Animal guard mesh
Mesh sides keep birds, squirrels, raccoons and bats out of the flue without blocking the draft.
Chimney Parts
Chimney Cap Installation Apollo, PA
A Apollo chimney sweep can measure your flue and install a chimney cap with mesh sides that block animals and embers without choking the draft. One call to (724) 412-9254 reaches a nearby sweep who installs caps.
Without a cap, the top of a flue is open to rain, snow, leaves and wildlife. Rain runs straight down the flue, where it rusts dampers, soaks the smoke chamber and mixes with soot to make a sour smell. Squirrels, raccoons and birds nest in open flues, and their nests can block smoke from escaping.
The cap itself is a simple part: a solid top to shed water, mesh sides to block animals and a base that fastens to the chimney. It is not the same thing as the crown, which is the concrete or mortar slab that covers the top of the masonry.
Not every cap fits every chimney, so sizing and style matter. Some caps fasten to the flue tile with screws or a clamp, and others mount to the crown and cover all the flues at once. Painted and galvanized steel rust out, while stainless and copper caps hold up for decades.
Depending on what the sweep finds, chimney cap installation in Apollo, PA can go hand in hand with chimney crown repair and chimney animal removal.
Looking for Apollo chimney cap installation? Call (724) 412-9254 to reach a nearby chimney sweep.
Call nowThe process
What happens during a cap installation
Here is how a chimney sweep usually handles a cap installation.
Look inside
Before the cap goes on, the flue is checked for animals, nests and blockages. An occupied flue gets handled before capping.
Take measurements
The sweep measures the length, width and height of the flue tile or crown. The cap needs enough height above the flue for smoke to escape freely.
Select a style
The cap is matched to the chimney, the appliance and the look of the house. Gas appliance flues may need caps listed for that use.
Look at the crown
The crown and the top of the flue are checked so the cap is not mounted on failing masonry. Small cracks can be sealed before the cap goes on.
Install the cap
The cap is attached firmly so wind and animals cannot pry it loose. Raccoons can pull off a loose cap, so it is set tight and checked before the sweep leaves the roof.
What is included
What chimney cap installation covers
Single flue caps
A simple cap for one flue extending above the crown is the most common type on brick chimneys.
Copper caps
Stainless and copper caps resist rust far better than galvanized steel without staining the brick below.
Multi flue caps
A cap that shades the full crown and all flues together also protects the crown from direct rain.
Top sealing caps
A combined cap and damper closes the flue at the top which helps where the throat damper is worn out.
Related service
Chimney Cap Replacement Apollo, PA
Plenty of chimneys already have a cap, but it may be rusted, bent or missing mesh. Torn screens, corroded lids and loose fasteners are the usual reasons a cap needs replacing. Swapping to stainless or copper means the new cap should outlast the old one by years.
Homeowners in Apollo often find out about a failed cap when water or an animal shows up in the fireplace. It helps to tell the sweep whether the chimney has one flue or several and what is vented through it. Debris that fell in while the cap was off may need to be cleared out first.
Related service
Spark Arrestor Installation Apollo, PA
A spark arrestor is the mesh screen on a chimney cap that stops burning embers from leaving the flue and landing on the roof or nearby trees. The NFPA 211 standard sets a mesh size that is small enough to stop embers but large enough not to clog quickly, about half an inch or a little less. Check with your local fire department, since some areas require arrestors on wood burning chimneys.
Over time, soot collects on the screen, which is why sweeps check the mesh whenever the flue is cleaned. If smoke suddenly starts spilling into the room, a clogged screen is one of the first things to check. Cleaning or replacing the mesh restores the draft.
Local help
Chimney Cap Installation Near Me
In Apollo, an open flue invites rain, leaves and nesting animals, especially when the fireplace sits unused for months. From Apollo out to neighboring towns like Vandergrift, Hyde Park, Lower Burrell and Clinton, sweeps regularly find missing caps, rusted mesh and caps blown loose by storms, so a solid cap is one of the simplest ways to protect the flue.
Searching for chimney cap installation near me from Apollo or Vandergrift, Hyde Park, Lower Burrell and Clinton? Call (724) 412-9254 to talk to a chimney sweep who works in your part of town.
Chimneys in this climate
Cold winters keep fireplaces, wood stoves and oil burners working for half the year or more. The hardest thing on brick here is not the cold itself but the constant swing above and below freezing: water soaks into brick, mortar joints and the crown on a mild day, freezes overnight and expands, which is how cracks, loose bricks and leaks start. Wind driven rain from coastal storms finds any gap in flashing, too. That is why chimney cleaning in Apollo is usually booked in the fall, before the first cold night.
Why call
Why act early
Safer fires
Small chimney problems caught early usually stay small repairs.
Familiar with local homes
Chimney sweeps in Apollo know the chimneys and fireplaces common in local homes.
Know what happens next
Ask your questions before you agree to anything.
Chimney Cap Installation questions
What should I do if birds are nesting in my chimney?
If the birds are chimney swifts, federal law protects them, and they have to be left alone until nesting season ends. A chimney sweep can identify the bird and tell you when the flue can be cleared. After they leave, the nest is removed and a cap goes on.
Is a chimney crown the same as a cap?
The crown is the slab of concrete or mortar that covers the top of the masonry around the flue. A cap is a removable metal hood that keeps water and animals out of the flue itself. Each protects a different part, so both should be in good shape.
Can a chimney cap cause draft problems?
Well fitted caps rarely cause draft trouble. Trouble usually traces back to a clogged screen or a cap that is undersized or mounted too close to the flue opening. A sweep can clean the mesh or switch to a better fitting cap.
Does my chimney really need a cap?
A cap keeps rain, snow, leaves and animals out of the flue, which protects the damper, the masonry and the inside of the chimney. Rusted dampers, damp smells and blocked flues are typical in uncapped chimneys. For the cost of a small part, a cap prevents a lot of trouble.
How long does a chimney cap last?
A good stainless steel or copper cap can last as long as the chimney itself in many cases. Galvanized caps rust much sooner, often within a handful of years. A quick check at each chimney sweeping catches damage early.
More questions? Call (724) 412-9254
Related services
Chimney Crown Repair
Sealing cracked chimney crowns or rebuilding crumbling ones, before freeze-thaw damage spreads down the chimney.
Learn moreChimney Animal Removal
Removing birds, raccoons, squirrels and nests from the flue, smoke shelf and damper, with the timing and method matched to the animal.
Learn moreChase Cover Replacement
Swapping out the metal cover on a framed chimney chase with sloped tops and drip edges that shed water.
Learn moreChimney Leak Repair
Finding and stopping water that gets in through the crown, cap, flashing or brick, before the water rots framing or ruins the flue.
Learn more
Looking for something else?
See all chimney servicesGet chimney cap installation help in Apollo
Call now for Apollo chimney cap installation and help in the towns around it.
(724) 412-9254
Free to call. No forms to fill out.