Caps, Crowns & Chase Covers
Three different parts doing three different jobs, and people mix them up constantly. All three sit at the top of the chimney, and all three are what keep water out of it.
Stainless and copper as standard. Galvanized rusts through, and we've seen it happen too many times.
What we fit and repair
- Single and multi-flue stainless caps
- Poured and reinforced crown rebuilds
- Crown sealing and crack repair
- Custom-fabricated stainless chase covers
- Top-sealing dampers
- Animal guards and spark arrestors
Cap, crown and chase cover are not the same thing
This one trips up almost everybody, contractors included. Knowing which part you're looking at is usually the difference between a couple hundred dollars and a couple thousand.
The cap
A metal cover that sits over the flue opening itself, up on legs, usually with mesh sides. It keeps rain out, keeps animals out, catches sparks and helps with downdraft.
The crown
The concrete or mortar slab across the whole top of a masonry chimney, around the flue tiles. It sheds water off the brick below. It's structural, not an accessory.
The chase cover
The metal lid on top of a framed, sided chase, which is what you've got if your chimney is a wood-framed box instead of masonry. Same job as a crown, done in sheet metal.
Where most masonry chimneys are failing right now
A crown should be a poured concrete slab, reinforced, sloped away from the flue tiles so water runs off it, and hanging out past the brick by an inch or two with a drip edge cut underneath so the water drips clear instead of tracking back down the masonry. There should be a flexible joint where it meets the flue tile too, because the two materials expand at different rates.
What we find on most Chester County chimneys is none of that. A thin mortar wash, laid flat, flush with the brick, cracked right through and bonded hard to the tile. Water sits on it, works into the cracks and gets into the top of the stack, which is where it does the most damage.
- Cracks running across the surface of the crown
- A crown flush with the brick, with no overhang or drip edge
- A flat crown holding standing water or debris after it rains
- Crumbling or missing sections around the flue tile
- Gaps opened up where the crown meets the flue tile
Tops of chimneys, answered
How much does a chimney cap cost?
A single-flue stainless cap, fitted, is one of the least expensive things we do. Multi-flue covers, custom sizes and copper cost more. Either way we quote before we order anything.
A cap blew off in a storm. Is that normal?
It happens with friction-fit caps on a flue that's weathered, or where the fit was marginal to begin with. A replacement should be properly secured. If the same cap has gone twice, the fit is the problem, not the wind.
Is a chimney cap required by code?
It depends on your township and on the appliance. In practice, spark arrestor screening is required in a lot of situations, and no inspector or insurer is going to be happy about an open flue. Small cost, big return.
Can I seal my own crown?
The coatings are easy enough to buy and the work isn't complicated, but you're on a roof at the top of a chimney, and the diagnosis matters more than the application. Sealing a crown that really needs rebuilding buys you about a season.
There are birds in my chimney. Can you just cap it?
Not right away. Chimney swifts are federally protected while they're nesting, and capping a flue with animals inside it creates a worse problem than the one you started with. We clear the flue first, then cap it so it doesn't happen again.
Serving Chester County and the surrounding townships
We're based in Chester County and cover the boroughs, the townships and the rural stretches in between. Pick your town below, or just call and we'll tell you right away whether you're on our route.
Get the top of your chimney sorted
Caps, crown repair and rebuilds, and custom stainless chase covers across Chester County.