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
AfterMeet the Hagerstown Team Behind Top Hat Chimney
Top Hat Chimney has been working on Hagerstown chimneys since 1999, but a company is only as good as the people who show up at your door. We’re a small, local crew, and most of us have been with Wendell Pike for a decade or more. We know the difference between a brick row home near City Park and a raised ranch out by Robinwood. We know how Hagerstown winters treat masonry. And we know that when you call, you want a real person on the other end, not a recording.
Our People
Wendell Pike, Owner and Lead Technician
Wendell started Top Hat Chimney in 1999 with one truck, a set of brushes, and a simple rule he still uses today: tell the homeowner the truth, even when it costs him the job. Three decades of inspecting flues in Washington County have taught him that most chimney problems start small and get expensive only when they’re ignored. He still answers the phone when he’s not on a roof, and he still writes his name on every 90-Day Done Right Promise that leaves the shop. Wendell lives in Hagerstown and has been known to stop mid-inspection to ask about a neighbor’s garden.
Danny R., Senior Installer
Danny has been with Top Hat for 18 years and handles most of the stainless liner and rebuild work in the Hagerstown area. He’s certified to install DuraFlex and HeatShield systems and has rebuilt too many crowns to count after freeze-thaw cycles did their worst. If your chimney has structural damage, Danny is usually the one who walks you through the camera footage and explains what can wait and what can’t. Outside of work, he restores old Volkswagens, which is probably why he’s patient with chimneys that have been neglected for 40 years.
Luis M., Chimney Sweep
Luis came to Top Hat five years ago after working in masonry, and he’s the one most Hagerstown customers see for their annual cleaning. He’s trained in creosote removal at every stage, from first-degree brush work to third-degree glaze that needs chemical treatment. Luis is meticulous about drop cloths and leaving a fireplace cleaner than he found it. He’s also the one who keeps a small notebook of every neighborhood dog’s name, because the dog always meets him before the homeowner does.
Rachel T., Service Coordinator
Rachel joined four years ago and runs the schedule from the Hagerstown office. She’s the voice on the phone most afternoons, the one who gives you a real arrival window and actually calls if something changes. Rachel tracks every job from first call to final invoice and makes sure the 90-Day Done Right Promise gets logged and honored without argument. She grew up in Hagerstown and can usually tell you which streets have older flue tiles just from the address. Off the clock, she coaches youth soccer at Hager Park.
Sam K., Apprentice
Sam is the newest member of the crew, a Hagerstown native who started with us in 2024 after working construction. He’s learning chimney sweeping, cap installation, and camera inspection under Wendell and Danny, and he already handles a lot of the basic prep and cleanup work. Sam is the one who double-checks the truck inventory before we roll out, because he’d rather run back to the shop than make you wait for a part. He’s also the only one on the team who can name every Washington County high school’s mascot, which comes up more often than you’d think.
One Standard, Every Job
The team changes, but the rules don’t. Every Top Hat job in Hagerstown gets upfront pricing before any tool comes off the truck. Every inspection includes camera footage and a plain-English explanation of what we saw. Every recommendation comes with evidence you can see, not a scare tactic. And every completed job gets a 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing, signed by Wendell. If something isn’t right, one call brings the crew back at no charge. We work the same way on a $149 sweep as we do on a full liner rebuild, because your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes. Call us at (240) 534-1247 and you’ll get a live person, likely someone from this page.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Hagerstown and surrounding communities since 1999.