What Passaic Homeowners Say About Top Hat Chimney
Reviews matter because a chimney is the one system in your house you can’t easily inspect yourself. You can see the roof. You can see the siding. You can’t see what’s happening twenty feet down your flue. That’s why we put camera footage in front of every customer before we recommend anything. The reviews below are from actual neighbors in Passaic and nearby streets who called us for chimney cleaning, and what they say reflects how we’ve operated since 1999: show the problem, explain it in plain English, and never push work that isn’t needed. Wendell Pike put his name on this company, and these are the people who’ve had him or his crew at their homes.
Recent Reviews
“Wendell’s crew came out to our place near Passaic High School in late September. I’d been burning fires all winter and hadn’t had the chimney touched in three years. They swept it, showed me the camera footage, and there was a decent amount of second-degree creosote buildup. The sweep explained what he was seeing and didn’t push a liner or anything extra. He told me to schedule again next fall and gave me the senior discount without me even asking. The number on the phone was the number on the invoice.”
Kurt S.
Passaic, NJ
“I called on a Sunday because I smelled something odd coming from the fireplace after the first burn of the season. A live person answered, no voicemail, no transfer. Wendell himself showed up that Monday. Turned out to be creosote that had glazed over from the previous owner’s burning habits. He swept it, did a camera inspection, and told me the liner was fine. Another company had quoted me $2,400 for a liner I apparently didn’t need. That honesty is why I’ll keep calling Top Hat.”
Stephanie B.
Clifton, NJ
“We bought a 1920s colonial near Gregory Avenue and had never used the fireplace. Before we lit anything, we called Top Hat. The sweep checked everything top to bottom, swept out a pile of debris and old mortar, and found a cracked flue tile near the smoke chamber. Wendell walked me through the repair options, wrote up a quote, and reminded me about the $40 off any repair over $200. No pressure, no fear tactics. The job was done two weeks later and cleaned up so well you couldn’t tell anyone had been there.”
Reggie D.
Passaic, NJ
“I’d used one of those franchise chains last year and the guy was in and out in twenty minutes. This year I called Top Hat and the difference was immediate. The technician arrived in uniform, gave me a real arrival window, and called ahead like they said he would. He swept the chimney, showed me the camera footage, and explained that first-degree creosote is a brush job while third-degree is a glaze. Mine was in the middle. He said to come back next year. I appreciated the plain talk.”
Jessica K.
Garfield, NJ
“Second time using Top Hat. First visit was a routine sweep. This time I called because water was staining the wall near the fireplace. They came out, inspected the cap and crown, and found the crown had cracked badly over the winter. They replaced it, installed a new cap, and gave me the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. A month later a small piece of mortar came loose near the crown and one call brought Wendell back the next day, no charge. That’s why I recommend them to anyone on my block.”
Stephanie B.
Passaic, NJ
“Had them out for a sweep before Thanksgiving. The technician found a family of birds had nested in the flue since spring. He removed the nest, swept the entire system, and recommended a new cap since the old one had a gap big enough for them to get in. He showed me the gap on the camera so I could see it for myself. Installed a Copperfield cap the same visit. Price matched what they told me on the phone. That’s the kind of operation you want in an older town like Passaic where the chimneys have seen a lot of decades.”
Kurt S.
Passaic, NJ
Why Customers Trust Us
The review that sticks with us is Stephanie’s. Another company told her she needed a $2,400 liner. She didn’t. That’s the whole reason Wendell started Top Hat Chimney back in 1999 and the reason we show every customer their own camera footage before recommending a single repair. If you can’t see the problem, don’t pay for a fix. That’s not a slogan, it’s how the crew works. Every job ends with a plain-English verdict and the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not right, one call brings Wendell back, no charge. We offer a free second opinion on any written estimate, $40 off any repair over $200, no trip charge inside the county, and 10% off always for seniors and veterans. Call (551) 368-8859 and you’ll get a live person, a straight answer, and a price before the truck rolls.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Passaic and nearby New Jersey communities since 1999.