Chimney caps and crowns in New Jersey
Water in the firebox, a damper that keeps rusting, birds you can hear inside the chimney. We replace cracked crowns and missing or rusted caps, so the top of the stack stops letting water in. We do this on houses in 14 New Jersey counties.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Fast ResponseModern Home Roofing & Chimney replaces chimney crowns and caps on houses in 14 New Jersey counties under NJ HIC license 13VH13268400. The crown is the cement slab on top of the stack, and the cap is the metal cover over the flue. Every job starts with a free inspection, photos and a written estimate.
Why so much chimney water comes in from the top
The crown sits on top of the chimney with nothing over it, taking sun, rain and ice all year. Once it cracks, water goes straight down into the brick, and every freeze opens the crack a little more. A missing cap lets rain, leaves and animals straight into the flue.
Water that gets in at the top ends up in the firebox, on the damper, or soaked into the brick all the way down the stack.
Signs the crown or cap needs work
- Water in the firebox after it rains, or a damper that keeps rusting.
- Birds or animals you can hear inside the chimney.
- Leaves or twigs landing in the fireplace.
- Cracks or missing chunks in the cement on top of the chimney.
- A cap that is rusted, bent, loose or missing.
- White staining on the brick near the top of the stack.
If water has been getting past the crown for years, the brick under it may be crumbling too. A new crown will not hold on brick that is already going, and we tell you that when we see it. How chimney repair works
How a chimney crown and cap job works
A crown and cap job with us runs in six steps. Most people have never seen the top of their own chimney, so the photos come first, and your written estimate lists how long the work will take.
We inspect the top of the chimney, free
We get up to the top when it is safe to and photograph the crown, the cap, the flue and the brick just below them.
You get a written estimate
What the crown and cap need and the price, on paper. If the brick or the flashing is letting water in too, that is on the estimate as well.
We clear off what has failed
Loose pieces of a broken crown and a rusted or bent cap come off, so we can see the brick and the top of the flue underneath.
We build the new crown
A new cement crown is formed over the top of the brick, sloped away from the flue so water runs off and past the edge of the stack.
We fit a new cap over the flue
A stainless steel or copper cap sized to the flue, with mesh on the sides to keep animals out. You pick the metal before we order.
We clean up and show you
We clear the old cement and metal off the roof and the ground, and go over photos of the finished top with you.
Check us out before we work on the top of your chimney
A chimney we finished, before and after
It depends on the size of the chimney, how many flues it has, and how far the crown has broken up. A new cap on a sound crown and a whole new crown are different jobs. We do not quote over the phone. You get a written price after we have been up to look.
The crown is the cement slab on top of the stack. It covers the brick and sheds water off the top. The cap is the metal cover over the flue opening. A cracked crown lets water straight into the brick. A missing cap lets in rain, leaves and animals.
Usually it comes in from the top of the chimney: a missing or rusted cap lets rain straight down the flue, or a cracked crown lets it into the brick. It can also be failed flashing where the chimney meets the roof. We find which one before we price anything.
A cap over the flue is what keeps them out. If you hear them in there now, keep the damper closed and do not light a fire under them. Once they are gone, a cap stops the next ones from moving in. If there is no cap, or the old one has rusted open, that is what we replace.
Hairline cracks in a crown that is otherwise solid can sometimes be sealed. If the crown is breaking apart, or water is already getting into the brick below it, it has to come off and a new one goes on. We show you the photos and tell you which one yours needs.
We fit stainless steel or copper caps, sized to your flue, with mesh on the sides to keep animals out. We go over the options and the price of each with you before we order, so you know what is going on top of the chimney.
We replace chimney crowns and caps in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties. If your town is in one of those, we can come out and look at it.
Find out what the top of your chimney needs
Tell us what you are seeing. We come out, inspect the top of the chimney for free, and give you photos and a written price. If the crown is sound and only the cap needs replacing, you will hear that from us. If you hire someone else, you owe us nothing.
Fast Response · NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured