Chimney Chase Cover Replacement and Installation

It’s a fact of home ownership – most chimney chase covers rust out and need replacing.

The chase cover is the piece of metal that covers the entire top surface of your chimney housing and extends over the exterior edges of your siding. Chase covers can be made of copper or stainless steel, but more often than not galvanized steel is used to keep costs down. Just a note that a chimney cap or chimney cover is the smaller piece that covers the flue opening, preventing pests and rain from entering down your flue but letting air and the smoke out when necessary.

When the chase cover starts to rust, it might start dripping rust stained water onto your exterior chimney siding, creating an unpleasant dripping eyesore for the neighborhood to stare at. A chase cover serves a more important purpose than just keeping the top of your chimney pretty. Your chase cover protects the inside of the flue and chimney by sealing in some heat and sealing out the weather.

Chase covers are standard on pre-fabricated/manufactured fireplaces. Most are installed with galvanized metal that rusts after this coating wears off. A battered and rusted chase cover can lead to moisture problems and mold growth in the framed chase that supports and hides your fireplace and chimney system. As with other fireplace and chimney problems, catching it early will cost less and help prevent avoidable safety issues and costly interior repairs.

Many homeowners in suburban Chicago choose Valley Chimney to replace their chimney chase covers. We install custom-built chase covers from one piece of metal, usually vinyl-coated sheet metal, but we can also install stainless steel or copper, and we fit them individually for your specific chimney. We ensure that there are no low spots, that water won’t pool and puddle on top of the chase and that the seal is strong and water tight. Depending on the condition of your chimney cap and chimney cover(s), we might re-install them or suggest replacing those too.

To see our western Chicago suburbs chase cover installations, visit our Before & After gallery.