Local chimney cap replacement for Yulee homes

Band-mount caps for tiles with rough edges

Band-mount caps clamp around the outside of the flue tile instead of reaching inside it. A metal band or a set of screws draws the cap's base against the tile's outer faces. This style suits tiles whose inside edge is chipped or out of square, and tiles slightly larger than a slip-in model allows. It still needs the tile to stand clear of the crown by enough height to give the band something to grip.

We tighten the band evenly on every side, because uneven pressure on clay tile concentrates stress at one corner, and a cracked tile turns a cap job into a flue repair. The band's metal matches the cap's, so the two do not corrode against each other.

Round, oval and odd-size flue tiles

Flue tiles are made in square, rectangular, round and oval sections, and some chimneys carry sizes that no current cap catalog lists. A round tile takes a round slip-in or a band cap made for that diameter. An oval tile or an odd rectangle may need a cap built to measure, or an outside-mount cover sized to the crown instead of the tile.

We measure the tile at its top edge in two directions and check it for out-of-round before ordering, because a cap made to a nominal size will not seat against a distorted tile. A made-to-measure cap takes longer to arrive, and you hear the lead time before you approve it.

A damper that doubles as the rain cap

Fitted to the flue tile in place of a cap, a top-sealing damper has a hinged lid with a gasket and is opened and closed by a stainless cable that runs down to a bracket inside the firebox. Closed, it seals the flue at the top, which keeps conditioned air in the house and rain out of the flue. Models with a screen in the frame also keep animals out, as a cap would. It is chosen when the throat damper is rusted or warped, and it follows its maker's sizing just as a cap does. The one thing to remember is to open it fully before any fire is lit.