A chimney cap is a small piece of metal doing an outsized job. It is the lid that keeps rain, snow, leaves, and animals out of the flue while still letting smoke and gases escape, and a chimney without one, or with a rusted-out one, is an open invitation for exactly the problems that cost the most to fix later. Camden Chimney Sweep fits chimney caps across Philadelphia, PA in stainless steel and copper, sized to your specific flue, fitted with spark-arrestor mesh, and secured to stay put through a Pennsylvania storm. It is one of the least expensive things you can do for a chimney and one of the highest in payoff.
- Stainless steel and copper caps built to last outdoors
- Sized to your exact flue rather than a generic fit
- Spark-arrestor mesh to keep embers in and animals out
- Secured to hold through wind, rain, and snow
- Multi-flue covers for shared and rowhome stacks
- Free measure-up and a clear written price
What an open or failed flue lets in
A flue with no cap is a hole in the top of your house pointed straight up at the weather. Rain and snowmelt pour directly down it, soaking the smoke shelf, rusting the damper, and saturating the masonry from the inside where water does the slowest and most expensive damage. On the older chimneys around Philadelphia that water then meets the freeze, and the same expansion that cracks an exposed crown works on a flue that has been getting wet all season. A cap is the simplest barrier against all of it, turning the open top of the chimney into a covered one that still vents freely.
Animals are the other half of the problem, and they are more common than homeowners expect. A warm, sheltered flue is prime real estate for birds, squirrels, and raccoons looking to nest, especially in the milder months when the fireplace sits idle. Their nests block the draft, push smoke back into the house when the next fire is lit, and are themselves a fire hazard sitting in the flue. A cap with the right mesh keeps them out entirely, and on a city rowhome where a blocked flue can vent smoke toward the attached house next door, keeping the flue clear is more than a convenience.
Sized to the flue, built for the weather
A cap only works if it fits. A cover that is too small lets weather in around the edges, and one that is poorly secured blows off in the first real storm, which is why we measure each flue and fit the cap to it rather than reaching for whatever generic size is on the truck. We install stainless steel for its durability and value and copper where a homeowner wants the look and the longevity it brings, both chosen to stand up to the wind and the freeze a Philadelphia winter throws at the top of a chimney. The mesh is sized to stop embers and animals while still letting the flue breathe, since a cap that chokes the draft trades one problem for another.
Shared and multi-flue stacks, which are everywhere in the city's rowhomes and twins, get particular attention. A single masonry chimney carrying two or more flues needs a cover designed for that configuration, one that protects every flue without letting the exhaust from one drift back down into another. We fit multi-flue covers and individual caps as the stack calls for, secure them properly to the crown or the flue tile, and confirm that each flue still drafts the way it should once the cover is on.
Small spend, large return
Of all the work a chimney can need, a cap is among the best values precisely because it heads off the slow, costly damage that water and animals cause when a flue sits open. A cap almost always costs a fraction of the crown repair, liner replacement, and masonry work that an uncapped flue invites over a few wet seasons, and on a Philadelphia chimney it also keeps the freeze from working on a flue that would otherwise be soaking up every rain. Good caps are quiet insurance for the whole chimney beneath them.
We will measure the flue at no charge and tell you exactly what your chimney needs, with an honest estimate in writing. If your current cap is rusted through, blown loose, or missing its mesh, the remedy is usually quick and inexpensive, and it is one of the easiest ways to add years to the flue and the masonry below it. If your chimney is already capped and sound, we will tell you that too rather than selling you a cover you do not need.
Connecting the chimney pieces
A chimney is a system, so chimney cap installation rarely stands alone, it connects to chimney sweep, pre-season chimney inspection, flashing repair, a new chimney liner, chimney repointing, and our crew handles all of it under one roof. We bring the same service to Upper Darby chimney cap installation, Chimney Cap Installation in Drexel Hill, Bala Cynwyd chimney cap installation, Cheltenham chimney cap installation and everywhere else across the Philadelphia area.
If you searched for chimney sweep near me, you have reached a local crew, call 215-318-4525 any time. For background, read Shared Flues in Philadelphia Rowhomes: What Every Owner Should Know on our blog, or head back to our Philadelphia home page to see everything we do.