Custom Chimney Cap
This is a custom chimney cap, cut and built to your measurements, for masonry chimneys with one flue or several. It covers the whole top of the chimney: the flue tiles, the crown, and the joints between them where water gets in. Rain, snow, leaves and animals stay out, sparks stay in, and the lid lifts off when the sweep comes. Enter your chimney's measurements in the configurator above, choose how it mounts, the lid, the height and the finish, and the price updates as you go. The Export PDF button saves a drawing of your cap to check against the chimney or hand to your roofer.
- Fits: masonry chimneys with any number of flues, and flat metal chase covers. Virtually any length and width.
- Material: 24-gauge 304 stainless steel, or copper. Powder coat in any RAL color over stainless.
- Mounts: standard skirt, pitched skirt, or top mount with a hinged flange.
- Lid: flat, hip, hip and ridge, or standing seam. Removable for cleaning. Overhang to your choice, 3 inches standard.
- Screen: 8, 10, 12 or 16 inches high, or any height you enter. 3/4 inch expanded stainless mesh.
- In the box: the cap, the lid fasteners, sealant and masonry screws.
- Made by: the manufacturer, Indianapolis, Indiana. Built to order.
How to measure
You need three numbers, all taken on the roof with a tape measure, to the nearest quarter inch. Which two you take first depends on how the cap will mount.
| Mount | Length and width | Screen height |
|---|---|---|
| Standard skirt or pitched skirt | The outside of the chimney at the top, edge to edge, the long way and the short way. The skirt wraps over the outside, so add a quarter inch to each so it slides on. | At least 4 inches taller than the tallest flue tile above the crown |
| Top mount | The footprint you want covered: the outside of the crown, or the area around the flue tiles with at least 2 inches of flat crown all round for the flange. | The same |
Three things to check while you are up there. Squareness: measure each side at both ends and the two diagonals, and use the largest numbers. The crown: it should be sound, and for a top-mount cap it needs a flat band at least 2 inches wide for the flange; a crumbling or badly cracked crown should be repaired first. The roof: the lid overhangs the screen on every side, 3 inches unless you change it, so make sure nothing is in the way.
Not sure? Send us the numbers and a photo of the chimney top before you order, and we will check them. Every custom cap is checked by a person before it goes to the shop.
Choose your cap
Mount style
Standard skirt. The cap sits over the top of the chimney like a lid on a box. A horizontal skirt, 2 inches wide as standard, rests on the top of the brick, and a vertical skirt, 3 inches as standard, hangs down the outside and takes the masonry screws. The crown edge, where water usually gets in, is covered completely. A drip edge on the bottom of the skirt throws water off the brick.
Pitched skirt. The same cap, with the horizontal part of the skirt angled downward instead of flat, so water runs off the cap and away from the crown rather than sitting on it. The choice for a chimney that takes weather from the side.
Top mount. A flat flange that screws down to the crown or to a metal chase cover, with a hinge that lets it swing in or out for a tight fit. This is the cap for a wide flat crown, a chase cover, or a chimney whose sides are not straight enough for a skirt.
Lid
Flat. The standard hood: clean, low and the lowest price. Comes with a cross break, a shallow crease that keeps the sheet stiff and sheds water.
Hip. Four sloping sides that meet at the top, like a small pyramid roof. Sheds snow, and looks right on a square chimney.
Hip and ridge. Four sloping sides meeting at a ridge along the length, like a house roof. The choice for a long chimney that faces the street.
Standing seam. The hip-and-ridge lid with raised seams running down the slopes, to match a standing-seam roof.
Overhang. How far the lid extends past the screen on each side. 3 inches is the standard and suits most chimneys. Go wider where driving rain is a problem; go narrower where the roof or a neighboring cap is in the way.
Screen height
8, 10, 12 or 16 inches of mesh, or enter your own under Other. Taller than the flue tiles by at least 4 inches.
Material and finish
304 stainless steel is the standard: it does not rust, needs no maintenance, and weathers to a soft grey. Copper is made to order for a traditional look and turns brown, then green, over the years. Powder coat over stainless steel comes in any RAL color: pick from the popular roof colors or search the full chart. Black and anthracite disappear against a dark roof.
What arrives
- The cap, built to your measurements, with the lid and its fasteners.
- Sealant and masonry screws.
Custom caps are built after you order. We will confirm the build time and shipping date when your order is checked.
Installation
A one-person job for anyone comfortable on the roof, with a drill, a masonry bit, a screwdriver and a caulk gun. Brush the top of the chimney clean and let it dry.
- Skirt caps: run a bead of sealant along the inside of the skirt, set the cap over the chimney and press it down onto the brick. Drill through the vertical skirt into the brick and drive the masonry screws, two or three per side, spaced 18 to 24 inches apart.
- Top mount: set the cap in place and swing the hinged flange in or out until it sits flat. Mark the holes, lift the cap, run a bead of sealant where the flange sits, put the cap back, drill and drive the screws. Four to eight screws is typical.
- Do not fasten the cap to the flue tiles. It mounts to the chimney, the crown or the chase cover only.
- Keep the mesh at least 4 inches above the tallest flue for draft, and check it once a year for creosote or debris.
Specifications
| Type | Multi-flue chimney cap, custom size |
|---|---|
| Material | 24-gauge 304 stainless steel, or copper |
| Finish | Bare stainless, powder coat in any RAL color, or copper |
| Mesh | 3/4 inch expanded stainless steel. 5/8 inch spark-arrestor mesh on request |
| Mount | Standard skirt (3 inch vertical, 2 inch horizontal, drip edge), pitched skirt, or top mount with hinged flange |
| Lid | Flat with cross break, hip, hip and ridge, or standing seam. Removable. Overhang adjustable, 3 inches standard |
| Screen height | 8, 10, 12, 16 inches, or custom |
| Hardware | Sealant and masonry screws included |
| Returns | Made to order; not returnable |
| Made | To order in the USA |
Questions people ask
Skirt or top mount: which one do I need?
If the top of your chimney is square-edged brick or stone in good shape, a skirt cap is the stronger, cleaner install: it wraps over the outside and screws into the brick, and it covers the crown edge completely. If the crown is wide and flat, if there is a metal chase cover, or if the chimney sides are uneven, choose Top Mount: it screws down to the flat surface with a hinged flange and does not depend on the sides being true.
Does it work for a single flue?
Yes. The cap covers whatever is under it: one flue, two, or a whole row. For one flue tile that stands well above the crown, a single-flue cap that clamps to the tile is cheaper, but it protects only the tile. This cap protects the crown as well, which is where most chimney water damage starts.
How do I choose the screen height?
Measure your tallest flue tile from the crown to its top. The mesh should clear it by at least 4 inches, and 6 inches is better for draft and for sweeping. Most chimneys land on 10 or 12 inches. If none of the four standard heights suits you, choose Other and enter your own.
What are the cross break and the drip edge?
A cross break is a shallow crease pressed across a flat lid from corner to corner. It stiffens the sheet so it does not drum or dish, and it gives the water a direction to run. A drip edge is a small fold at the bottom of the skirt that throws water off the cap instead of letting it run down the brick. Both are on by default, and we recommend leaving them on.
My chimney is not square. Can I still order?
Usually. Measure each side at both ends and the two diagonals, and enter the largest length and width. A skirt cap has a little room to spare, and the hinged flange on a top-mount cap takes up more. If the sides differ by more than an inch, send us photos and the numbers before you order and we will check with the shop.
What about a round chimney pipe?
Not this cap. A round factory-built chimney takes a cap made for that pipe. Send us the make and diameter and we will find the right one.
Which mesh does it come with?
3/4 inch expanded stainless steel, the standard, which gives the freest draft. If your local code calls for 5/8 inch spark-arrestor mesh, as California does, add a note to your order and we will have it built that way.
Copper or powder coat?
Copper is made to order and weathers from bright to brown to green over the years. Powder coat goes over the stainless steel and comes in any RAL color; anthracite grey, chocolate brown and jet black are the ones most people choose to match a roof. Bare stainless steel needs nothing and weathers to a soft grey.
How do I sweep the chimney with it on?
The lid comes off. Loosen the fasteners, lift the lid away, sweep, and put it back. The cap itself stays fixed to the chimney.
Can I return it?
No. Every cap is cut to your measurements after you order, so it cannot be returned or exchanged. Measure twice, save the PDF of your configuration, and send us photos if anything looks unusual. We check every order before it goes to the shop.