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
AfterFast, Reliable Chimney Cap & Crown Across Commack
Most Commack homeowners call us about a chimney cap or crown after they’ve already seen water stains on the ceiling or a drip inside the firebox. By then, the crown has usually been cracked for years. The good news is that a cap or crown repair is one of the most straightforward jobs we do, and we can almost always get to a Commack home within a few days of the call. Wendell Pike founded Top Hat Chimney in 1999, and his crew has worked on hundreds of Commack chimneys since. If you’re seeing moisture where you shouldn’t, call (516) 968-5380 and we’ll come take a look.
Why Top Hat Chimney Is Commack’s Preferred Chimney Cap & Crown Company
Commack is a town where the same split-level off Burr Road looks a lot like the one on the next block over. That’s not a criticism; it’s how the town was built. The same tract developers put up most of these homes between the late 1950s and early 1970s, which means the chimneys are nearly identical too. Same brick, same clay tile liner, same mortar mix. Wendell and his crew know exactly what they’re going to find before they even set up the ladder, because they’ve seen the same failure pattern on hundreds of Commack homes. That familiarity means faster diagnosis and fewer surprises on the invoice.
We carry the brands Commack homeowners actually need on the truck, including Chimney Cap & Crown components from Gelco and Olympia Chimney. That means less waiting on parts. When you call (516) 968-5380, you’ll get a live person, not a call center. And before any work starts, you get the price in writing. The number you hear on the phone is the number on the invoice, every time.
Our Chimney Cap & Crown Services in Commack
Cap Installation
A cap is the simplest defense your Commack chimney has against rain, birds, and debris. On the older single-flue masonry stacks common in Commack, we typically install a stainless or copper cap sized to the flue opening. If your home off Jericho Turnpike has a multi-flue chimney, we’ll measure both flues and quote a single multi-flue cap that covers the entire crown. Installation is usually done in a single visit.
Cap Replacement
Rusted-out caps are common on Commack chimneys that have been venting oil furnaces for decades. The sulfur in heating oil exhaust eats through galvanized steel faster than most homeowners expect. We’ll remove the old cap, check the flue tile underneath for damage, and install a replacement that fits properly. A cap that’s too small lets rain in around the edges; one that’s too large can restrict draft. We measure every time.
Crown Repair
This is the service Commack homeowners need most and hear about least. A chimney crown is the concrete or mortar slab that seals the top of the chimney around the flue. On 50 to 70 year old Commack chimneys, the original crown is almost always cracked. Freeze-thaw cycling on Long Island is relentless: water seeps into tiny cracks, freezes, expands, and widens them. Same process every winter. A cracked crown sends water down through the brick, which then spalls the clay tile liner beneath. Crown repair is a masonry job that takes a few hours, and it’s far cheaper than the liner replacement you’ll need if you ignore it.
Crown Coating
When a crown is sound but showing early wear, we apply a waterproof elastomeric coating that seals hairline cracks and extends the life of the crown by years. It’s a good option for Commack homeowners who caught the problem early or who have a newer crown that just needs protection. Not every crown qualifies: if the concrete is crumbly or the flue tile is spalled, a coating won’t fix structural damage. We’ll tell you honestly which situation you have, based on camera footage and what we see with our own eyes.
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.
Trusted Brands We Service in Commack
We install and service caps, crowns, and related components from Gelco, Olympia Chimney, and Copperfield. These are the brands we trust on Commack jobs because they hold up to Long Island weather and they’re supported by manufacturers who stand behind their products. We stock common sizes and profiles on our trucks, so we’re not making Commack homeowners wait two weeks for a part that should have been available the day we showed up. If you already have a cap from one of these brands and it’s failed prematurely, bring it to our attention. We’ll look at the install and the part, and give you a straight answer about what went wrong.
Common Chimney Cap & Crown Problems We See in Commack Homes
- Cracked crowns from freeze-thaw cycling. Commack winters don’t stay cold; they oscillate. Water gets into the crown, freezes at 20 degrees, thaws at 40, and repeats. After 50 years of that, the crown looks like a dry lake bed.
- Spalled clay tile liners at the smoke chamber offset. This is the failure pattern we see on nearly every original Commack chimney, from the Burr Farms area down through the south side neighborhoods. The liner cracks where it bends, and the debris from that crack is what you’re seeing when you shine a flashlight up from the firebox.
- Undersized or missing caps after oil-to-gas conversion. Commack homes built for oil heat often have 6-inch clay tile flues. When homeowners switch to gas, those oversized flues draft poorly and trap condensation, which corrodes any cap that’s installed. A properly sized cap is part of the fix, but it’s not the whole fix. We’ll show you on camera what’s actually happening up there.
- Eroded brick shoulders where the cap sits. Nor’easters drive wind-blown rain into the top of the chimney, and old mortar doesn’t hold up. When the brick shoulder erodes, even a good cap starts to wobble and leak. We rebuild the shoulder, reset the cap, and the leaks stop.
Pricing for Chimney Cap & Crown in Commack, NY
| Service | Typical Price Range in Commack |
|---|---|
| Standard single-flue cap installation | $180 - $320 |
| Multi-flue cap installation (custom fit) | $350 - $650 |
| Cap replacement (removal of old cap included) | $200 - $400 |
| Crown repair (masonry rebuild, small area) | $350 - $600 |
| Crown repair (full crown rebuild with overhang) | $600 - $1,100 |
| Crown coating (elastomeric waterproofing) | $250 - $450 |
These are honest ranges for the Commack market. The single biggest factor is the condition of the crown underneath the cap. If the crown is cracked through, a new cap won’t fix it. We’ll show you photos before recommending anything. We offer $40 off any repair over $200, and our estimates are always free. Call (516) 968-5380 and we’ll give you an exact number before a single tool comes off the truck.
We Also Serve Cities Near Commack
If you’re just outside Commack in Commack‘s neighboring communities, we cover those too. Smithtown, Brentwood, Huntington Station, and Huntington are all in our regular service rotation, and the same pricing and warranties apply. The housing stock in those towns mirrors Commack’s mid-century construction, so we see the same chimney issues and we stock the same parts.
Serving Commack, NY - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Commack 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 Cap & Crown in Commack
Crowns fail from weather exposure, not from use. A Commack chimney that has only ever vented an oil furnace still sits outside through every freeze-thaw cycle, every nor’easter, every summer heat wave. The concrete crown at the top absorbs water, that water freezes and expands through the winter, and after 50 to 70 years the crown is cracked regardless of whether a single log ever burned in the firebox. Call (516) 968-5380 and we’ll show you the cracks on camera before recommending anything.
Sometimes, but not always. A properly sized cap improves draft by preventing backdrafts and keeping the flue opening unrestricted. But if a Commack oil-to-gas conversion left a 6-inch clay tile flue venting a modern gas furnace, the flue itself is oversized, and no cap will fully correct the draft. The fix is usually a properly sized liner installed inside the existing flue, with a cap that fits the new liner. We’ll run a camera, show you the draft measurements, and tell you what actually needs to happen.
Rust-through on galvanized caps. Commack colonials from the 1960s and 70s were built with oil furnaces, and the sulfur compounds in oil exhaust corrode galvanized steel faster than homeowners realize. The cap looks fine from the ground, but up close the deflector is rusted through in multiple places and the mesh is gone. Stainless steel caps are the replacement we recommend most for Commack homes, because they stand up to the exhaust chemistry better.
Crown coatings work when the crown is structurally sound but surface-cracked. For a Commack chimney where the crown has hairline cracks but no spalling and no water intrusion into the firebox, an elastomeric coating can buy years of service for a few hundred dollars. But if the crown is crumbling, if the flue tile is spalled, or if water is already leaking into the living space, a coating is a band-aid. We’ll tell you directly which category you’re in, with photos to back it up. Call (516) 968-5380 for a free assessment.
If you see water stains on the ceiling or wall adjacent to the chimney, especially after a nor’easter with driving rain, the crown is the most likely culprit. Other signs: efflorescence (white powdery staining) on the brick above the roofline, damp smells near the fireplace, or water pooling in the firebox after heavy rain. The only way to know for sure is a visual inspection and a camera run of the flue. We do both on every Commack job, and you’ll see the footage yourself before any repair is discussed.
Call Top Hat Chimney for Chimney Cap & Crown in Commack
If your Commack chimney is 50 to 70 years old and has never had its cap or crown inspected, don’t wait for the water stain to show up. A cracked crown caught early is a few hundred dollars of masonry work. Ignored, it becomes a liner replacement. Wendell Pike and his crew have been working on Commack chimneys since 1999, and they’ll give you the same thing they give every customer: camera evidence, straight answers, and a fair price before work begins. Call (516) 968-5380 today for a free estimate. If it’s not done right, the 90-Day Done Right Promise means one call brings us back, no charge, no argument.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Commack since 1999.