Chimney Cap & Crown Installation – Shelton, CT

Keep Water Out. Keep Animals Out. Protect Your Chimney.

Connecticut weather can be brutal on exposed masonry. Rain, snow, and freeze–thaw cycles attack the very top of the chimney first. A properly sized chimney cap and a well-built crown act like a roof and drip-edge for your flue, shedding water away from the liner and brickwork and blocking animals, leaves, and embers. At Shelton Chimney Solutions, we install stainless steel and copper caps, rebuild deteriorated crowns with reinforced concrete, and fabricate custom chase covers for prefabricated systems—sized, anchored, and sealed to last.

What’s the Difference Between a Cap, Crown, and Chase Cover?

Homeowners often use the terms interchangeably; here’s how we define them:

• Chimney Cap: A metal cover with spark arrestor screen that mounts above the flue. It keeps out rain, animals, and debris while allowing smoke to vent. We prefer stainless steel for durability; copper is available for premium aesthetics.
• Chimney Crown: The sloped concrete top that sits on the masonry shoulders surrounding the flue tile(s). A correct crown overhangs the brick with a drip kerf, is properly pitched, and has an expansion joint around each flue.
• Chase Cover: The large, sheet-metal “lid” that spans the top of a prefabricated or factory-built chimney chase, typically made from stainless steel with cross-breaks for drainage and a fitted storm collar around the pipe.

Why These Components Matter in Shelton, CT

Water is the #1 enemy of chimneys. When moisture penetrates the top, it travels down into mortar joints, rusts metal parts, and stains ceilings and walls. In winter, trapped water freezes and expands—spalling brick faces, widening cracks, and loosening the crown. A quality cap, crown, and flashing system drastically reduces those failure points. Add in screened protection, and you also stop birds, squirrels, and raccoons from nesting inside the flue (a common source of blockages and odors).

Our Cap & Crown Installation Process

1. Assessment & Measurement: We verify flue size/count, tile projection, and masonry condition, then determine whether a standard single-flue cap, multi-flue cap, or custom solution is best.
2. Surface Prep: Loose crown material is removed; we grind out failed sealants and clean the brick shoulders so new materials bond correctly.
3. Crown Rebuild or Repair: We form a crown with the proper slope and overhang, using fiber-reinforced concrete. We include an isolation joint around each flue tile to allow for thermal expansion.
4. Cap or Chase Cover Install: Stainless/copper caps are anchored with masonry screws or appropriate brackets. For factory-built chases, we install a custom-bent stainless cover with cross-breaks and a storm collar sealed to the pipe.
5. Seal & Finish: We apply professional crown sealer where appropriate and silicone or butyl rubber at metal terminations. Photos are taken for your records.

Single-Flue vs. Multi-Flue Caps

If your chimney has several flues close together, a multi-flue cap often makes the most sense. It mounts to the crown (not the tile) and spans multiple flues under one wide lid for excellent coverage and a clean look. Single-flue caps clamp or screw directly to an individual tile and are a good fit when flues are far apart or when budget is the priority. We’ll explain both options on site and show you photos of what will look and perform best on your chimney.

Chimney Crown: Common Issues We Fix

• Cracked or missing crown: water entry and rust streaks on the masonry below.
• Flat crown with no drip edge: ponds water, saturates brick shoulders, and accelerates freeze-thaw damage.
• Improper flue joint: crown bonded to the tile with no gap, causing cracks as the liner heats and expands.
• Mortar wash “crowns”: thin mortar smeared over brick that flakes off quickly—these are replaced with proper formed crowns.

Materials That Last in New England Weather

We install stainless steel caps as our default because they resist rust and require almost no maintenance. Powder-coated options are available when you want a black or bronze finish. For crowns, we use reinforced concrete with the correct psi rating and fiber additives for strength. Where crown repair (not rebuild) is appropriate, we use flexible elastomeric crown coatings that bridge hairline cracks and shed water while allowing vapor transmission.

Custom Stainless Chase Covers

Prefab systems rely on the chase cover to keep water out of the wooden chase below. We measure precisely and fabricate a custom stainless cover with cross-breaks to stiffen the panel and route water, hemmed drip edges to protect siding, and a properly sized collar for the pipe. Cheap galvanized covers eventually rust and stain the roof—ours are built for decades of service in Shelton’s climate.

A Note on Draft & Spark Arrestors

All our caps include screened spark arrestors that help contain embers. Screen size matters: too fine, and creosote can clog it; too open, and small pests can still squeeze in. We size screens for proper airflow and safety. If you’ve had persistent draft issues, we’ll evaluate flue sizing, height, and nearby roof obstructions before selecting a cap style so the solution protects without creating new performance problems.

Signs You Need a New Cap or Crown

• Rust streaks down the masonry or stained siding below a chase.
• Water stains on ceilings near the chimney or odors after rain.
• Visible cracks in the crown or chunks of concrete on the roof.
• No cap present, or a cap that’s bent, missing mesh, or undersized.
• Animal noises in the flue or debris falling onto the damper.

Warranty & Maintenance

Our stainless caps carry a manufacturer warranty, and our crown rebuilds are backed by a workmanship guarantee. We recommend an annual inspection to confirm that screens are clear, sealants are intact, and the crown surface is shedding water as designed. During your routine sweep, we’ll check these items and photograph them for your records.