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.
Famco Chimney Cap Installation: The Brentwood Owner’s Guide
We stock and install Famco-compatible chimney caps throughout Brentwood, with most replacements running $340 to $680 installed depending on flue size and roof access. If you’re calling us, chances are you looked up one morning and noticed the cap leaning like a weathervane after a nor’easter, or you heard something metallic skitter across the roof during the last big wind off Long Island. Brentwood’s salt air and freeze-thaw cycles are hard on galvanized steel, and Famco caps, while solidly built, eventually surrender to the same conditions that eat every other metal thing on your roof. We carry Famco and Famco-compatible caps on the truck, so most swaps happen in one visit.
Which Famco Models This Applies To
Famco makes caps in two main lines Brentwood homeowners run into: the single-flue slip-in style (the FSC series, sized by flue dimension) and the multi-flue or top-mount style that brackets over the crown. The single-flue units are the ones we replace most often. They slide into a round or square clay tile and get held by pressure screws or a bead of high-temp sealant, depending on the era. The older Famco caps, from the late 90s and early 2000s, used a thinner gauge mesh than current production, and that mesh is usually the first thing to go along the south shore. To match yours, check the inside dimension of your flue tile, not the outside of the old cap. A 13×13 outside measurement usually means a 9×13 or 10×10 actual flue, and ordering the wrong number means another trip up the ladder. Top Hat Chimney is an independent service provider; we install and work on Famco products but aren’t affiliated with the company itself. That independence means something: if a quality aftermarket cap fits the flue and the budget better, we’ll tell you. We also work with DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco parts when a liner or accessory needs matching.
Signs Your Famco Chimney Cap Installation Is Failing
- Visible rust trails or orange streaks down the cap body or crown. This is the salt air from the Great South Bay doing its slow work. Once the galvanized coating is breached, the steel underneath decays fast.
- Mesh torn or hanging loose. Squirrels and raccoons work at the mesh for nesting material, and a torn screen means animals get in and sparks get out. We see a lot of squirrel families in Brentwood flues who entered through a cap that looked fine from the ground.
- Cap leaning or sitting cockeyed on the flue. The pressure screws or masonry holding it in place have loosened. A strong winter gust can finish the job and leave the cap in your azalea bed.
- Water stains on the ceiling near the chimney or damp firebox after rain. A failed cap lets rain run straight down the flue. The firebox gets it first, then the masonry soaks it up, and then you’re calling us about a crown rebuild too.
- Draft issues or smoke rolling back into the room. A cap that’s partly collapsed or clogged with a decade of creosote and twigs restricts the flue. Your fire doesn’t care how the cap looks. It cares how the flue breathes.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
For a standard single-flue Famco-style cap in Brentwood, installed, you’re looking at $340 to $520. Multi-flue or custom top-mount caps run $450 to $680. The range comes down to three things: flue size, roof pitch and access, and whether the old cap’s masonry anchor points are still sound. If the flue tile itself is cracked, that’s a separate conversation, and we’ll show you the camera footage before we ask for a dime on that. Every cap replacement includes hauling the old unit, cleaning the flue lip, securing the new cap, and sealing properly so water can’t sneak underneath. All work carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. The number you hear on the phone is the number on the invoice, and we honor the standing offers too: $40 off any repair over $200 and 10% off always for seniors and veterans.
DIY or Call Us?
We’re the first to say not every chimney job needs a pro. If you have a one-story ranch, a safe ladder setup, and a flat roof walk, swapping a slip-in cap is something a careful homeowner can do. The danger in Brentwood is the same as everywhere else on Long Island: two-story capes and colonials with steep pitches, wet shingles, and wind gusts that hit hard on north-facing roof planes. A fall from a two-story roof is a life-changing event, and no cap is worth that. The other honest problem is diagnosis. Homeowners replace a cap and still have water in the firebox because the real issue was the crown underneath. The camera footage and a plain-English verdict, every time, no exceptions. If it needs doing, we’ll do it right. If it doesn’t, Wendell will tell you that too. Call (934) 935-3847 and we’ll give you a straight answer before any tools leave the truck.
FAQs
Expect 8 to 12 years from a galvanized steel Famco cap in Brentwood’s salt air, and closer to 15 to 20 if you step up to stainless. The mesh goes first, then the lower skirt near the flue seal. Call (934) 935-3847 and we’ll tell you whether yours is mid-life or end-of-life, no charge for the opinion.
Sometimes, yes: a small tear in the mesh or a loose pressure screw is a five-minute fix on the roof. But rust through the body means replacement. We repair when it makes sense, because sending you a bill for work you didn’t need isn’t how we’ve stayed in Brentwood since 1999.
Most single-flue swaps take 30 to 45 minutes from ladder-up to ladder-down. We give you a real arrival window, confirm the price before any work starts, and call if we’re running behind. Background-checked, uniformed, and the same crew every time.
We stock common Famco and Famco-compatible cap sizes on the truck, so the most typical Brentwood flue sizes get replaced same visit. Odd sizes or custom multi-flue work may need a week for the parts to arrive. Call (934) 935-3847 and we’ll confirm what’s on the shelf for your flue size.
Written by Wendell Pike, Owner, Top Hat Chimney at Top Hat Chimney, serving Brentwood and nearby areas.





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