Chimney Cap Installation in Arleta, Shown in Photos

Nearly every chimney report we write has at least one cap photo, because the cap does three jobs and is the part homeowners never see. It keeps rain off the flue, keeps birds, rats and raccoons out, and holds the spark arrestor mesh that stops embers from leaving the chimney. On a hot, dry Santa Ana day in the West Valley, that mesh matters to the neighbors as much as it does to you. The Woolsey Fire in 2018 burned through the hills west of here, and wind-driven embers are how fires jump. Our inspection photos show the cap from above and the side: whether the mesh is intact, rusted through or clogged with soot, whether the fasteners hold, and whether the cap covers the full flue.

The most common findings are a mesh that has rusted open on a galvanized cap, a cap held by one remaining screw after a windstorm, and a cap sized for a round flue sitting on a square tile, leaving gaps at the corners. Each one gets its own photo and the same three-label rating as everything else in the report. A cap that is missing outright gets marked fix before the next fire, because rain and animals are not seasonal and neither is ember risk here.

An installed cap costs $160 to $650 from us. The low end is a single-flue stainless cap that clamps onto the tile. The high end covers large multi-flue caps that span the whole crown and caps custom-built for odd tile sizes. We measure the flue tile, its height above the crown and the crown itself before ordering, and the quote says which cap, which mesh opening and how it attaches. Copper is available on request, quoted separately because the material price moves.

When the cap is on, you get three photos: the cap from above showing it covers the flue, a close-up of the mesh, and a close-up of each fastener. If the crown under the cap is cracked, the photos show that too, since a new cap on a failing crown buys less time than it should. We note it on the page and quote the crown repair separately, and you choose the order. Most cap jobs in Woodland Hills, Tarzana, West Hills and Canoga Park are done in one visit once the cap is in hand.