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.
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AfterTrusted Fireplace Services for Lawrence Homeowners
Fireplace service in Lawrence typically runs between $149 and $2,800 depending on what’s actually wrong, and most repairs we see don’t need the high end of that range. We’ve worked on our Fireplace Services in Lawrence, Woodmere, Hewlett, and the rest of the Five Towns since 1999, and Wendell Pike has been inside more local fireboxes than he can count. If your fireplace is hard to start, smoking into the room, or making a smell you can’t place, call (516) 604-2573 and we’ll tell you straight what it needs, what it costs, and whether it can wait.
We’re locally owned and owner-operated. The number on the phone is the number on the invoice. And every job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
- We service gas and wood fireplaces, inserts, dampers, fireboxes, and conversions in Lawrence and the Five Towns.
- Upfront pricing before any tool comes off the truck. No surprises at the door.
- Wendell Pike founded Top Hat Chimney in 1999. He still picks up the phone.
- Seniors and veterans always save 10%. Repairs over $200 save $40.
- Free second opinion on any written estimate from another company.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
What Our Fireplace Services Service Includes
Your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes. That’s the rule we work by on every fireplace call in Lawrence. Here’s what we do when you call us out for fireplace service in Lawrence, and how each piece of it works.
Gas Fireplace Service
Gas fireplaces get ignored until they stop lighting, and by then the fix usually costs more than the annual service would have. A gas fireplace service in Lawrence takes about an hour. We clean the burner, check the thermocouple and thermopile, vacuum the pilot assembly, check gas pressure at the valve, and make sure the vent is drafting the way it should. If Wendell or one of his crew finds a part that’s worn, we show you the old one before we replace it, and we tell you if it can ride another season.
Wood Burning Fireplace
A wood fireplace in Lawrence needs its flue swept once a year, burn or no burn. Creosote builds in layers, and first-degree creosote is a brush job. Third-degree is a glaze, and that’s when chimney fires happen. When we service a wood burning fireplace, we sweep the flue, check the firebrick for cracks, test the draft, and inspect the smoke shelf and damper. You get camera footage of the flue before and after, plus a plain-English verdict on what we found.
Fireplace Insert
A fireplace insert changes the whole heat equation, and it needs service like any other appliance. We service inserts from the major brands, including units installed by other companies that never came back. The service includes pulling the surround, cleaning the blower and fan housing, checking the door gasket, and verifying the liner connection at the collar. If your insert is new to you, we’ll also make sure the liner size matches the appliance, because undersized liners are the most common mistake we see in older Lawrence homes.
Damper Repair
A damper that won’t open is a smoke problem. A damper that won’t close is a heating bill problem. In Lawrence, dampers fail two ways: rust from rain coming down the flue, or warpage from years of heat cycling. We replace throat dampers and top-sealing dampers, and we’ll tell you honestly which one makes sense for your fireplace. A top-sealing damper also keeps out birds and stops the cold-air draft when the fireplace isn’t running, which is more than half the year around here.
Firebox Repair
Firebrick cracks and mortar joints erode over time, especially in wood-burning fireplaces that see heavy use from October through March. We repair fireboxes by cutting out the failing brick, relining with refractory mortar where the damage is contained, or doing a full rebuild when it isn’t. The firebox is the part that holds the heat, so no amount of chimney sweeping matters if the firebox is coming apart. We’ll show you the cracks on camera before we touch anything.
Fireplace Conversion
Converting a wood fireplace to gas is the single best upgrade we do in Lawrence. Most of the homes here were built with wood fireplaces that never get used because nobody wants the mess or the smoke. A conversion gives you the same look with a remote. The job involves running a gas line, installing a gas log set or insert, and lining the flue to match the new appliance. We do the whole thing start to finish, and we’re certified installers for units that pair properly with DuraFlex liners and Copperfield components.
Brands We Service for Fireplace Services
We work with trusted industry brands like HeatShield, Gelco, and Olympia Chimney, and we’ve been installing and servicing them long enough to know which product fits which fireplace. HeatShield cerfractory sealant is our go-to for repairing flues that have cracked but don’t need a full liner replacement. It’s a real repair, not a patch, and the manufacturer stands behind it. Gelco liners are the standard for gas fireplace conversions and inserts, and we stock their components so we’re not waiting on a shipment when your fireplace is down.
Olympia Chimney supplies the caps, dampers, and chase covers we use on Lawrence homes, and they hold up to the salt air better than anything else we’ve tried. Whether you have a unit from one of these brands or something else entirely, we can help. If you’re not sure what you have, we’ll figure it out and tell you what it needs. Call (516) 604-2573 and ask.
Signs You Need Fireplace Services Right Now
- Smoke coming back into the room. This means the flue isn’t drafting, either because it’s blocked, the damper isn’t open, or the flue is undersized. It’s more than an annoyance. Smoke in the room means carbon monoxide risk, and you should stop using the fireplace until we look at it.
- A chemical smell when the fireplace runs. Gas fireplaces can produce a smell when dust burns off at the start of the season. But a persistent sharp or acrid smell means incomplete combustion or a vent problem. That’s not something to wait on.
- White staining on the brick inside the firebox or on the chimney exterior. Efflorescence means moisture is getting in, and moisture breaks down mortar from the inside out. In Lawrence, the freeze-thaw cycle through a wet winter speeds that up fast.
- Flakes of creosote falling when you close the door. That’s third-degree creosote, the glaze kind. It’s concentrated fuel, and it’s the most common cause of chimney fires in the Five Towns. A brush won’t get it out. It needs professional removal.
- The damper won’t move, or the handle spins freely. A broken damper cable or rusted throat means the fireplace won’t seal, so you’re sending heated air up the flue all winter. It also lets drafts and birds in during the off-season.
Our Fireplace Services Process - Step by Step
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Call and talk to a live person. The phone is answered around the clock, and it may well be Wendell himself. Tell us what you’re seeing. We’ll give you a straight answer on whether this is urgent, and we’ll book a real arrival window that we honor.
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Arrival and inspection. The sweep who shows up at your door is background-checked and in uniform. We set down drop cloths, run a camera up the flue, and look at the firebox, damper, and venting. You see the camera footage on the spot, not through a sales pitch.
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Upfront price, plain-English verdict. Before a single tool comes off the truck, you get the number. If the repair is over $200, you automatically save $40. If you have a written estimate from another company, we’ll give you a free second opinion before you decide anything.
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The work. Whether it’s a sweep, a damper replacement, a firebox rebuild, or a gas line install, we do it right the first time. We use the right liner, the right sealant, and the right parts. No shortcuts, no upsells you don’t need.
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Walkthrough and the 90-Day Done Right Promise. When the job is done, we show you what we did and why. Every single job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not right, one call brings the crew back at no cost to you.
How Much Does Fireplace Services Cost in Lawrence?
A routine fireplace service in Lawrence usually runs between $149 and $349 for a standard inspection and cleaning, and you can read more about how much Fireplace Services costs depending on the work, depending on whether it’s gas or wood and how long it’s been since the last sweep. Damper repair typically runs $250 to $600 depending on whether we’re replacing the top or the throat damper. Firebox repairs in Lawrence run $400 to $2,200 based on how much brick and mortar needs to come out. A full fireplace conversion from wood to gas runs $2,500 to $6,000 including the liner, gas line, and unit.
What affects the price more than anything else is the condition of the flue. A clean flue is a fast, inexpensive job. A flue lined with third-degree creosote or damaged by years of moisture takes real work. The other big factor is the liner: if we’re adding an insert or converting to gas, the liner has to match the appliance, and undersized liners are the most common reason a job gets more expensive than it first looked. We never hide that. We show you the camera footage and tell you the number before we start.
The best way to avoid overpaying in Lawrence is to get a camera inspection and a written price before any work begins. If you’ve already got a written estimate from another company, bring it to us for a free second opinion. Estimates are free, and there’s no trip charge for calls inside the county. Call (516) 604-2573 and ask for a straight answer. We’re not a national chain that quoted you one number on the phone and another at the door. Wendell puts his name on every job, and he runs into you again on Saturday.
Fireplace Services Near Lawrence - Our Service Area
We service fireplaces throughout Lawrence and the surrounding Five Towns. Most calls inside the county don’t carry a trip charge, and we run routes through Fireplace Services in Woodmere, Hewlett, Cedarhurst, East Atlantic Beach, Atlantic Beach, Inwood, South Valley Stream, Bay Park, Island Park, Barnum Island, and East Rockaway. We know these houses. We know how salt air hits the mortar near the water, and we know how the old fireplaces in the village were built. Ask anyone on your street. They’ll tell you.
If you’re closer to the county line or in a neighboring community like our Fireplace Services in Cedarhurst, we can still help. Just call and ask. We’ve been keeping chimneys in this area since 1999, and the service area still centers on the towns we know best.
Serving Lawrence, NY - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Lawrence area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions - Fireplace Services in Lawrence
Fireplace service is the full inspection, cleaning, and repair of your fireplace and its venting system. That includes the firebox, damper, flue, and for gas units, the burner, pilot assembly, and gas valve. A proper service in Lawrence includes a camera inspection of the flue so you can see the actual condition, not just a sweep’s word for it.
A standard gas or wood fireplace service that involves cleaning and inspection takes about 60 to 90 minutes. Larger jobs like firebox repair, damper replacement, or a fireplace conversion can take a half day to two days. We give you a real arrival window and call if it slips, which it rarely does.
A standard service runs $149 to $349. Repairs vary based on what’s wrong: dampers run $250 to $600, firebox work $400 to $2,200, and conversions $2,500 to $6,000. You’ll always get the number before we start, and if the repair is over $200, you save $40. Call (516) 604-2573 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
Yes. We’ve installed and serviced HeatShield cerfractory flue repairs, Gelco liners, and Olympia Chimney caps, dampers, and chase covers for years. If you have one of their products and it needs attention, we know it well. If you have another brand, we service those too.
If smoke is coming back into the room or you smell gas, stop using the fireplace and call us. The phone is answered by a live person twenty-four hours a day. We’ll tell you over the phone whether you need to shut the gas off or just stop burning until we can get there. If it can wait, we’ll tell you that too.
Every job we do carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If the work isn’t right, one call brings the crew back at no additional cost. It’s not a warranty buried in fine print. It’s a promise from Wendell himself, and he stands behind it because his name is on it.
Clear the area in front of the fireplace by about six feet so we can put down drop cloths and work. For wood fireplaces, don’t start a fire the day of the visit. For gas fireplaces, it’s fine to leave the pilot lit. We’ll walk you through anything else when you call to book.
Schedule Your Fireplace Services Service in Lawrence Today
Call (516) 604-2573 and talk to a real person. We’ll give you a straight answer, a real arrival window, and a no-obligation estimate before any work begins. Seniors and veterans always save 10%. If you’ve got a written estimate from another company, bring it in for a free second opinion. We’ve served Fireplace Services in Lawrence and the surrounding communities since 1999, and we answer the phone around the clock. Home to us is the same Five Towns neighborhood where you live.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Lawrence since 1999.