Welcome to the website of Top Hat Chimney Service, Inc.  Top Hat is owned and operated by Gene Michael.  Gene is a retired fire department Battalion Chief who did 30 years of service with the City of Rochester.  Upon retirement, Gene decided to pursue a career that would match his knowledge base from 30 years of firefighting.  He found that chimney sweeping and its related activities would be a perfect fit for his background.

Gene spent one week in Plainfield, Indiana, at the Chimney Safety Institute of America, in order to be certified as a chimney sweep.  This certification has only been earned by one other chimney sweep in Monroe County.  It is awarded only to those who successfully complete the training and pass the rigorous exam that is given at the end of the training week.  The certification is only good for three years and can only be renewed by passing another exam or by earning a number of relevant continuing education units.  Certified sweeps are particularly trained to work in conformance to NFPA 211 , which is the nationally recognized standard for solid fuel-burning appliances.

Training according to this standard allows sweeps to spot many potentially dangerous conditions that could lead to building fires if left uncorrected.  It also has extensive information on performance issues for fireplaces, wood stoves, and inserts.  Some of the items that are addressed by this standard are:  Proper chimney height, clearances to combustibles, fireplace construction, chimney construction, and maintenance issues.

In addition to chimney sweeping, Top Hat Chimney Service also cleans clothes dry vents. Lint buildup in dryer vents is responsible for over 15,000 building fires a year in the United States.  Regular maintenance of the dryer and vent is essential in order to prevent a fire from occurring.  Please consider having your dryer vent inspected and cleaned whenever you have your chimney swept.

Another service of ours that is somewhat unique in this area, is video scanning of chimney flues.  The scan is performed by inserting a video camera up into the chimney flue.  The camera sends a video signal to a remote monitor so that the condition of the flue can be closely examined.  The images can then be captured in a digital format for viewing on a computer monitor.  These scans are highly recommended for home buyers who should know the condition of the chimney flue before finalizing a home purchase.  Video scans are also required by some area fire marshals whenever a chimney fire has occurred.

Other services that we offer are chimney relining, chimney crown repair, tuck pointing, and chimney cap installation.

Please keep an eye on this website for future updates.  It is a work in progress and will be growing in content on an almost daily basis.  In the meantime, please go to the CSIA website for more information about wood burning, fireplaces, chimneys, etc.