Chimney Services
Chimney cap work for Casselberry homes
Any cap work you schedule in the 72 hours after your free inspection is 10% off.
A cap that comes off for sweeping
A cap should never turn the chimney into something that cannot be cleaned. The Florida Building Code requires a spark arrestor to have access for cleaning, with the screen or cap removable so the flue can be swept. Caps that are welded or glued shut work against that.
We fit caps with lids or screens that come off with ordinary tools, and we show you where the fasteners are. When your flue is swept later, the sweep can open the top, clean through it and refit the cap without cutting anything.
Check for animals before closing the top
Scratching, chirping or bits of nest on the damper mean something may be living in the flue. A cap fitted over an occupied chimney traps the animal inside, where it can die or damage the flue trying to escape. Lighting a fire to drive it out is dangerous and, for some birds, illegal.
We look into the flue before any cap goes on. If animals are present, removal comes first and follows the wildlife rules that apply, and the cap goes on once the flue is empty.
After a cap comes down
When a cap falls in a storm, it can land in the yard, in a gutter or on the roof itself, and its edges are often sharp. Keep children and pets away from it and do not climb up to refit it. A ladder on a wet roof after a storm is a real risk.
Tell us where the cap landed and whether water has come into the fireplace since. We check the flue for debris that fell in, look at what the old cap was fastened to and fit a replacement that suits the chimney.
Leaves and nests in an open flue
An uncapped flue collects leaves, twigs, seed pods and nesting material, and much of it lands on the smoke shelf where it cannot be seen from the fireplace. Dry debris close to a fire is a hazard, and wet debris holds moisture against the masonry.
Before we fit a new cap, we look down the flue for blockage. If the flue needs sweeping, we tell you and price it, so the cap does not end up closing debris inside the chimney.
