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Chimney Chase Cover Replacement in Seattle
Rust streaks on the siding below your chimney mean the chase cover is done. We replace it with stainless or aluminum, starting at $299. Free quote.
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
- Same-day service often available
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A chase cover is the sheet-metal lid on top of a framed chimney, the kind built as a wood box with siding around a factory-built fireplace flue. It does the job a concrete crown does on a brick chimney: it keeps rain out of the structure. Most were installed in galvanized steel, and in the Puget Sound climate galvanized steel rusts. When it rusts through, water drops straight into the chase, onto the framing, the firestop, and the top of the fireplace.
Chase cover replacement is not a chimney cap job. The cap is the small hood on the flue pipe; the chase cover is the full lid the pipe passes through. People often replace the cap and keep leaking because the cover around it is the problem. We replace the whole cover, starting at $299, with a free quote and our price match plus 10-25% discount on any written competitor price.
Framed chimneys are common in Seattle-area homes from the late 1980s on: Redmond's median home dates from 1993, Bothell's from 1992, and Gig Harbor's from 1998. If your chimney has siding instead of brick, this page is for you.
Symptoms
Signs you need chimney chase cover replacement
- Rust-colored streaks down the siding below the top of the chimney
- Standing water or rust pooling on top of the chimney after rain
- Water dripping onto the fireplace or staining the ceiling beside it
- Soft, swollen, or peeling siding and trim near the top of the chase
- A cover that rattles or lifts at the edges in wind
- Visible rust holes or a sagging center in the metal lid
- Musty smell from the fireplace after a storm
Common causes
- Galvanized steel corroding after years of constant wet exposure
- A flat cover with no cross-break, so water pools in the middle and rusts through there first
- Screws driven through the top surface, giving water a path at every fastener
- No drip edge or skirt, so runoff wicks back under the lid and onto the framing
- The collar around the flue pipe never sealed, or sealed with caulk that has long since split
How It Works
Our chimney chase cover replacement process
We start by confirming the cover is the entry point and not the cap or the roofline flashing. Then we check what is under it: the plywood top plate, the firestop, and the top of the framing. A cover that leaked for years often sits on rotted wood, and a new lid will not seal on it. We show you photos and say whether the job is a straight cover swap or a chase repair first.
Measure the chase
We measure the chase, the flue pipe diameter and position, and the skirt height so the new cover fits without gaps.
Fabricate the cover
The replacement is made from stainless steel or aluminum with a cross-break, raised collar, and a drip-edge skirt over the siding.
Remove the old cover
The rusted lid comes off and we inspect and dry out the top plate. Minor wood damage is addressed before the new cover goes on.
Set and fasten
The new cover is fastened through the skirt into the sides of the chase, never through the top, and the collar is sealed to the flue pipe with high-temperature sealant.
Cap and check
We reinstall or replace the flue cap, confirm the storm collar is sealed, and photograph the finished top for you.
Options
Repair and service options
The main choice in chase cover replacement is the metal:
- Stainless steel: the longest-lasting option in a wet climate and the one we recommend for most homes. It will not rust and holds its look.
- Aluminum: does not rust either, costs less, and can be color-matched to trim. Softer than stainless, so it needs a proper cross-break to avoid pooling.
- Galvanized steel: the original material, and the cheapest. We will install it if asked, but around Seattle it puts you back where you started in a number of years.
Whatever the metal, every cover we build has a cross-break, a raised collar, and a drip-edge skirt. If the flue cap is rusted too, replacing both together is cheaper than two visits. Rotted framing under the cover becomes a chase repair or, when the rot has spread, a chase rebuild starting at $299. Covers start at $299; the free quote gives you the exact figure.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Chase dimensions and skirt height
- Stainless versus aluminum versus galvanized
- Number and size of flue pipes passing through the cover
- Condition of the top plate and framing under the old cover
- Whether the flue cap and storm collar are replaced at the same time
- Roof pitch and how the top of the chase is reached
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
A chase that has leaked for years can have rotted framing at the top, and the cover may be the only thing holding its shape. Do not climb up to look or try to lift the cover; we inspect it during the free quote and send photos. If there is a gas fireplace in the chase, leave the appliance, its valve, and its lines alone. A leaking cover is a water problem, and we handle it from the top.
Seattle & Puget Sound conditions
Galvanized steel does not last long under Puget Sound rain. Sea-Tac averages 40.34 inches of precipitation a year and roughly 150-156 days with measurable rain, so a flat chase cover spends much of the year with water standing on it. The October-March wet season brings about 73% of the annual total, exactly when a pooled, rusting cover is feeding water into the chase framing.
Shaded chimney tops also grow moss; regional guidance notes Western Washington moss spreads fastest October through April on north-facing, slow-drying surfaces, and moss on a cover holds moisture against the metal. A stainless or aluminum cover with a cross-break sheds the water instead of holding it.
Our Work
Chimney Chase Cover Replacement in action
Chase covers starting at $299
Call 206-453-2045 or text a photo of the rust streaks. Free quote, price match plus 10-25% off.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Chase Cover Replacement FAQ
What is the difference between a chase cover and a chimney cap?
The chase cover is the full metal lid over the top of a framed chimney; the flue pipe passes up through it. The cap is the small hood on top of that pipe that keeps rain and animals out of the flue. Rust streaks on the siding almost always mean the cover, not the cap. See chimney cap replacement if the cap itself is missing or damaged.
What does the $299 starting price cover?
A fabricated replacement cover for a standard single-flue chase with sound framing underneath, installed with the collar sealed and the old cover removed. Larger chases, multiple flues, stainless over aluminum, or repairing a rotted top plate raise the figure. You get the exact itemized price free and in writing, and we match and beat any written competitor quote by 10-25%.
Stainless or aluminum: which should I choose?
Stainless lasts longest and is our default recommendation for a Seattle chase. Aluminum also will not rust, costs less, and can be color-matched, which some homeowners prefer for a visible chimney. Either is a large step up from galvanized. We will quote both so you can decide.
Why are there rust streaks down my siding?
Water pooling on a galvanized cover dissolves the rust and carries it over the edge and down the siding every time it rains. By the time streaks appear the cover is usually perforated or close to it, and water is also going into the chase. The streaks can be cleaned once the cover is replaced.
Can you replace the cover the same day?
Often. If we have measurements, a standard cover can be fabricated and installed on the same visit or the next. Custom sizes or multi-flue covers take a little longer. If the top plate under the old cover is rotted, that repair comes first, and we will tell you at the quote whether it is a same-day job.
How do I know if the framing under the cover is rotted?
You usually cannot from the ground, which is why we lift the old cover and look before installing the new one. Soft or swollen siding at the top of the chase and a cover that sags in the middle are warning signs. If rot is limited to the top plate, it is a small repair; if it has run down the framing, see chase rebuild. Either way the finished job carries our guarantee: if you are not happy, we are not done.
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