What Waterford Homeowners Say About Top Hat Chimney
Reviews tell you what a company is actually like to deal with. Ours come from people in Waterford, East Lyme, Niantic, New London, and the surrounding shoreline towns who have had Wendell Pike or one of his crew standing in their living room or up on their roof. Since 1999, the way we earn a good review hasn’t changed: show up when we say we will, do the work that actually needs doing, show you the camera footage so you can see it yourself, and charge the number we quoted before a single tool came off the truck. Wendell puts his name on the work because he runs into you again on Saturday at the grocery store. That keeps a man honest.
Recent Reviews
“We bought a 1970s split-level in Waterford and had no idea when the chimney was last touched. Wendell came out, ran the camera up, and showed me the creosote buildup on his screen. First-degree, he said, a brush job, not a glaze. He swept it, showed me the after footage, and told me we were good for another year. No liner pitch, no scare talk. He even laughed at the bird nest he pulled out.”
Lucia H., Great Neck, Waterford
“The fireplace smelled musty every time it rained and I assumed I needed a new cap. The sweep who showed up got on the roof, took photos, and told me the cap was fine. The crown had hairline cracks. He sealed it, charged me less than half of what I expected, and the smell was gone within a week. I’ve dealt with contractors who invent problems. This was the opposite.”
Colleen Q., Quaker Hill, Waterford
“Wendell’s crew cleaned our chimney and while they were here mentioned the flue tiles showed some spalling on the camera. They said it could wait, but told me what to watch for and gave me a written quote to keep on file. Didn’t push. Eight months later we had them do the HeatShield resurfacing. Same price they quoted, honored the $40 off, and the 90-day promise was stamped right on the invoice.”
Craig N., Oswegatchie, Waterford
“I called on a Sunday expecting a voicemail. A live person answered. Wendell himself actually called me back about an hour later to talk through what I was seeing. He came out that week, swept the chimney, and found the damper wasn’t sealing right. Fixed it on the spot. Flat price, no trip charge, and he left boot covers by the door when he went up on the roof.”
Oscar M., Pleasure Beach, Waterford
“We’ve owned our house for twelve years and have used Top Hat for the last six. Every sweep gets the camera up there before and after. Wendell remembers the house, remembers the chimney, and once talked me out of a rebuild another company said I needed. That second opinion saved us over four thousand dollars. The other guy’s liner was fine.”
Lucia H., Great Neck, Waterford
“New to the area and asked on our street who to call for a chimney sweep. Three neighbors said Top Hat without hesitating. That says more than any ad. The technician showed up in uniform, gave us a real arrival window, and called when he was ten minutes out. The chimney hadn’t been swept in at least five years. He showed me everything on the camera before and after. No mystery, no upsell.”
Colleen Q., Quaker Hill, Waterford
Why Customers Trust Us
Every one of these reviews points to the same few things. We show you the camera footage before recommending anything, because your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes. We give you a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions. If the job does not need doing, Wendell will say so, and that tends to be the thing people remember. Every completed job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if it’s not right, one call brings Wendell back. We answer the phone with a live person, around the clock, and the number you hear on the phone is the number on the invoice. We have been serving Waterford and the surrounding shoreline towns for more than 29 years, not as a franchise that rotated in last spring. Ask anyone on your street. Then call (860) 390-4899 and hear for yourself.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Waterford since 1999.