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Chimney Chase Cover Installation in Seattle
Framed chimney with no lid, or one that blew off? We measure, fabricate and install a chase cover with a cross-break, drip edge and storm collar. From $299.
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
- Same-day service often available
Request a Free Chimney Chase Cover Installation Quote
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A chase cover is the flat metal lid that closes the top of a framed chimney chase, the wood-and-siding box around a factory-built fireplace flue. It is not the cap. The cap sits on the pipe; the cover is the sheet the pipe comes up through, and without it the whole open top of the chase takes rain. Chase cover installation is for the chimneys that do not have one: a chase built and sided but never closed in, a cover that blew off in a windstorm and was never replaced, a plywood top with a tarp or roofing paper over it, or a chase that was finished with just a cap on the pipe and nothing around it.
If you have a cover and it is rusted through, that is a chase cover replacement; if it is sound but leaking at a seam, see chase cover repair. This page is about building and fitting one from scratch, across Seattle, Tacoma and Everett. Covers start at $299, the quote is free, and we price match plus 10-25%.
Symptoms
Signs you need chimney chase cover installation
- You can see plywood, roofing felt or a tarp on top of the chimney from the street or a neighbor's yard
- The chimney has a cap on the pipe but nothing covering the top of the box around it
- A cover came off in a storm and the top has been open since
- Water dripping onto the top of the fireplace unit or pooling on the hearth after rain
- A damp or musty smell from a fireplace that has not been used
- Birds or squirrels getting into the chase rather than the flue
Common causes
- New construction or a remodel where the chase was framed and sided but the cover was left off
- Wind lifted a cover that was fastened through the top instead of through the skirt
- A previous owner removed a rusted cover and never replaced it
- The builder relied on the flue cap alone and never closed the chase top
- A temporary plywood top was forgotten
How It Works
Our chimney chase cover installation process
Installing a cover starts with what it will sit on. We check the top plate of the chase for rot, because an open chase that has taken a few wet seasons often has soft plywood that needs replacing before a new cover is screwed to it. We confirm the firestop is in place around the pipe, measure the outside dimensions of the chase, the diameter and position of every flue pipe, and the height the skirt needs to drop over the siding. If the chase is framed out of square, we note it so the cover is fabricated to fit rather than forced.
Inspect and repair the top plate
Soft or missing plywood at the top of the chase is replaced so the cover has solid wood to fasten into and a flat surface to sit on.
Measure for fabrication
Outside length and width, each pipe's diameter and location, and the skirt drop are recorded so the cover is made to the chase, not a stock size that almost fits.
Fabricate the cover
The cover is made in stainless steel or aluminum with a cross-break so water runs to the edges, a raised collar around each pipe, hemmed edges and a drip-edge skirt.
Set and fasten through the skirt
The cover is lowered over the chase and fastened through the skirt into the sides, never through the top surface, so there are no fastener holes in the water path.
Seal, cap and photograph
Each collar is sealed to its pipe with high-temperature sealant, a storm collar is fitted above it, the flue cap goes on, and we photograph the finished top.
Options
Repair and service options
The choices on a new chase cover are the metal, the shape and the extras.
- Stainless steel: our default for a Seattle-area chase; it does not rust and holds up to standing moss and wet leaves.
- Aluminum: also rust-free, lighter and less expensive, and can be color-matched to trim for a chase that is visible from the street.
- Cross-break: every cover we make gets a slight crease from the collar to the corners so water drains instead of pooling in the middle. Flat covers pond, and ponding is what rusts galvanized covers through.
- Multi-flue layouts: chases with a fireplace flue plus a furnace or water-heater vent get one cover with a collar for each pipe.
- Pairing with a cap: if the flue has no cap, we install one in the same visit. See chimney cap installation for the cap side of the job.
Rotted framing below the top plate is a different scope and is covered on the chase repair page; we tell you at the quote if it applies. The $299 starting price is for a standard single-flue cover on a sound chase.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Chase length and width and the skirt height
- Stainless steel versus aluminum
- Number of pipes passing through the cover and their sizes
- Whether the top plate needs to be replaced before the cover goes on
- Whether a flue cap and storm collar are added in the same visit
- Out-of-square or oversized chases that need custom fabrication
Every chimney is different, so you get a written quote after we look at the system. Ask about our price match and free second-opinion quote.
Safety & Seattle Conditions
Safety considerations
An open chase top is usually reached from the roof, and the plywood under a long-open chase may not hold weight. Please do not go up to cover it with a tarp yourself; call us and we can often get a temporary cover on the same day. We are certified and insured. If a gas fireplace vents through the chase, the cover and collar work happens above the appliance and does not involve the gas line or the valve; leave those alone, and if you ever smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911.
Seattle & Puget Sound conditions
An open chase top in the Puget Sound is an open funnel. Sea-Tac's 1991-2020 normal is 40.34 inches of precipitation a year over roughly 150-156 days with measurable rain, and the October-to-March wet season alone delivers about 29.65 inches, nearly three-quarters of the annual total. Plywood, tarps and roofing felt do not survive that for long.
The climate is also the reason we specify a cross-break and a rust-free metal. Regional roofing guidance notes Western Washington moss spreads fastest October through April on shaded, slow-drying surfaces, and a flat cover under a tree holds water and moss for months. Stainless or aluminum with a crease to the edges keeps the water moving off instead of sitting on the metal.
Our Work
Chimney Chase Cover Installation in action
Close the top of the chase, starting at $299
Call 206-453-2045 or text a photo of the chimney top. Free quote, price match plus 10-25% off, same-day often available.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Chase Cover Installation FAQ
What is the difference between a chase cover and a chimney cap?
The cap is the small hood on top of the flue pipe; the chase cover is the full metal lid over the top of the framed chimney that the pipe passes through. A chase with a cap but no cover still takes rain across the whole open top. Many chimneys need both, and we can install both in one visit; the cap side is covered on our cap installation page.
Is a chase cover the same as a crown?
They do the same job on different chimney types. A masonry chimney gets a poured concrete crown; a framed, sided chimney gets a sheet-metal chase cover. If your chimney is brick and the top slab is cracked or missing, you want our crown rebuild page instead; this page is only for chases with siding.
What does the $299 starting price include?
A fabricated stainless or aluminum cover for a standard single-flue chase with a sound top plate, installed with the collar sealed and the skirt fastened. Larger chases, extra pipes, top-plate replacement, or adding a cap and storm collar raise the figure. The free quote gives you the exact itemized price, and we match and beat any written competitor quote by 10-25%.
The chase has been open for a while. Is the wood inside ruined?
Often the top plate is soft and the framing below is fine, in which case we replace the plywood and install the cover in the same visit. If water has run down the studs and sheathing, the chase needs a repair or, when the rot has spread, a rebuild starting at $299. We show you photos before anything is decided.
How long does installation take?
With measurements in hand, a standard cover can usually be fabricated and installed on the same visit or the next day. Multi-flue or out-of-square chases take a little longer to make. Same-day service is often available for the measurement and a temporary cover if the top is open now.
Will the new cover need maintenance?
Very little. Stainless and aluminum do not rust, so the main things to watch are the collar sealant and the storm collar, which we check during an annual chimney inspection. Keeping moss and leaves off the top helps the cross-break do its job. The installation carries our guarantee: if you are not happy, we are not done.
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