an expensive surprise in November. That’s the point of the off-season visit.
Glazed Creosote in a Woodstove Flue
A woodstove in a Playland Park area home had been burning pine and unseasoned wood for years, and the liner showed third-degree creosote, the shiny tar-like glaze that won’t come off with a brush alone. Wendell explained the difference plainly: first-degree is a brush job, third-degree is a glaze. The crew used a chemical treatment to break down the glaze, then swept the liner clean. The homeowner switched to seasoned hardwood after seeing the footage, and the next year’s inspection came back significantly cleaner.
Smoky Fireplace Mystery: Partial Flue Blockage
This Greenwich-adjacent home on the Rye border filled with smoke every time the owners lit a fire, and they’d tried every quick fix they read about online. The camera showed what the naked eye from the roof couldn’t: a broken flue tile about twelve feet down, with fragments narrowing the passage by more than half. Wendell’s crew removed what they could safely reach and documented the damage on video before recommending a repair scope. No guesswork, no pressure. The homeowner saw the footage and understood exactly what they were paying for.
Full Chimney Sweep and Firebox Cleanup After a Long Winter
A family in the Greenhaven section of Rye burned almost every night from Thanksgiving through March, and it showed. The firebox had four inches of ash, the smoke shelf was packed with soot, and the flue walls had a solid coating of first-degree creosote. Wendell and his crew swept the full system, vacuumed every horizontal surface inside the firebox, and finished by checking the cap from the roof. The after photo speaks for itself: the firebox looked brand new and the family got a clean bill for the next season.
Want Results Like These?
If your chimney looks like the “before” side of any of these, call Top Hat Chimney at (914) 685-6096. Wendell or a live person answers, not a voicemail box. We’ll schedule a sweep, show you the camera footage, and tell you plainly what needs doing and what doesn’t. No trip charge inside the county, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise is in writing on every job.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Rye, NY since 1999.