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
AfterFast, Reliable Chimney Cap & Crown Across North Arlington
A chimney cap and crown in North Arlington take a beating that few homeowners see until water shows up where it shouldn’t. Wind-driven rain off the Hackensack River Meadowlands, freeze-thaw cycles through damp winters, and the simple age of mid-century masonry all work against the top of your chimney. We repair, replace, and coat crowns, and we install caps that actually fit the flue they’re protecting. If you’ve spotted a ceiling stain near the chimney, a displaced cap after a storm, or crumbling mortar on the crown, call (551) 368-8859 and we’ll come take a look.
Why Top Hat Chimney Is North Arlington’s Preferred Chimney Cap & Crown Company
Wendell Pike founded Top Hat Chimney in 1999, and he still puts his name on every job. That matters in a town like North Arlington, where word travels fast and a bad job on Ridge Road gets talked about at the ShopRite. We’ve worked the borough long enough to know that a 1950s colonial on River Road faces different chimney conditions than a two-family over near the Belleville line, and we show up with that knowledge already in hand.
North Arlington homeowners call us because the person who answers the phone is a live person, around the clock, and it may well be Wendell himself. The price we quote before a single tool comes off the truck is the price on the invoice. No bait-and-switch, no surprise “code upgrades” at the door. Every job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if it’s not right, one call brings the crew back at no additional cost.
We’re locally owned and owner-operated, with a published address and license number. Wendell runs into you again on Saturday. That’s the standard we work to in North Arlington.
Our Chimney Cap & Crown Services in North Arlington
Here’s what we do most often in North Arlington, and why it matters for the houses here specifically.
Cap Installation
A proper chimney cap keeps rain, wind-driven Meadowlands fog, and critters out of the flue. We install stainless steel caps from Olympia Chimney and Copperfield sized to your actual flue, not whatever’s on the truck. For North Arlington homes with gas-converted systems, a correctly fitted cap also reduces the draft problems that come from oversized clay tile liners. We’ll measure, show you what we’re installing, and set it in place the same visit.
Cap Replacement
Galvanized caps corrode. We see it all the time on older North Arlington capes and colonials, where the original cap was installed decades ago and has rusted through around the base. A corroded cap lets wind force rain and low-fog moisture straight down the flue, which is exactly what accelerates that white mineral staining inside the tiles. We’ll pull the old cap, check the flue crown underneath, and install a stainless replacement that won’t rust out in ten years.
Crown Repair
The crown is the concrete slab that seals the top of the chimney around the flue. In North Arlington, the damp air off the Meadowlands pushes moisture into hairline cracks, and winter freeze-thaw cycles widen them into spalling chunks that fall onto the roof or into the flue. We repair crowns with proper expansion joints and breathable mortar, not a smear of caulk. A repaired crown stops water before it reaches the roofline and the ceiling below.
Crown Coating
For crowns that are structurally sound but showing early wear, we apply a Gelco crown coat. It seals the surface against water absorption and flexes through temperature swings. Given how fast crowns deteriorate in North Arlington’s microclimate, a coating is often the difference between a five-year crown and a twenty-year crown. We’ll show you the condition on camera and tell you plainly whether coating is enough or a full rebuild is needed.
Custom Cap and Multi-Flue Cap
Many North Arlington homes have multi-flue chimneys where one clay tile serves a converted gas furnace and another serves a fireplace or water heater. Off-the-shelf caps rarely fit these properly. We fabricate custom stainless caps, including Multi-Flue Caps from Famco, sized to cover both flues with the right clearance and draft. The camera footage and a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in North Arlington
We don’t install parts we wouldn’t put on our own chimney. In North Arlington we work with Olympia Chimney, Copperfield, and Famco, and we stock the common sizes and fittings those systems need, so a cap or crown job doesn’t stall waiting on a part to ship. When you call and describe your chimney, we usually know exactly what we’re dealing with before we even turn onto Kearny Avenue.
Common Chimney Cap & Crown Problems We See in North Arlington Homes
- Wind-driven rain through cracked crowns. North Arlington sits low along the Hackensack River corridor, and storm fronts pushing across the Meadowlands drive rain sideways. Water finds hairline crown cracks, and the damp winter air does the rest: freeze-thaw spalling that widens cracks into chunks.
- Displaced or corroded caps after nor’easters. We see caps lifted or knocked askew after March storms, especially on older homes where the cap was never mechanically fastened, just set on the flue with a friction fit.
- White mineral staining inside flue liners. That staining is a telltale of acidic condensation from a gas-converted flue that’s too large for the appliance’s exhaust volume. The Meadowlands ambient humidity makes it worse here than in almost any other Bergen County borough.
- Flashing failures that show up as ceiling stains. On mid-century capes and colonials, water wicks through cracked crown mortar and travels along flashing at the roofline before dropping onto the ceiling. The ceiling stain is the symptom; the crown crack is the disease.
Pricing for Chimney Cap & Crown in North Arlington, NJ
Here are actual prices for the work we do in North Arlington. A standard stainless steel cap installation runs $395 to $650, depending on flue size and whether it’s a single or multi-flue setup. Cap replacement on a corroded unit ranges from $450 to $800, including removal and disposal of the old cap. Crown repair with proper expansion joints typically runs $600 to $950, while a Gelco crown coat applied to a sound crown runs $350 to $550. A custom stainless Multi-Flue Cap for the two-flue chimneys common on North Arlington colonials runs $700 to $1,200. Every estimate is free, and $40 off any repair over $200 applies. Seniors and veterans always get 10% off. Call (551) 368-8859 and we’ll give you a number in writing before any work starts.
We Also Serve Cities Near North Arlington
Top Hat Chimney covers North Arlington and the surrounding communities, including Lyndhurst, Belleville, Nutley, and Rutherford. If you’re in one of those towns and need a Chimney Cap & Crown inspection or repair, call the same number: (551) 368-8859. We’ll get you scheduled and show up when we say we will.
Serving North Arlington, NJ - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the North Arlington area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Chimney Cap & Crown in North Arlington
North Arlington’s low-lying position along the Hackensack River Meadowlands gives it a measurably damper microclimate than higher Bergen County municipalities, and that dampness accelerates two things: efflorescence on mortar and freeze-thaw spalling on crowns. A hairline crack that would sit dormant in Ridgewood becomes a water-intrusion problem here in a single winter. If your chimney crown hasn’t been looked at in three years, call (551) 368-8859 for an inspection.
Yes, and we see it often. A displaced cap lets wind force rain and low-fog moisture directly down the flue, where it runs along the chimney interior and wicks through cracked crown mortar before reaching the roofline and the ceiling below. The cap already failed before the stain appeared. We’ll find the exact path on camera and show you the footage before recommending any repair.
White mineral staining is a sign of acidic condensation forming inside the flue, usually because the clay tile liner is oversized for a gas-converted appliance. The exhaust cools too much before it exits, and moisture condenses on the tiles, leaching minerals and corroding the liner from inside. North Arlington’s Meadowlands humidity makes this condensation problem worse than in almost any other Bergen County borough. Call (551) 368-8859 and we’ll scope the liner and tell you if it needs relining or if a properly sized cap and draft correction will do the job.
Look for small concrete chips or grit on the shingles near the chimney, or a visible widening crack line across the crown surface after the thaw. You may also see water staining on the chimney’s interior walls near the roofline. In North Arlington, spring thaw inspections regularly reveal water damage that began as hairline mortar cracks widened by repeated icing cycles. If you see any of these signs, call (551) 368-8859 and we’ll inspect and quote before more damage accumulates.
If your chimney has two clay tile flues, especially if one serves a converted gas furnace and the other serves a fireplace, a stock cap often won’t fit properly and can actually restrict draft. A custom stainless Multi-Flue Cap from Famco, sized to your exact flue layout, protects both flues and maintains the right clearance. We fabricate and install custom caps for North Arlington colonial and two-family chimneys all the time.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving North Arlington and surrounding communities.