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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AfterGelco Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Long Island: What to Know First
Independent Gelco chimney liner and rebuild work in Long Island typically runs $1,800 to $4,600 depending on liner length, chimney height, and whether we’re dealing with a partial rebuild or a full teardown. Most Gelco liner replacements on Long Island take one full day; a full chimney rebuild usually runs two to three days. We quote a flat price before the first tool comes off the truck, and the number you hear is the number on the invoice.
This page is for Long Island homeowners who already have a Gelco chimney liner, or had one installed years ago, and now have a problem: flaking metal, a rusted-out section, loose mortar at the crown, or a liner that’s pulling away at the seams. If that sounds familiar, call (516) 968-5380 and you’ll get a live person, not a voicemail box.
How Gelco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
We’ve opened up enough Gelco chimneys across Long Island to know where these liners break and why. Here are the five patterns we see most:
- Seam separation on older Gelco flexible liners. The corrugated flex liners Gelco built twenty-plus years ago had seams that could fishmouth under constant heat cycling, particularly in Long Island chimneys that run hot in January and sit frozen February through March. We see delamination at the seam weld on the interior flue wall. The fix is a full replacement with a current-generation stainless liner, not a patch.
- Pitting and perforation from Long Island salt air. Homes within three miles of the South Shore or Long Island Sound get airborne salt that settles inside uncapped flues. Gelco 316L liners hold up well, but older 304 stainless liners in coastal Long Island neighborhoods develop pinholes within a decade. We see it in Freeport, Long Beach, and Bay Shore regularly. The cure is a 316L replacement, plus a proper cap so the salt spray stops getting in.
- Improper original sizing causing lazy draft. A lot of Gelco liners on Long Island were installed oversized because the old clay tile flue dictated the diameter. An oversized liner cools the flue gas too fast, the draft goes lazy, and creosote builds up in a glaze that’s tough to brush. We’ll measure everything, not assume, and match the liner to the appliance’s actual BTU output.
- Cracked Gelco crown assemblies. These aren’t liners, but they’re Gelco-branded and they fail all the time on Long Island. Freeze-thaw cycles up here crack the cast crown, water gets behind the flue tile, and the liner’s exterior corrodes from the outside in. A rebuild that doesn’t address the crown is a rebuild that fails in five years.
- Liner sag at the offset bend. On Long Island ranch and split-level homes where the chimney passes through an offset before it exits the roofline, flexible liners can sag or kink at the bend if the original installer pulled it too tight. We see this on Gelco flex installations from the early 2000s in Levittown and Hicksville. The correction involves re-supporting the liner at the offset, or switching to a rigid section through the bend.
Our Gelco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Process
When you call Top Hat Chimney about a Gelco liner or rebuild, here’s what happens, step by step:
- 1
You call. A live person answers, any hour. You describe what you’re seeing: rust flakes in the firebox, water in the cleanout, a chimney that won’t draw, or visible cracks in the brickwork.
- 2
We schedule a real arrival window. Not “sometime Tuesday.” Wendell Pike or one of his crew members shows up in a marked truck, in uniform, background-checked. If the schedule slips, we call you before you have to call us.
- 3
We run a camera down the flue. Every Gelco liner & rebuild job on Long Island starts with a camera inspection. You see the footage. We explain what it shows in plain English. If the liner doesn’t need replacing, we’ll tell you that first and quote you a sweep instead.
- 4
We give you a written flat price. That price covers the liner, the parts, the labor, and any brick or mortar work at the crown. No upcharge at the door. $40 off any repair over $200 applies here, and seniors and veterans get 10% off, always.
- 5
The work happens on schedule. We pull the old Gelco liner, assess the flue interior, install the replacement (OEM where it makes sense, quality aftermarket where it performs as well for less), and rebuild whatever masonry needs rebuilding. We use DuraFlex and HeatShield components where they’re the right fit, so you’re not locked into one manufacturer’s parts price.
- 6
We light a test fire and hand you the 90-Day Done Right Promise. If anything about the work isn’t right within 90 days, one call brings us back at no charge. That’s in writing, on every single job.
What Gelco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Costs in Long Island
Here’s what Long Island homeowners are paying for Gelco chimney liner and rebuild work in 2025:
- Stainless steel liner replacement (single flue, one story): $1,800 to $2,800
- Liner replacement with crown repair: $2,400 to $3,600
- Partial rebuild (top 3 to 5 feet of chimney): $2,800 to $4,200
- Full rebuild from the roofline up: $3,800 to $6,500
- Full teardown and rebuild (foundation to cap): $7,000 to $12,000
The price moves based on chimney height, roof pitch, liner diameter, and whether the existing flue tile needs to come out. Two-story chimneys on Long Island colonials cost more than single-story ranch jobs. Steep roofs cost more than walkable pitches. We’ll tell you the quote before we start, and that quote is the invoice. Call (516) 968-5380 for a free estimate, and ask about the free second opinion on any competing written estimate.
Why Long Island Homeowners Call Top Hat Chimney for Gelco Work
Most of our Gelco liner and rebuild calls on Long Island come from people who’ve already been burned by a national outfit. A name-brand company quoted one price on the phone, sent a stranger to the house, and suddenly the job cost twice what was promised. The liner failed again in two years, and nobody would return a call.
That’s not how we work. Top Hat Chimney has been serving Long Island since 1999, founded by Wendell Pike, who’s been inside more chimneys than he can count. The phone is answered by a live person around the clock. The price is set before the work begins. The crew shows up in uniform, background-checked, and calls if they’re running late. And every job gets the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if it’s not right, one call brings us back.
We’re an independent Gelco service provider, not a franchise and not a manufacturer-authorized shop. What that means for you: we’ll tell you when a Gelco part is worth paying for, and when an equivalent DuraFlex or HeatShield component gets you the same performance for less money. Ask anyone on your street.
FAQs
No, but how it’s replaced matters. Removing a failed Gelco liner and installing a new one doesn’t void anything, since the original liner is already out of service. What matters is whether the new liner is sized correctly for your appliance and installed to code. A liner that’s too big will kill your draft and build creosote faster, and that’s not covered by anyone’s warranty. We’ll match the flue to the firebox, not just swap pipe for pipe. Call (516) 968-5380 for a camera inspection and we’ll show you exactly what you’re dealing with.
Most single-flue Gelco liner replacements on Long Island are done in one day. We’ll schedule a real arrival window, the crew arrives in uniform, and they’re usually gone by late afternoon. If the masonry around the liner needs rebuilding, that tacks on a day or two. We’ll tell you before we start. Call (516) 968-5380 to get a date on the calendar.
Patches don’t last on chimney liners. The pinhole you can see usually means there’s corrosion for another few feet you can’t see, and when the liner perforates, flue gas can enter the masonry cavity. In Long Island’s freeze-thaw climate, that trapped moisture expands and cracks brick from the inside. If we camera your flue and find it’s just a single section that’s rotted, we’ll quote a section repair. But if the metal is thin in three places, a patch buys you a year at best. Call (516) 968-5380 and we’ll show you the footage and let you decide with your own eyes.
Once a year, burn or no burn. Chimneys break in the off-season too, especially on Long Island where salt air and freeze-thaw cycles work on the metal and masonry year-round. A camera inspection catches liner pinholes before they become rebuilds. Call (516) 968-5380 and we’ll schedule it. A liner that’s caught early saves you thousands.
Can you do Gelco work in the winter?
Yes, we work year-round on Long Island. Cold-weather rebuilds take a little longer because mortar needs time to cure, but a January liner replacement is completely doable. We’ll give you an honest timeline based on the forecast. Call (516) 968-5380 and we’ll tell you straight what the schedule looks like.
Contact Top Hat Chimney
If you own a Gelco chimney liner on Long Island and it’s giving you trouble, call us at (516) 968-5380. You’ll get a live person, any hour of the day or night. We’ll get you a real arrival window, run a camera down the flue, show you the footage, and give you a flat price before the work starts. No surprises, no pressure, no upsell. Just a straight answer from a company that’s been doing this since 1999.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner, Top Hat Chimney at Top Hat Chimney, serving Long Island and nearby areas.