New chimney caps for Gainesville homes from local pros

What should the cap on your chimney actually stop? Rain, animals, sparks and gusts that push smoke back down each call for a slightly different cap, and a chimney carrying two or three flues may need one that spans the whole crown. As a local family business, we start by inspecting for free, measure every flue and fit a cap built for the problem yours has.

• Chimney cap installation on single and multi-flue chimneys
• Chimney cap repair for loose clamps or bent mesh
• Chimney rain cap fitted to keep water off the damper
• Code-sized mesh on every spark arrestor installation
• Multi flue chimney cap mounted across the crown
• Chimney screen replaced when animals have torn it

1. Learn why the old cap failed

   Rust holes, slipping clamps, a ripped screen or a poor fit get noted, so the new cap doesn't repeat the problem.

   01

2. Measure every flue and the crown

   Each flue's outside size and height, plus the crown's footprint, decide between a single-flue cap and one that spans the crown.

   02

3. Fasten it the maker's way

   Slip-in caps seat inside the tile, clamp-on caps bolt around it, and crown-mount caps anchor to the crown per the maker's instructions.

   03

4. Confirm a clear, open screen

   The screen gets a last look for open, clean mesh, the lid sits at the maker's height, and the old cap leaves with us.

   04

Start with what you need the cap to stop. That, and the number of flues, narrows the choice fast.

Stainless steel

A stainless steel chimney cap resists rust inland; by salt air, Type 316 outlasts 304, per the International Molybdenum Association.

Copper

A copper chimney cap starts bright and darkens with the years. Its fasteners must be copper or stainless, since copper touching steel or zinc makes them corrode.

Galvanized steel

The budget metal, zinc-coated steel. The code sets 19-gauge galvanized as the floor for a spark arrestor's heat and rust resistance.

Arrestor mesh

Spark-arrestor screening selected for the flue and applicable requirements, with sufficient open area and access for cleaning.

1. 01

   How many flues it covers

   A slip-in cap on one flue is the lightest job; a crown-mount cap over several flues is sized to order.

2. 02

   Stock or made to measure

   Standard flue sizes take stock caps, while odd sizes and wide crowns need a cap built to your numbers.

3. 03

   The metal

   Galvanized, stainless and copper sit at rising price points, and your chimney's exposure decides which is worth it.

4. 04

   Crown condition

   A crumbling crown gets repaired before a crown-mount cap can be anchored to it.

• Each flue measured outside and for height above the crown
• How the old cap failed and how it was held on
• Mesh openings and the condition of the screen
• The crown, where a crown-mount cap would anchor
• Signs of nesting or animals inside the flue
• Chimney height against the code's roof clearances
• Cap options for your chimney, each with its price

• Orange rust running down the brick

  The cap's coating has worn through. A stainless or copper cap replaces it before the rust stains spread.

• A chimney cover tilted or blown off

  Its clamps or anchors let go. The new cap is anchored the way its installation sheet shows.

• Scratching or chirping inside the flue

  Something has found a way in. Our pros check what's there first, because federal law shields some nesting birds.

• Rusty water on the damper

  Rain is dropping into an uncapped flue. A rain cap with a wide lid keeps it out.

• Black mesh clogged with soot

  The screen is choking the draft. It's cleaned, or the cap is swapped for one with the right mesh.

• Top-Sealing Damper Installation A gasketed damper at the chimney top that seals the flue when closed.
• Chimney Animal Removal Animals, nests and debris cleared from the flue, then a screened cap.

• Chimney Crown Repair Cracked concrete on the chimney top sealed, patched or poured again.
• Chimney Chase Cover Replacement A new metal top for a sided chimney that sheds rain again.
• Chimney Leak Repair Water coming in around the chimney found, stopped and dried out.

• Chimney Sweep and Chimney CleaningFlue deposits brushed out, with your room kept clean.

• Stock cap or made to measure? Pricing your new cap Flue count, the size of your crown and the metal you pick decide what a new cap costs, and the problem you're solving decides which cap you need.
• Chirping or wings in the flue? Telling swifts from bats Sounds and activity offer clues, but identification and actual occupancy matter. Keep the fireplace unused and seek wildlife guidance before disturbing or closing an occupied chimney.

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