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 Chimney Liner & Rebuild for Westchester County Homeowners
A cracked flue liner isn’t a small repair you put off until spring. It’s the only thing standing between a chimney fire and your attic framing. In Westchester County homes built before 1960, we regularly find original clay tile liners that have spalled, shifted, or cracked open at the mortar joints after decades of freeze-thaw cycles. Top Hat Chimney has been rebuilding and relining chimneys across Westchester County since 1999, and Wendell Pike has personally inspected thousands of them, camera in hand, before a single brick gets touched. If you suspect a liner problem, call (914) 537-6479 and we’ll get you on the schedule with upfront pricing before a tool comes off the truck.
What Our Chimney Liner & Rebuild Service Includes
Stainless Steel Liner
A stainless steel liner is the permanent fix for a flue that has outlived its clay tile. We install rigid and flexible stainless systems sized to your specific appliance, whether it’s a wood stove in Katonah or a furnace vent in Scarsdale. The liner restores a continuous, insulated pathway from the appliance to the chimney cap, which is what actually keeps exhaust moving and condensation from eating your brick from the inside. Wendell’s crew uses DuraFlex stainless systems almost exclusively because they’ve held up in Westchester’s damp winters better than anything else we’ve pulled out of a chimney after twenty years.
Flexible Liner
When your chimney has offsets or bends, a flexible liner is often the only way to reline it without tearing out masonry. We use this most often for older chimneys in places like Rye and Pelham where the original flues curve through the house. The flexible stainless steel snakes down through the existing passage and locks into a sealed top plate and tee at the base. It’s less disruptive than a rebuild and, in the right chimney, just as permanent.
Liner Replacement
Liner replacement means pulling the failed material out, whether it’s rusted steel or shattered clay, and putting a properly sized new liner back in. This almost always starts with a camera inspection so you’re not guessing about what’s actually wrong. If your clay tiles are cracked but the chimney structure is sound, a stainless replacement liner gives you a new flue without a single brick removed. We won’t recommend it unless the video shows it’s the right call.
Partial Rebuild
A partial rebuild addresses the section of chimney that’s actually failing, usually from the roofline up or the firebox inward, without tearing down the whole stack. In Westchester County, we see a lot of partial rebuilds needed where ice dams have sat against the crown and broken the top courses of brick. Wendell and his crew will take it down to sound masonry, rebuild it with the right mortar and flashing, and leave a crown that sheds water instead of absorbing it. This is the honest middle ground when the lower chimney is still in good shape.
Full Chimney Rebuild
When the mortar has turned to sand and the bricks are spalling from grade to cap, a full rebuild is the only fix that makes sense. We tear the old chimney down to the roofline or below, depending on what the structure dictates, and build it back with new firebrick in the firebox, new flue liners, proper flashing, and a poured crown. It’s a bigger job, but it’s also a fifty-year fix, not a patch. Homes in Tarrytown and White Plains with pre-1940 masonry are where we do the most full rebuilds.
Liner Repair
Not every liner problem requires full replacement. When the damage is localized, a stainless steel patch, a HeatShield resurfacing, or a partial section replacement can get the chimney safe again for a fraction of the cost. We’ll always show you the camera footage and explain why repair beats replacement or the other way around, then let you decide with a straight number in front of you. No scare tactics, just the truth from the flue itself.
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.
Brands We Service for Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Westchester County
We work with HeatShield more than any other resurfacing product because it gives Westchester County homeowners a real option between a full reline and a cheap patch. HeatShield is a cerfractory material that gets sprayed or troweled onto the inside of a damaged flue and restores a continuous, insulated, UL-listed liner without demolition. Wendell has been certified with HeatShield since 2007, and we’ve refaced hundreds of Westchester chimneys with it, every one inspected with a camera after curing.
For stainless steel systems, we install Gelco and Olympia Chimney liners because their sizing and alloy consistency have held up in our local climate. We also work regularly with Famco caps and terminations so the whole system, from the appliance connector to the rain cap, comes from manufacturers we trust to stand behind their product. Whether you have a HeatShield flue, a Gelco liner, an Olympia liner, or any other make, one call to (914) 537-6479 gets you an honest assessment and a fixed price.
Signs You Need Chimney Liner & Rebuild Right Now
- Pieces of clay tile in the firebox or on the roof. Clay tiles don’t crack without a reason, usually a chimney fire or years of thermal cycling. When you find flakes or chunks of tile, the liner has already failed and the flue is no longer contained. That’s a rebuild, not a sweep.
- White staining or efflorescence on the exterior brick. Moisture is pushing through the masonry and leaving salt deposits on the face of the brick. In Westchester County’s freeze-thaw winters, that trapped moisture turns to ice and blows bricks apart from the inside. It’s the first visible sign of a chimney that’s failing from condensation creep.
- Smoke backing into the house or a fireplace that won’t draw. A properly sized and intact liner creates the draft that pulls smoke up and out. When the liner cracks or collapses, the flue loses its draw and now you’re breathing wood smoke and carbon monoxide exposure risk. If you have to crack a window to keep the room clear, don’t wait.
- Rust inside the firebox or on the damper. Steel liners rust from condensation when they’re no longer carrying exhaust correctly, and the rust flakes drop down into the firebox. This is especially common in older oil or gas conversions where the exhaust temperature is lower and the flue stays cool and damp. The fix is a correctly sized stainless liner matched to the new appliance.
- A chimney fire that already happened, even a small one. A small chimney fire may leave no visible damage, but it often fractures clay tile and opens gaps in the mortar joints. Every chimney that has survived a flue fire needs a level 2 camera inspection before it’s used again. We’ve pulled far too many liners from chimneys that looked fine from the roof but were shattered ten feet down.
Our Chimney Liner & Rebuild Process in Westchester County - Step by Step
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Inspection with a camera, every time. Before we quote anything, we run a camera through the flue and show you the footage on the spot. You’ll see exactly what Wendell sees: cracks, gaps, spalling, or a clean flue that doesn’t need the work. No exceptions, no guessing.
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Plain-English verdict and fixed price. We’ll tell you what the flue actually needs, what can safely wait, and what the job costs. That number is written down before work starts and it’s the number on the invoice. If you have another written estimate, bring it, and we’ll give you a free second opinion.
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Prep and protection. We lay down drop cloths inside, stage materials outside without crowding your driveway, and seal off the firebox to keep the job from migrating dust into the living room. The crew wears uniforms and background checks are done before anyone steps onto your property.
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Tear out and build back right. Whether it’s a partial rebuild, a full rebuild, or a stainless reline, we do the work to code and beyond. Mortar mixed for Westchester’s climate, flashing integrated with the roof, a poured crown with a drip edge, and a liner sized to the appliance it serves.
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Final camera pass and your Done Right Promise. Before we call it done, we run the camera again so you can see the finished flue, top to bottom. Then we hand you the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If anything isn’t right, one call brings Wendell back, no additional cost.
How Much Does Chimney Liner & Rebuild Cost in Westchester County?
What actually moves the number is access, height, and the condition of the surrounding masonry. A two-story colonial in White Plains with a steep roof pitch is a different job than a one-story ranch in Yorktown. A chimney that needs one course of brick rebuilt is different from one where the crown, flashing, and firebox all need work. The best defense against overpaying is to see the camera footage yourself and know exactly what’s being fixed, which is how we work on every estimate. Free estimates include the full inspection, written scope, and a fixed number. Call (914) 537-6479 to book one.
Chimney Liner & Rebuild Near Westchester County - Our Service Area
Top Hat Chimney serves all of Westchester County, including White Plains, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Harrison, Pelham, Rye, Eastchester, Mamaroneck, Scarsdale, Bedford, Tarrytown, and the smaller towns in between. We’re local, owner-operated, and the same crew that worked on your neighbor’s chimney last fall is the one that will show up at your door. If you’re not sure whether we cover your street, call (914) 537-6479 and ask, a live person answers around the clock. And if you’re comparing us to a company from outside the county, ask them where their published address is. We have a detailed guide to Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Mount Vernon and Chimney Liner & Rebuild in White Plains if you want city-specific detail.
Serving Westchester County, NY - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Westchester County 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 - Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Westchester County
A chimney liner is the flue passage inside the chimney that carries exhaust up and out while protecting the surrounding masonry from heat and corrosion. When the liner cracks, shifts, or rusts through, the chimney is no longer safe to use and needs either relining or rebuilding depending on the condition of the brick around it. A camera inspection is the only way to know which one is needed.
A stainless liner replacement usually takes one day from setup to final camera pass. A partial rebuild runs two to three days depending on how much masonry comes out and whether the weather cooperates. A full rebuild from the firebox up can take five to eight working days, including time for mortar to cure properly before the final inspection.
Liner replacement generally runs $2,800 to $5,400, partial rebuilds $3,500 to $7,000, and full rebuilds $9,000 to $18,000 in this county. HeatShield resurfacing, when the flue qualifies, often comes in at $2,500 to $4,500. The only way to get an exact number is to have the flue inspected, which is exactly what our free estimate is. Call (914) 537-6479 and we’ll give you a written price before any work is scheduled.
Yes. Wendell has been certified with HeatShield since 2007 and installs Gelco and Olympia Chimney stainless liner systems regularly across Westchester County. We also install Famco caps and terminations to complete the top of the system. Whether your existing setup is one of those brands or an older unmarked liner, we can inspect, repair, or replace it.
A cracked liner is a fire and carbon monoxide risk, but it rarely becomes an emergency in the next hour. The right response is to stop using the fireplace or appliance until the flue has been inspected. We can usually get the camera in within a day or two, and we won’t tell you it’s safe unless the footage shows it is.
Every job gets the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If the liner, rebuild, or crown isn’t right within three months of completion, one call brings Wendell’s crew back at no additional cost. Manufacturer warranties on stainless liners and HeatShield materials extend well beyond that, and we’ll register everything we install so the coverage is in your name.
Clear a path to the fireplace and move anything fragile from the mantel. If there are pets, keep them out of the room where the fireplace is while we’re working. We’ll handle the floor protection, the staging, and the cleanup, and we’ll give you a real arrival window before we come.
Schedule Your Chimney Liner & Rebuild Service in Westchester County Today
If your liner has cracked, your crown is crumbling, or the chimney hasn’t been looked at since you bought the house, now is the time to get the camera in. Call (914) 537-6479 for a free estimate with a written price, camera footage to back up every recommendation, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise on anything we do. Phones are answered around the clock, and there’s no trip charge inside Westchester County.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Westchester County since 1999.