Before & After Gallery - Top Hat Chimney

Chimney Cleaning Before & After in Deer Park, NY

Photos tell the truth faster than any brochure. The pages below show what actually lives inside Deer Park chimneys before a sweep, and what the same flue looks like when Wendell and his crew finish. No stock shots. No staged soot. Just the inside of real fireplaces around town, before and after. If you’re wondering whether yours needs attention, this is what attention looks like.

Call (631) 214-2108

Recent Transformations

Third-Degree Creosote Removal, Half Hollow Road Area

The homeowner called because the fireplace had been drafting poorly for two seasons. The camera showed what we expected: shiny, tar-like creosote glazing about a quarter-inch thick along the smoke shelf and first few feet of flue. Glazed creosote doesn’t come off with a standard brush, so we used a rotary whip head with steel cable, worked in short passes, and pulled everything down into a sealed vacuum. The after shot shows bare clay liner again. That fireplace drafts like it’s brand new.

The takeaway: this is what happens when a fireplace gets used hard for years without a sweep. First-degree creosote is a brush job. Third-degree is a glaze. Catch it early and it’s a routine visit. Call (631) 214-2108 before it gets to this point.

Bird & Nest Blockage, Deer Park Avenue Side Streets

This chimney hadn’t been used in two and a half years, and the homeowner wanted it checked before the first fire of the season. The camera found a starling nest wedged in the flue, right below a missing cap. We pulled the nest material out by hand, swept the entire flue top to bottom with a poly brush, and installed a new stainless cap with a screen. The after photo shows a clear path from firebox to sky. No more birds. No more twigs blocking the draft.

The takeaway: once a year, burn or no burn. Chimneys break in the off-season too, and birds don’t check your calendar. Ask anyone on your street in Deer Park. Wendell has pulled more nests out of local flues than he can count.

Stage-Two Creosote Sweep, Commack Road Corridor

The before photo shows flaky, crunchy creosote covering most of the flue wall, the kind we see often in Deer Park homes that burn a lot of seasoned hardwood. This is stage-two, and it’s still very much a brush job. Wendell’s crew ran a stiff poly brush on rods and scrubbed the full length of the flue, then vacuumed everything out of the firebox and smoke shelf. The after photo shows the liner with nothing but a light dusting of ash. That’s exactly what you want to see before burning season starts.

The takeaway: a standard sweep handles this in about an hour, and the homeowner gets camera footage and a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions. If you’re in Deer Park and haven’t had a sweep in a while, call (631) 214-2108. Upfront pricing before a single tool comes off the truck.

Smoke Chamber Deep Clean, North Deer Park

Most sweeps in Deer Park don’t include the smoke chamber, because it’s awkward to reach. That’s a problem, since the smoke chamber shoulders some of the hottest creosote buildup in the whole system. The before photo from this job shows thick, crusted deposits along the chamber walls. We used a chamber brush and extension rods, worked the entire surface, and vacuumed everything out. The after photo shows the corbelled brick again, clean and visible. Draft improved immediately, and the homeowner said the fireplace smelled different the first time they lit it.

The takeaway: if your sweep skips the smoke chamber, you’re only getting half the job. Top Hat includes it. Call (631) 214-2108 and ask what the full sweep covers. No trip charge inside the county.

Parging Repair After Sweep, Dix Hills Border

During a routine sweep near the Dix Hills line, the camera caught something the homeowner couldn’t see from the firebox: the parging in the smoke chamber had cracked and started falling away. The before photo shows missing parge coat with rough brick exposed. After the sweep cleaned everything out, we re-parged the chamber with high-temperature refractory mortar, smoothed it, and let it cure properly. The after photo shows a tight, uniform surface that moves smoke up into the flue instead of letting it swirl and deposit creosote in the corners.

The takeaway: your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes. This is exactly the kind of problem a camera shows and a brush misses. The camera footage and a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions.

Clay Liner Spall Cleanup, South Deer Park

The before photo shows pieces of spalled clay liner sitting in the firebox, along with a buildup of creosote and ash that had been accumulating for what looked like multiple seasons. The homeowner called because they heard something fall down the chimney one windy night. We swept everything out, removed the loose liner fragments, and ran the camera to check the full length of the flue. The after photo shows a clean firebox and a flue that, while old, is still safe to use with a note that the liner should be watched. We didn’t try to sell a new liner that day. We said plainly what needed watching and what didn’t.

The takeaway: Top Hat only recommends what the camera proves. Nothing more. If you’ve heard debris fall down the chimney in Deer Park, call (631) 214-2108 for a real inspection and a straight answer.

Want Results Like These?

Every job above happened within a few miles of Deer Park, and every after photo is what the homeowner saw before we left. If your chimney hasn’t been swept this year, or you’re wondering what the camera would find, call (631) 214-2108. Wendell or one of his crew will give you a real arrival window, upfront pricing, and a plain-English verdict after the sweep. Free second opinion on any written estimate you already have.

Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Deer Park since 1999.