Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
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AfterTrusted Chimney Cap & Crown for Coventry Homeowners
If your chimney cap is rusted through, missing, or your crown is cracked and spalling, you’re looking at water getting where it should never be. A failed cap and crown in Coventry means rain, snow, and ice melt working into your flue system, brick, and mortar all winter long. We’re Top Hat Chimney, and Wendell Pike has been fixing caps and crowns on Coventry chimneys since 1999. Call (860) 743-7732 and Wendell or one of his crew will come out, look at what you actually have, and tell you straight what it needs.
What Our Chimney Cap & Crown Service Includes
We handle the whole job, not just one piece of it. A chimney cap and crown work together. If one fails and you only fix the other, you’ve spent money on half a repair. Here’s what we cover, and what it involves.
Cap Installation
A cap sits on top of the flue and keeps rain, snow, leaves, birds, and squirrels out while letting smoke and gases escape. If you don’t have one, or the one you have is pulling apart, you need a proper cap sized to your flue. We measure the flue, talk through the options, and install the right cap with a secure connection that will hold in Coventry wind. No guessing, no universal-fit garbage.
What you get from Top Hat Chimney: a measured fit, the right stainless or copper cap for your chimney, and a check of the whole top of the chimney before we start. If the crown under it needs attention, you’ll hear it from us before we touch the cap.
Cap Replacement
Cap replacement is one of the most common repairs we do, because most caps wear out long before the chimney itself does. Rusted mesh, a dented top from a falling branch, or a cap that simply won’t stay seated are all reasons to swap it out. We’ll remove the old cap, inspect the flue opening below it, and install a replacement that fits without caulk globbed on as an afterthought.
And if the old cap failed early, we’ll tell you why. Often it’s a cap that was never right for the flue size or a crown that was pouring water onto it. We don’t fix the symptom and leave the cause.
Crown Repair
The crown is the concrete slab that caps off the chimney structure itself, the part most people never look at until water is running down the inside of their chimney. A cracked or crumbling crown lets water into the brick and mortar below it. That’s how you end up with spalling brick, a rusted damper, and flakes of chimney showing up in the firebox years later.
We repair crowns with the right material for the job, not a bag of quick patch from the hardware store. If the crown is too far gone, we’ll say so plainly and talk about recoating or rebuilding. In Chimney Cap & Crown - Coventry, freeze-thaw cycles work on crown cracks all winter, so this is not a repair to put off once you know it’s there.
Crown Coating
When a crown is structurally sound but the surface has worn down, a coating can restore the water seal without tearing it out and starting over. We use crown coating products built for high heat exposure and weather, not driveway sealer. The surface gets cleaned, cracks get filled, and the coating goes on in proper coats so it can flex and hold.
This approach works well for crowns that have surface cracks but no deep structural breaks. Wendell will show you the difference on camera so you can see whether coating is enough or a full recast is the honest call.
Multi-Flue Cap
Chimneys with two or more flues, common on older Coventry and Tolland County homes, need a cap system that covers both flues properly. A multi-flue cap spans the whole top of the chimney and is often paired with individually sized flue caps underneath for draft and spark protection. Ours get custom-measured and anchored so they don’t whistle in a west wind or rattle in a storm.
We’ll check each flue separately. If one is a fireplace flue and one is a furnace flue, they have different requirements, and the cap design has to respect that. Wendell has been fitting multi-flue systems for over 25 years and knows the quirks of the older chimneys all over Coventry, Mansfield, and Storrs, plus our Chimney Cap & Crown in Andover service area.
Custom Cap
Some chimneys want a cap that is a little out of the ordinary: an oversized flue, an odd shape, a decorative copper top, or a historic-home requirement. We fabricate or order custom caps and fit them properly to your structure. Whether it’s a taller mesh for a deep flue or a specific gauge of copper to match your roof, we’ll get it built and put on right.
Custom work takes a little longer, but you’ll know the price before we order anything. No surprises when the invoice arrives. That’s the way Wendell has done it since 1999 and it’s not changing.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Brands We Service for Chimney Cap & Crown
We install and service caps and crowns from brands we trust with a chimney’s top end: Olympia Chimney, Gelco, and DuraFlex. Olympia’s caps and crown repair products are workhorses, built for real weather, and we’ve put dozens of them on Coventry and Willimantic chimneys. We know their fit tolerances and how to anchor them on older masonry without cracking brick.
Gelco’s caps and crown coating systems are what we reach for when we need a watertight seal that survives freeze-thaw cycles, which matters here in eastern Connecticut where winter does its best to break your chimney apart from the top down. And when a liner ties into the cap, DuraFlex components mate up cleanly. Whether your chimney wears one of those three names or something else entirely, we can handle it.
Signs You Need Chimney Cap & Crown Right Now
- Water in the firebox or a musty smell coming down the flue. That’s the clearest signal that rain is getting past the top of your chimney. When the cap or crown fails, water runs down the flue and sits where it can rust your damper and stain your firebox.
- Rust streaks or flaking metal on the cap. Once a cap starts to rust through, it is failing. The holes get bigger fast, especially after a wet Coventry spring, and the mesh will soon let birds and rain through.
- Cracked or crumbling crown concrete. Look at the top of your chimney from a ladder if you can do so safely. If the crown looks like a dry lakebed, water is already in the masonry. The spalling usually starts a season or two after the cracking, and by then the repair bill grows.
- Birds, squirrels, or nests in the chimney. Animals find their way in through a missing or torn cap mesh. The scratching noise in the flue is the giveaway. Once they’re in, you need removal and a proper cap to keep them out.
- Pieces of concrete or mortar showing up in the yard or on the roof. That means the crown or the brickwork just below it is shedding. It falls because freeze-thaw is prying it apart. The more that falls, the less protection the chimney top has.
Our Chimney Cap & Crown Process - Step by Step
When you call (860) 743-7732, here’s exactly what happens.
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You talk to a person, not a phone tree. Wendell or someone from his crew answers. You describe what you’re seeing, we ask a few questions, and we set a real arrival window, not an all-day sit-around.
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We show up, look, and document. Wendell inspects the cap, crown, and the masonry around both. He takes photos and camera footage, including from above if the roof access allows it safely. You see exactly what he sees.
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You get a verdict in plain English. If the cap is repairable, we’ll say so. If the crown needs recasting, we’ll show you why. If you don’t need anything yet, you’ll hear that too. The price you get is the price you pay. No add-ons at the door.
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The work gets done right. We install or repair the cap and crown with the right materials and the right fit. Trash leaves with the truck, and the roof and yard get looked over before we go.
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You get the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If anything we did is not right, one call brings Wendell back at no charge. That promise is on every single job, the same in Coventry as it was in 1999.
How Much Does Chimney Cap & Crown Cost in Coventry?
A standard stainless steel chimney cap in Coventry runs $160 to $350 installed, as detailed in our Chimney Cap & Crown cost guide. A multi-flue cap typically falls between $450 and $900 depending on flue count and chimney width. Crown repair with proper crack filling and a new surface coat runs $400 to $800. A full crown recast, where we remove and rebuild the concrete top, runs $900 to $1,800.
What pushes the price up: chimney height and roof pitch, the condition of the masonry under the crown, and whether you want copper or an odd-size custom cap. What keeps the price honest: you get an upfront quote before we touch anything, and the number on that quote is the number on the invoice. We also take $40 off any repair over $200, and seniors and veterans always get 10% off. If you have a written estimate from another company, Wendell will give you a free second opinion on it.
The cheapest repair is the one that gets done before the water damage spreads. A cap today is cheaper than a crown rebuild next spring. Call (860) 743-7732 for a free estimate and a straight answer.
Chimney Cap & Crown Near Coventry - Our Service Area
We serve Coventry and the towns around it: Chimney Cap & Crown in Glastonbury, Chimney Cap & Crown in East Hartford, Manchester, Vernon, Mansfield, Windham, Willimantic, Rockville, Marlborough, Storrs, and Tolland. If you’re inside our home service county, there’s no trip charge. Call and Wendell will let you know when he can get to you. We’ve been driving these roads for over 25 years and we know which chimneys fight back.
If you’re looking for a broader look at what we do, start at our home page, or keep reading here for cap and crown specifics.
Serving Coventry, CT - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Coventry area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions - Chimney Cap & Crown in Coventry
A chimney cap is the metal cover over the flue opening that blocks rain, snow, animals, and debris while letting smoke and gases out. The crown is the concrete slab at the top of the masonry chimney that seals the top edge of the brick or stone. The two work together to keep water from getting into your flue and your brickwork. When either one fails, the other gets compromised soon after.
Most cap replacements and crown repairs are done the same day, within two to four hours. A full crown recast or a custom multi-flue cap order can take a second visit once the fabricated piece arrives. We’ll tell you the timeline before work begins. You’ll know when the truck lands and when it leaves.
A cap replacement in Coventry costs between $160 and $350 in most cases, while a crown repair or recast runs $400 to $1,800 depending on the damage. Multi-flue caps and custom work sit in the higher range. We quote the full price upfront and we do not change it at the door. Call (860) 743-7732 for a free estimate.
Yes, we install and repair caps and crown systems from Olympia Chimney, Gelco, and DuraFlex, among others. We know their fit requirements and which products hold up on Coventry chimneys through freeze-thaw winters. If you have a different brand, we can still help, and we’ll tell you if a different product makes more sense for your setup.
Yes. We answer the phone around the clock, and a live person picks up, not a voicemail box. If an animal is in your chimney or water is actively pouring into the firebox, call (860) 743-7732 and we’ll get you on the schedule and be straight about when Wendell can be there. For the dangerous jobs, like working at height on a slick roof, we always send someone trained for it, and we don’t expect you to be the one climbing up there.
Every cap and crown job we complete carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise. If the installation or repair is not right, one call brings Wendell back at no additional cost. The products themselves carry their own manufacturer warranties, which we’ll explain in plain English before you spend a dollar.
Clear the roof access area if you have ladders or tools leaning against the house, and move anything breakable near the roofline. Let us know if you have dogs that need to be inside. That’s about it. Wendell and his crew bring everything else, and they’ll leave the yard the way they found it, minus a broken chimney top.
Schedule Your Chimney Cap & Crown Service in Coventry Today
If your cap is rusted, your crown is cracked, or you just want a straight answer about what’s going on up there, call (860) 743-7732. Wendell will come out, show you the camera footage, and give you a no-obligation estimate with the real price before anything gets touched. Over 25 years, the same neighbor, the same promise. Get it looked at before the weather does more work.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner at Top Hat Chimney, serving Coventry since 1999.