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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AfterChimney Cleaning Services in Medway, MA
If you’ve got a fireplace or wood stove in Medway, your chimney needs attention once a year, whether you burned every night last winter or didn’t light a single match. A chimney sweep in Medway typically runs $229 to $399 for a standard inspection and cleaning, with most jobs taking under two hours once our crew arrives. Call (781) 378-5846 and you’ll reach a live person, not a voicemail tree. Wendell Pike, the owner of Top Hat Chimney, has been looking at flues since 1999, and he’ll tell you straight whether yours needs work now or can wait another season.
We work all over Medway, from the mill-village colonials near Choate Park down to the ranch subdivisions off Village Street. Same crew every time, same phone number, no bait-and-switch pricing.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Why Medway Homeowners Choose Top Hat Chimney
The short version: we put our name on the work and we answer the phone. Wendell founded Top Hat Chimney in 1999 and still runs the crew himself. That means the sweep who shows up at your door in Medway is someone Wendell has trained, background-checked, and put in a uniform with his company’s name on it. The price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice, before a single tool comes off the truck. If the work isn’t done right, our 90-Day Done Right Promise is in writing on every job: one call brings the crew back at no charge.
We hear the same story from folks in the Timber Crest and Winthrop Street neighborhoods: a national outfit sent a different crew every visit, the phone quote didn’t match the door price, and when there was a problem, nobody called back. That doesn’t happen with an owner-operated shop. Call at 2 a.m. and Wendell may answer himself. Seniors and veterans always get 10% off, and we don’t charge a trip fee for calls inside our service county.
When we finish in Medway, you get camera footage of your flue and a plain-English verdict. No scare tactics, no upselling a liner you don’t need.
Chimney Cleaning Services We Offer in Medway
Chimney Cleaning & Sweep
A full sweep removes soot, creosote deposits, and any debris blocking the flue. We run a camera up before and after so you see exactly what was there and what’s left. Every sweep includes a 21-point inspection of the firebox, damper, smoke shelf, flue, and exterior brick.
Learn more about our Chimney Cleaning & Sweep in Medway.
Chimney Repair
If your Medway home has spalled brick, a rusted damper, or cracked mortar joints from years of river-valley moisture, we handle the repair correctly. Wendell and his crew rebuild fireboxes, repoint masonry, and replace dampers that have warped beyond use.
Learn more about our Chimney Repair in Medway.
Fireplace Services
From gas log installation to wood-burning insert servicing, we keep the whole hearth working the way it should. We install and service products from trusted brands like Gelco and Olympia Chimney so parts are available when you need them years down the road.
Learn more about our Fireplace Services in Medway.
Chimney Cap & Crown
A cracked crown or missing cap lets rain, snow, and every squirrel in Medway into your flue. We install proper-fitting caps and pour new crowns with the right expansion joints so they don’t crack again in the first freeze.
Ask about chimney cap and crown work when you call (781) 378-5846.
Chimney Liner & Rebuild
When a Medway home converted from oil to wood, the old flue often stayed behind. If the liner is sized wrong or deteriorating, we install DuraFlex liners and rebuild chimneys from the roofline up when necessary. We’ll show you the camera footage before recommending anything this big.
Ask about chimney liner and rebuild work when you call (781) 378-5846.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Medway
We work throughout Medway, and our crews know the local streets from Choate Park to the Bellingham line. Typical arrival is within a few days of your call, and you’ll get a real window, not a four-hour gap.
- Historic center near Holliston Street and the old mill village
- Timber Crest and the ranch subdivisions south of Rte. 109
- Winthrop Street corridor heading west toward the Sherborn line
- Village Street area and the neighborhoods around Medway High
- Adams Street and the northern side near the Charles River
Why Medway’s Climate & Housing Affect Chimney Cleaning
Medway sits in the upper Charles River valley, and the surrounding wetlands and river corridor hold moisture in the air that most towns west of here don’t get. That dampness seeps into older brick chimneys and accelerates mortar joint spalling and the white mineral streaks called efflorescence faster than you’d see in Holliston or Franklin. A chimney that looked fine two years ago can show cracked joints by spring, which is why annual inspection matters more in Medway than in the drier upland towns.
The bigger issue, though, is housing stock. Medway has two very different kinds of homes. The 19th-century wood-frame colonials and farmhouses near the historic center tend to have multiple flues and masonry that’s seen 100-plus New England winters. Then there’s the broad belt of 1960s to 1980s ranches, raised ranches, and split-levels built during the suburban push. Those mid-century homes often have a single-flue masonry chimney that was originally sized for an oil furnace. When a homeowner converted to a wood stove insert, the flue stayed the same size. Oversized flues never get hot enough to draft cleanly, so glazed or “third-degree” creosote forms far faster than anyone expects, sometimes within one heating season of moderate use. That’s not a standard brush job. Wendell’s crew sees this pattern constantly in Medway’s ranch subdivisions, and it requires more aggressive cleaning protocols than a routine sweep.
Pricing for Chimney Cleaning in Medway
We give you a firm price before any work starts. Here’s where Medway pricing typically lands:
- Standard chimney sweep and inspection: $229 to $399, depending on flue height, creosote stage, and whether animals or blockages are present.
- Glazed creosote removal (Stage 3): $150 to $400 extra, since it requires rotary cleaning tools and more time.
- Chimney cap supply and install: $225 to $550 depending on cap type and flue size.
- Crown repair or replacement: $350 to $900 for a proper pour with expansion joint.
- Flue camera inspection: included with every sweep, always.
Repairs over $200 get $40 off, and we’ll give you a free second opinion if a competitor handed you a written estimate you want checked. Senior and veteran discounts stack on top of that.
Service Area - Cities Near Medway
Top Hat Chimney works throughout the towns surrounding Medway. If you’re just over the line, we’re happy to come out. See our work in Millis, Bellingham, Sherborn, and Medfield.
Serving Medway, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Medway 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 About Chimney Cleaning in Medway
A standard chimney sweep in Medway costs between $229 and $399 for most single-flue homes. If your chimney has glazed creosote, an animal nest, or hasn’t been cleaned in several years, expect to be on the higher end or a little above. You’ll get a firm number before we start, not an estimate that changes at the door. Call (781) 378-5846 for an exact quote. Estimates are free, and there’s no trip charge inside our service county.
Once a year, whether you burn wood regularly or not. Chimneys break down in the off-season too. Medway’s river-valley moisture keeps eating at mortar even when the fireplace is cold, and if you have a wood stove insert on an original oil-furnace flue, creosote loads can reach dangerous levels in a single season. Annual is the floor, not the goal.
Best case, you get poor draft, smoke backing into the room, and a smell that soaks into every fabric in the house. Worst case, that creosote glazes over and a single hot fire ignites a chimney fire that cracks the flue and spreads into the framing. The State Fire Marshal’s office tracks chimney fires every winter. Don’t find out which category you’re in. Call (781) 378-5846 and schedule a sweep before burning season starts.
Maybe, maybe not. In Medway’s 1960s-1980s ranch subdivisions especially, the original flue was sized for an oil furnace and is now venting a wood stove insert. That oversizing causes draft problems and fast creosote buildup. In that case, a properly sized DuraFlex liner solves the draft issue and makes the system safer. But we never recommend a liner without showing you the camera footage. If your liner is sound, we’ll say so plainly and charge you only for the sweep.
Yes, when it’s done properly. We use drop cloths, HEPA vacuums, and seal the fireplace opening before rotary brushing begins so no dust escapes into your living room. Wendell’s crew is background-checked and uniformed, and every job ends with camera footage so you can see the flue is clean. We also recommend working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in any Medway home with a fuel-burning appliance. Call (781) 378-5846 to book your sweep and we’ll check the basics while we’re there.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney. Wendell founded the company in 1999 and has worked on flues across the upper Charles River valley ever since.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees - talk to a local chimney cleaning pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you - the visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Medway Customers Say
"Creosote build up was bad enough that he showed me a jar of it. Explained the difference between the stages and why the wood I had been burning was the cause. I have burned seasoned wood ever since."
- Gordon Selkirk"Wendell has swept our chimney every autumn for six years now. He knows the flue better than I know it and he tells me when it does not need doing, which is not something most trades will admit to."
- Eleanor Prescott"Honest work and a fair price. The masonry repair took longer than the two weeks he first said because of the weather, which I understand, but I would have liked being told rather than having to ask."
- Isaiah Brantley