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 Stamford Team Behind Top Hat Chimney
Top Hat Chimney has been cleaning and repairing chimneys in Stamford since 1999, and the crew that shows up at your door has spent years working attics, rooftops, and fireboxes all over Fairfield County. We don’t rotate in out-of-state subcontractors, and we don’t hand your job to someone who learned chimneys from a three-day seminar. The people below answer the phone, drive the trucks, run the cameras, and sign the work. Ask anyone on your street: these are the names that come up.
Our People
Wendell Pike, Owner
Wendell founded Top Hat Chimney in 1999 after spending his early twenties working for a masonry outfit that cut corners he wouldn’t cut. He still climbs onto roofs most weeks, usually on the jobs that involve a liner decision or a crown that’s failing in a way the photos don’t fully explain. His rule on every inspection is simple: the camera footage and a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions. If a repair can wait a season, he’ll say so. If it can’t, he’ll tell you exactly why. Wendell lives in Stamford and has three kids who know more about creosote stages than any elementary school science fair requires. He answers the phone when he’s not on a ladder, and sometimes even when he is.
Manny D., Lead Technician
Manny has been with Top Hat Chimney for fourteen years, which means he’s swept and inspected more than six thousand Fairfield County flues. He holds CSIA certification and handles most of the HeatShield and DuraFlex liner work that comes through our schedule. Homeowners in Glenbrook and Shippan know his truck, and Manny knows their chimneys: which ones need a sweep before Thanksgiving and which ones hold up fine until spring. He’s the guy who notices the small crack in a crown that every other inspector walks right past. Off the clock, he builds furniture in his garage and will talk joinery with you if you let him.
Lorena R., Service Coordinator
Lorena is the voice you’ll most likely hear when you call (475) 242-5865. She started with Top Hat in 2015 and has since memorized the quirks of thirteen local service areas, including which Stamford neighborhoods have older flues that need closer lining inspections. Lorena books every appointment with an honest arrival window, and if the crew is running late, she’s the one calling you before you have to call us. When a homeowner sends in a competing written estimate, Lorena schedules the free second opinion and makes sure Wendell or Manny reviews it line by line. She lives in Norwalk and keeps a notebook of chimney problems she’s heard described in ways that still make her laugh.
Dana K., Apprentice Sweep
Dana came to Top Hat in 2023 after two years in a residential roofing crew, so she’s comfortable with height, pitch, and ladder safety before she ever touches a brush. She’s working toward full CSIA certification and rides along with Manny on most jobs, running the camera while he documents flue condition. Dana is the one who vacuums the firebox and drops the cloths, and she does it with the same precision she expects when she’s up on the ridge. She grew up in Stamford and still plays pickup soccer at Scalzi Park on weekends. Half the time when she’s on your roof, she’ll know someone who lives three doors down.
One Standard, Every Job
Every Top Hat job in Stamford gets the same treatment: a real arrival window, upfront pricing before a single tool comes off the truck, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise stamped in writing when the work is finished. If something isn’t right, one call brings Wendell back, no charge and no argument. That standard runs through Manny’s liner work, Dana’s cleanups, and Lorena’s scheduling. The crew is background-checked and uniformed, with a published license and a local address. We install and service DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield products, and we’ll tell you plainly which one your chimney actually needs. Once a year, burn or no burn. Chimneys break in the off-season too, and the same sweep who fixed it last time is likely the one who’ll catch it next time.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Stamford since 1999.