Famco Chimney Cap Installation Nationwide

Famco Chimney Cap Installation: The Easton Owner’s Guide

We install Famco chimney caps across Easton for $285-$475, parts and labor included, and we stock the common sizes on our trucks. Most replacements are finished in under two hours. Homeowners usually notice the problem after a storm - water staining the firebox, a rust streak running down the brick, or the cap sitting crooked after the wind got under a loose corner.

Call (610) 756-1504

Which Famco Models This Applies To

Famco caps fall into three main series you’ll see on Easton homes: the standard galvanized single-flue caps (SC series), the stainless multi-flue models (MSC series), and the wind-directional vacuum caps popular on taller chimneys in the hill neighborhoods above College Hill. The SC series carries a stamped model number on the skirt edge; MSC units have a laser-etched badge on the cross-brace underneath. If the badge is rusted off, measure the flue tile outside dimensions to the quarter inch - Famco sizes in 1-inch increments, and a 13×13 cap forced onto a 13.5-inch flue will gap and leak within two seasons.

We carry both OEM Famco and the Gelco stainless equivalents on our trucks. The Gelco cross-reference fits most MSC-series applications and matches the 304-grade spec; we flag it on the estimate so you know exactly what you’re getting. Hearthstone Chimney Co. is an independent service provider, not affiliated with Famco.

Signs Your Famco Chimney Cap Installation Is Failing

• Rust streaks down the chimney face. Galvanized Famco caps begin losing their zinc coating after 8-12 years in Easton’s freeze-thaw cycle. Once the base metal is exposed, rust runs with every rain and etches the brick below if it sits.
• Water in the firebox or rust on the damper. A cap with a cracked seam, missing screw, or warped lid lets water travel straight down the flue. In Easton’s older colonials near the Delaware Canal, we’ve found dampers rusted solid after two wet winters.
• The cap is tilting or has shifted position. Wind lift works the mounting brackets loose, especially on the taller SC-series with broad flat lids. Once tilted, the cap funnels water toward the flue instead of away from it.
• Mesh sides are clogged or corroded through. Famco’s spark arrestor mesh traps creosote and leaf debris. When the mesh corrodes, embers can escape, and animals get in - we’ve pulled squirrel nests from caps where the mesh had rotted to lace.
• Noisy drafts or smoke backup on windy days. A failing cap loses its wind-directional properties; the vacuum models especially depend on intact bearings and a balanced hood. Easton’s ridge-top gusts will tell you quickly when that’s gone.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

The range reflects three things: cap size, whether the flue tile needs dressing before the new cap seats square, and how many mounting brackets have corroded into the crown. We photograph the condition before we quote - no surprises on the bill. Every Famco installation carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing, no arguing. If it’s not right, we come back.

DIY or Call Us?

An owner can safely check whether the cap is loose by sight from the ground with binoculars, or by feeling for wobble from the roof edge if they’re already up there for gutters. What you cannot safely do is work at height on a pitched roof with tools in hand, or trust a ladder braced against a narrow chimney chase in Easton’s older neighborhoods where setbacks are tight.

We’ve also seen DIY installs where the cap was set on backward, blocking the flue opening, or where silicone was used instead of proper brackets and the next wind took it into the neighbor’s yard. The bracket torque matters - too loose and it leaks, too tight and you crack the flue tile. We bring the right brackets for your Famco series and torque them to spec. Call (610) 756-1504 and we’ll give you a straight answer on whether yours is worth the trip.

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