Chimney Cap Replacement in Prospect Heights, IL

What actually settles a chimney cap job

Measure the tile, not the brick. Clay flue liners come in odd nominal sizes. The tile may sit flush or stand proud. A protruding tile takes a clamp-on lid. A flush tile means drilling the crown. Drilling a cracked crown splits it wider. So the crown gets looked at first. If the crown is split through and the liner is cracked, a cap alone is wasted money.

Framed chases are a different animal. Siding, sheathing, a sheet-metal lid on top. Builder lids were often galvanized and flat. Flat means standing water and a rust ring. Look for a brown drip line down the siding. Press the corners for soft sheathing. A replacement cover should be crossbroken so water sheds.

Multi-flue stacks complicate the draft. A furnace liner and a fireplace liner share one crown. One full-cover lid over both can trade odors between them. Liner heights matter more than lid styling here.

Wildlife law controls the calendar, not us. Chimney swifts nest inside open masonry flues. They are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Capping a live nest is illegal, and it traps birds. We wait for fledging. Raccoons den on the smoke shelf in spring. Steep pitch, slate, or old wood shake changes the access plan entirely.