Columbus, OH & surrounding areas
Chimney Caps, Crowns & Chase Covers
The lid on your chimney. Keeps rain, leaves, and animals out.
- Crown repairs and full crown rebuilds
- Screened caps and new chase covers
- Protected nests worked around, not through
- 4.4 on Google
- Free in-home estimates
- Fully insured
- Warranty up to 1 year
- Free drone inspection
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If your chimney has no cap, you own an open pipe pointed at the sky. The cap keeps weather and wildlife out and its screen keeps embers in. The crown — the concrete slab at the very top — sheds water off the masonry. Two small, unglamorous parts, and both prevent the repairs that cost thousands.
Signs you'd notice
- Animals or birds nesting in the chimney
- Rain falling straight down into the firebox
- A cracked concrete crown, or no cap up there at all
- Rust streaks running down the outside of the chimney
- Debris, leaves, or nesting material in the firebox
What happens on the visit
- 1
Look at what's actually up there
Plenty of chimneys have a cap that's rusted through, undersized, or was never fastened properly. Its condition determines whether it needs securing, repair, or replacement.
- 2
Fit the right cap
Sized to your flue, in stainless or copper, with a spark arrestor screen and an animal guard. A cheap cap that rusts out in four years isn't a saving.
- 3
Repair or rebuild the crown
Hairline cracks get sealed with a flexible crown coat. A crown that's spalling or broken up gets rebuilt properly — sloped away from the flue as a crown wash, with an overhang and a drip edge so water leaves the masonry instead of running down it.
- 4
Replace failed chase covers
On framed chimneys, the metal chase cover is usually the thing that rusted and started the leak. Stainless replacement, properly cross-broken so water runs off.
- 5
Work around protected nests, not through them
Chimney swifts nest in flues and are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so an active nest with eggs or young can't legally be removed. If that's what's up there we'll tell you, keep the flue out of service until they fledge, and cap it afterwards so it doesn't happen again.
Why it matters
Almost every chimney leak we get called about traces back to the top: a missing cap, a cracked crown, or a rusted chase cover. Water is patient and it only needs one way in. Getting the lid right is the single cheapest thing you can do to avoid a masonry bill later.
Recent work
What the work looks like
Our own photos, from real Columbus-area jobs. Tap a project to see every photo.
Questions
Caps & Crowns: what people ask us
Do I need a chimney cap?
If you don't have one, you have an open pipe pointed at the sky. A cap keeps out rain, snow, leaves, and animals, and its spark arrestor screen keeps embers from landing on your roof. It's a small job that heads off some very large ones.
Why does my chimney leak when it rains?
There are only a handful of ways water gets in, and they're all findable: a missing or damaged cap, a cracked crown at the top, failed flashing where the chimney meets the roof, or brick and mortar that have gotten porous enough to soak water straight through. The right repair depends on where the water enters, so the first step is finding the actual entry point.
What's the chalky white staining on my chimney?
Efflorescence — mineral salts carried to the surface by water moving through the masonry. The stain itself is harmless and washes off. What it tells you is not harmless: water is moving through your brick. Treat it as a symptom worth chasing, not a cosmetic problem.
Related
While we're up there
Chimney Sweeping
Creosote, soot, and blockages cleared out of your flue.
Chimney Inspections
A documented look at the whole system, firebox to crown.
Chimney & Masonry Repair
Tuckpointing, brick replacement, and rebuilds — above and below the roofline.
Chimney Liners & Relining
A cracked or missing flue liner is a safety problem, not maintenance.
Get a free estimate on your chimney
Pick a day and a time window online, or call and talk to a person. The estimate is free, and the drone inspection is included.