Our Services
Getting the chase right on your Gabriella home
You see how far we expect to open the chase before you decide, and the inspection is free.
Chase, chase top and chimney cap
Three parts sit at the top of a chase chimney. The termination cap is the metal fitting on the end of the pipe. The chase top is the metal sheet across the top of the enclosure. The chase is the framed box below both of them.
Water can enter through any of the three, and replacing one does not repair the others. We check all three from the roof and price each on its own line, so you know which part the money is going to.
Preparing the chase for storm season
Each year the Atlantic hurricane season spans June 1 to November 30, and a tall chase takes wind and rain on every face. Loose siding, open seams, a lifted top and worn flashing let water in quickly once a tropical storm arrives.
Spring is a good time to have the chase checked and repaired. After a strong storm, we look for lifted panels, damaged trim, a shifted top and new stains, and we fix loose parts before the next rain.
Chases that hold more than one pipe
Some chases carry two chimney pipes, or a chimney and a vent for another appliance. Each pipe needs its own clearances, its own storm collar and its own opening in the chase top, and each maker's instructions apply to its own pipe.
When we repair a chase like this, we map every penetration first, keep the spacing between terminations and confirm each collar and seal before the walls and top are closed. If one of the pipes serves another appliance, that appliance's venting instructions govern its clearances and termination.
Access for cleaning and inspection
Some chase chimneys, particularly those that run up an outside wall from a tee, have an access door near the base for cleaning. The DuraTech manual shows an access door for cleaning in its exterior chase installations.
When we rebuild or reclad a chase, we keep any access door working and sealed against the weather. Covering it over makes future cleaning and inspection harder, so it stays reachable. If the door has rusted or lost its seal, we replace or reseal it as part of the chase work and list it on the estimate.
