Famco Chimney Cleaning & Sweep Nationwide

Famco Chimney Cleaning & Sweep in Hempstead: What to Know First

Independent Famco chimney cleaning and sweep in Hempstead typically runs $189-$289 for a standard open-flue fireplace, takes about 60-90 minutes from setup to final vacuum, and is booked within 7-10 days during the fall rush. We’re not a Famco authorized dealer - we’re an independent Famco service provider - but we’ve torn down enough Famco dampers and chase pans in Hempstead to know where these systems fail and what actually needs doing. If it doesn’t need doing, we’ll tell you.

Call (516) 963-1068

This page is for Hempstead homeowners who already own a Famco chimney cap, damper, or chase cover and want a sweep crew that knows the brand without selling them a new everything. Call (516) 963-1068 for a straight quote. A live person answers, and it might be Wendell Pike himself.

How Famco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them

• Famco multi-flue chimney caps with expanded-metal mesh. We pull these off at least twice a week in Hempstead. The mesh catches creosote and wind-blown oak pollen from the trees around Hofstra until the cap becomes a choke point. Symptom: fireplace starts smoking back into the room even though the flue’s clean. Fix: we remove the cap, clean the mesh with a stiff wire brush and our rotary head, verify the flue beneath is clear, and remount with new stainless screws. No new cap needed unless the mesh is rusted through.
• Famco top-mount dampers with cable-actuated lids. The cable on the TR-series damper stretches after four or five New York winters of opening and closing. The seal gaps, letting warm house air escape up the chimney all winter long. Symptom: a cold draft near the fireplace that worsens after year five. Fix: cable tension adjustment, lid realignment, and a high-temp silicone bead around the frame. If the cable’s snapped, we quote a replacement lid rather than a whole new damper assembly.
• Famco stainless steel chase covers on prefab units. Hempstead gets heavy coastal humidity off the South Shore, and after about 12-15 years the cross-break welds on Famco chase tops start weeping rust. Symptom: rust streaks running down the siding at the roofline near the chimney. Fix: we remove the cover, inspect the flue termination beneath, clean the combustion air intake, and either reseal or quote a replacement Famco-compatible chase cover with a lifetime rust-through warranty.
• Famco caps with hinged lids on older masonry fireplaces. Older Famco pot-style caps with a little hinged access door tend to seize shut after a few freeze-thaw cycles. The hinge pin rusts and the lip welds pop. Symptom: a rattle you can hear inside when the wind pushes the lid. Fix: hinge pin replacement and spot-welding if the steel’s still sound; if it’s thin and flaky, we’ll show you the camera footage and tell you straight whether it’s worth saving.
• Famco dampers installed without a proper surround. We see a lot of DIY Famco damper installs in older Hempstead splits where the original throat damper was removed and the opening never re-surrounded. Symptom: you can see daylight or feel a draft around the edges of the frame. Fix: we remove, clean, and re-set the damper in a proper mortar and refractory surround so it seals like Famco intended.

Our Famco Chimney Cleaning & Sweep Process

1. 1
   Phone call or online request. You reach a live person. We ask the make of the fireplace, the model of the Famco cap or damper if you know it, and when the chimney was last swept. You get a firm price before anyone gets in a truck.
2. 2
   Arrival and setup. Wendell or one of his crew rolls up in the Top Hat Chimney truck. Drop cloths down, vacuum staged, ladders set. We check the Famco components visually before we touch anything.
3. 3
   Famco component removal and inspection. We take the cap, damper lid, or chase cover off. A camera goes down the flue and up from the firebox. You see the footage when we’re done.
4. 4
   Cleaning. We run the rotary brush or the hand brushes through the flue, then vacuum out the firebox and smoke shelf. Creosote and soot come out in sealed bags.
5. 5
   Famco parts decision. If the cap mesh is clogged but the steel’s good, we clean it. If the damper cable is stretched, we adjust it. If something needs replacing, we show you the camera footage and give you a written quote with options - OEM Famco parts where they matter, quality aftermarket where they save you money and perform the same.
6. 6
   Reinstall, test, and guarantee. Everything goes back the way it should, we light a little paper to verify draft, and the whole job is covered by our 90-Day Done Right Promise. If it’s not right, one call brings us back. Free.

What Famco Chimney Cleaning & Sweep Costs in Hempstead

A standard Famco chimney sweep and inspection in Hempstead runs $189-$289 on average. A two-story home with a steep pitch in the older neighborhoods around Hempstead Turnpike may run a little more because the roof access is slower. If we’re cleaning and servicing a Famco cap, damper, or chase cover at the same time, the added labor is usually $60-$120 depending on how much crud is accumulated and whether any hardware needs replacement.

What moves the price: roof access, how long it’s been since the last sweep, and whether the Famco components need parts. You get the final number before any work starts. Seniors and veterans get 10% off, always. Call (516) 963-1068 for a free estimate.

Why Hempstead Homeowners Call Top Hat Chimney for Famco Work

Wendell Pike started Top Hat Chimney in 1999 and has been driving out to Hempstead ever since, including plenty of homes near Hofstra University where the chimneys are as old as the trees. He learned the trade at Southwestern College, picked up the rest on actual rooftops, and stopped counting flues around year ten. Ask anyone on your street and they’ll tell you the same thing: he will tell you when a job doesn’t need doing, which probably costs him money and keeps his people calling back.

We answer the phone around the clock. We show up in a real uniform with a real arrival window. And because we also service DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco products, we’ll never try to sell you a different brand’s liner just because that’s what we happen to have on the truck. If a Famco cap can be cleaned instead of replaced, you’ll hear it from us first. The camera footage and a plain-English verdict - every time, no exceptions.

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