What North Bergen Homeowners Say About Top Hat Chimney
Reviews matter because a chimney is one of those things you can’t see into. You can’t tell from the living room whether the flue has a half-inch of glazed creosote or a cracked liner waiting to send carbon monoxide into the house on a windy night. The only people who know what’s really happening up there are the ones with the cameras and the brushes, and the only way you know whether they told you the truth is whether other people on your street had the same experience. That’s why we let the neighbors do the talking. Wendell Pike founded Top Hat Chimney in 1999, and for more than 29 years the work has been earned one flue at a time. Ask anyone on your street.
Recent Reviews
Our fireplace had been smelling like a wet campfire every time the wind shifted, and I figured it was just old ash. Wendell ran the camera up and showed me a bird’s nest jammed about six feet down. Pulled it out, swept the whole flue, and the smell was gone that night. He also noticed the cap was loose and fixed it before it became a real problem in the next storm.
Holly V., North Bergen
Two other companies told me I needed a full relining job, one quote was over four thousand dollars. Wendell came out, put the camera through, and showed me exactly what was there. He said the liner had a small gap at one seam and it could be repaired now, no rebuild needed. That was a year ago and it’s held through two burning seasons. The camera footage and a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions.
Cole R., North Bergen
We bought a house up by the reservoir and the chimney hadn’t been touched in probably a decade. The sweep who showed up at our door was background-checked, in uniform, and gave me a real arrival window, which matters when you’re juggling kids. He got first-degree creosote on the brush and told me to get it swept once a year, burn or no burn, because chimneys break in the off-season too.
Marco G., North Bergen
After Superstorm Sandy and then a bad winter, we had water coming down the chimney chase into the attic. Wendell’s crew replaced the crown and put on a new stainless cap, sealed everything with proper flashing. Took photos of the whole job before and after, showed me what they were going to do before one tool came off the truck. The number I heard on the phone was the number on the invoice.
Marco R., North Bergen
I called on a Sunday afternoon expecting a voicemail. A live person picked up, and I’m pretty sure it was Wendell himself. He got me scheduled that week, and when the tech arrived he spent twenty minutes explaining how the flue breathes and why the draft was weak on cold starts. No upselling, just facts. I got the senior discount without even asking.
Holly V., North Bergen
We had a third-degree creosote glaze in the flue after years of burning unseasoned wood, and I didn’t even know that was a thing until Wendell showed me the camera feed. He didn’t push me into a liner swap. He walked through what the glaze meant, what the risks actually were, and what could wait. Ended up doing a thorough sweep and putting me on an annual schedule. Your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes.
Cole R., North Bergen
Why Customers Trust Us
The reviews keep coming back to a few specific things, and they’re all by design. People trust us because Wendell puts his name on the work, not a franchise name that rotated in last spring. Every completed job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not done right, one call brings Wendell back at no additional cost. You get upfront pricing before work begins, and it’s the same number on the invoice. Phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no voicemail box and no call center. Technicians are background-checked, uniformed, and they call if the arrival window slips. We work with DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield because those brands hold up in North Bergen’s wet winters. If you have a written estimate from another company, bring it to us for a free second opinion. And remember the standing offers: $40 off any repair over $200, no trip charge inside the county, and 10% off always for seniors and veterans. Call (848) 361-3227 and ask to get on Wendell’s schedule.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving North Bergen since 1999.