Chimney cap replacement in Green Cove Springs by local cap pros

Chimney swifts and the timing of a cap

Chimney swifts nest inside masonry flues, gluing small stick nests to the tile wall, and federal law protects the birds and their active nests. An active nest cannot be removed or sealed in, so a flue in use by swifts waits for its cap until the nestlings have fledged and the flock has moved on. Once they leave, the old nest is cleared and the cap closes the opening before the birds return the next year. If you hear steady chattering in the chimney during the warm months, tell us when you call so the visit is timed properly and nothing is disturbed that should not be.

Water the cap cannot stop

The cap guards only the flue opening. The crown around it takes the same rain, and when it cracks or pulls away from the flue tile, water enters the top of the masonry and runs down inside the chimney. The result looks just like an uncapped flue from below: water in the firebox and rust on the damper. That is why a cap visit includes a close look at the crown surface and the joint where the crown meets the tile. When crown repair is needed, it appears as its own line, priced apart from the cap, making it clear that the new cap was not sold as a cure for a crown leak.

Why the old cap is not the pattern

Ordering a replacement to match the cap that came off is tempting. The trouble is that the old cap may not have fit in the first place. Caps sized a step too small get forced over a tile and crack it; caps a step too large sit loose and walk off in wind. Some were fitted before the crown was redone and no longer match the tile height at all.

So we measure the tile and the crown as they are today and size from the maker's chart, and the old cap leaves the roof with its fasteners. The measurements stay on file for whoever services the chimney next.