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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AfterFast, Reliable Chimney Liner & Rebuild Across Franklin Square
A chimney liner replacement or partial rebuild in Franklin Square typically runs $1,600 to $4,800 depending on flue condition, liner material, and how much masonry needs work. Most jobs are done in one or two days. If you’re seeing cracked flue tiles, mortar falling into the firebox, or water staining on the ceiling near the chimney, call (516) 963-1068 for a straight answer and a free estimate.
We know the houses here. Wendell Pike and his crew have been running Top Hat Chimney since 1999, and we’ve seen more Franklin Square chimneys than we can count – Cape Cods on Madison Street, ranches off Hempstead Turnpike, split-levels near the Southern State. This is old chimney country, and old chimneys tell you things if you know how to listen. We do, because we’ve been climbing on these roofs and feeding cameras down these flues for over 29 years.
Why Top Hat Chimney Is Franklin Square’s Preferred Chimney Liner & Rebuild Company
Most of Franklin Square’s homes went up between 1945 and 1965, and that means one thing for anyone who owns one: your chimney was built before modern liner standards existed. The terra-cotta flues installed in those houses are now 60 to 80 years old. Thermal cycling, freeze-thaw stress, and decades of acidic oil soot have done what they do. We see the results every week in homes throughout Franklin Square – cracked tiles, missing mortar, flue gases going places they shouldn’t.
What separates us from the national outfits that send a different stranger every time isn’t a slogan. It’s that Wendell answers the phone himself half the time, and the other half it’s someone who knows his crew and his standards. We publish our license number. We give you upfront pricing before a single tool comes off the truck. And every job gets the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if it’s not done right, one call brings us back, no charge. That promise is stamped on every invoice because Wendell runs into you again at the deli on Franklin Avenue, and he’d rather shake your hand than avoid your eye.
Franklin Square homeowners have already been burned by companies that quote one number on the phone and another at the door. We don’t do that. The number you hear is the number on the invoice. Ask anyone on your street. They’ll tell you.
Our Chimney Liner & Rebuild Services in Franklin Square
Our Chimney Liner & Rebuild team handles the full range of liner and masonry work for Franklin Square homes – from a targeted flue tile repair to a full crown-to-firebox rebuild. These are the services Franklin Square calls us for most.
Stainless Steel Liner
When the terra-cotta flue has cracked or spalled – and in Franklin Square’s oil-era chimneys, it nearly always has – a stainless steel liner is the standard fix. We install DuraFlex and Olympia Chimney liners sized to your flue, not whatever’s on the truck. The liner carries flue gases safely from the appliance to the crown and seals the system for decades. In Franklin Square, where the salt air off the Atlantic accelerates corrosion, we specify 316L stainless because it stands up to the marine climate better than the cheaper alloy some companies push.
Flexible Liner
For chimneys with offsets, corbels, or a flue that’s not perfectly straight – common in the post-WWII Cape Cods and ranches across Franklin Square – a flexible liner snakes through the existing flue without tearing out masonry. The house stays intact, the liner conforms to the bends, and the job is done in a day. Not every Franklin Square chimney is built on a plumb line, especially the ones that zigzag around a second flue serving an old fireplace. A flexible liner is often the difference between a one-day reline and a full tear-out.
Liner Replacement
When you have a liner that’s failing – cracked, rusted through, or missing sections entirely – the right move is usually a full replacement rather than patching. In Franklin Square, we find a lot of old aluminum liners inside oil flues that were installed during the oil-to-gas conversions of the 1990s and early 2000s. Those liners were never meant to last this long. We pull them, camera the flue, and show you the footage. Then we quote the replacement. You see what we see.
Partial Rebuild
Not every damaged chimney needs to come down to the roofline. When the damage is concentrated at the top – the crown, the top few courses of brick, the flue tile at the termination point – a partial rebuild is often the smart, honest answer. We rebuild from the roof up: new crown, new mortar, new flue tile or liner termination, and sometimes new brick. We’ll tell you plainly when the rest of the chimney can safely wait. The camera footage and a plain-English verdict – every time, no exceptions.
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.
Trusted Brands We Service in Franklin Square
We work with the brands that hold up on Long Island. DuraFlex stainless liners for the relines. Olympia Chimney components for terminations and caps. Copperfield and Famco parts where the application calls for them. We don’t sell brands – we install the material that matches the job. But stocking parts from these manufacturers means we can turn a Franklin Square reline around fast, usually within a week of the estimate, because the materials are already in our hands, not on back order.
Common Chimney Liner & Rebuild Problems We See in Franklin Square Homes
- Cracked terra-cotta flue tiles from acidic oil soot. Franklin Square’s homes burned heating oil for decades before anyone converted to gas. Oil flue exhaust is sulfurous and acidic – it eats terra-cotta from the inside out. By the time you see the damage, the flue liner is usually far gone. Your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes.
- Abandoned, uncapped oil flues after oil-to-gas conversion. When a house switches from oil to gas, the old oil flue often sits open inside the shared masonry chimney. That open flue draws moisture, invites animals, and quietly rots the structure from inside. We always ask about the home’s heating history, because the customer rarely knows the old flue is even there.
- Salt-laden air and freeze-thaw cracking at the crown and upper courses. Nassau County’s maritime exposure means Franklin Square chimneys take a beating every winter. Water gets into the crown, freezes, expands, and pops mortar joints and brick faces. Nor’easters drive rain sideways into open joints. The result is spalling that climbs down the chimney year after year.
- Water intrusion that worsens liner cracks and draft loss. A cracked liner lets flue gases into wall cavities, but it also lets moisture in from the outside. Water soaking through a leaking crown or open mortar joint accelerates liner deterioration. This is the recurring post-winter finding for Franklin Square technicians: water damage, always water damage.
Pricing for Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Franklin Square, NY
A typical stainless steel liner installation in Franklin Square runs $1,600 to $2,800 for a straightforward one-story flue. Add a second story, an offset, or a difficult roofline and you’re looking at $2,400 to $3,900. A partial rebuild of the top courses and crown runs $2,800 to $4,800 depending on brick matching and access. Full rebuilds are priced per chimney after we see the structure, but figure $6,000 to $12,000 in this market when they’re truly necessary. Every estimate is free, it’s in writing, and it won’t change when the crew shows up. Standing offers apply: $40 off any repair over $200, a free second opinion on any competing written estimate, no trip charge inside the county, and 10% off always for seniors and veterans.
We Also Serve Cities Near Franklin Square
Top Hat Chimney covers the whole pocket of Nassau County around Franklin Square. We also run crews regularly to West Hempstead, New Hyde Park, Garden City, and Floral Park. If you’re anywhere in that stretch of the county and need a chimney liner or rebuild, call (516) 963-1068 – Wendell or one of his crew will answer.
Serving Franklin Square, NY - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Franklin Square area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Franklin Square
You need a camera inspection, and you need to see the footage. That’s not a sales tactic – it’s the only honest way to know. Franklin Square’s 1950s-era chimneys almost always have damaged flue tiles, but the degree of damage varies, and so does the urgency. Our rule is simple: nothing is recommended without camera evidence you can see with your own eyes. We’ll show you the cracked tiles, the missing mortar, the failed liner sections. If the flue is sound, we’ll tell you that too. Call (516) 963-1068 for a free estimate – the camera work is part of it.
Yes, and it matters more than most Franklin Square homeowners realize. The old oil flue is still inside your chimney, running parallel to the gas flue. If it was never capped, it’s been collecting rain, humidity, and animals for years. That moisture attacks the shared masonry structure and can cause spalling that affects the active flue too. On Madison Street, we opened a 1954 Cape where the homeowner had converted to gas in 2008 but never capped the old oil flue. The abandoned flue was drawing moisture and had already caused spalling at the crown. We installed a new liner in the active flue, rebuilt the top eight courses, and capped the unused flue with a stainless cover. Call (516) 963-1068 and we’ll check yours the same way.
Oil exhaust is chemically different from wood creosote. Franklin Square’s postwar homes burned heating oil for decades, and oil produces sulfurous, acidic soot that attacks terra-cotta from the inside out. A wood flue gets creosote buildup – a brush job if you catch it early. An oil flue gets chemical erosion. The terra-cotta tiles lose surface integrity, crack, and eventually fail. Relining an oil-era flue means addressing that acidic damage before installing the liner. We’ll show you the difference on camera. Call (516) 963-1068 for an exact assessment.
Most of the time, a partial rebuild and new liner is enough. Franklin Square chimneys often look worse from the ground than they are – salt air and freeze-thaw cycles attack the crown and top courses first, while the lower structure stays sound. If the damage is concentrated at the top and the flue liner is the only other issue, we rebuild the top eight to ten courses, pour a new crown, and drop in the liner. That’s a fraction of a full rebuild’s cost. Full rebuilds happen, but we’ll never recommend one without camera footage showing why. Get a free estimate at (516) 963-1068.
Almost always, yes. That’s the point of a liner. The existing chimney – brick, mortar, and whatever’s left of the old flue tiles – becomes a chase. The stainless liner does the actual work of carrying flue gases. As long as the masonry structure is still sound enough to support it, we can line it. Franklin Square’s 70-year-old chimneys, built for oil burners, often take a liner beautifully once the acidic residue is cleaned out. The liner restores function without a full rebuild. Call (516) 963-1068 and we’ll tell you if yours qualifies.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Franklin Square since 1999.