Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 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 Marietta Owner’s Guide
If you’ve got a Famco chimney cap that’s rusted through, blown loose in a storm, or simply reached the end of its Georgia lifespan, here’s what you need to know: we stock Famco-compatible caps on our trucks, and a full Famco chimney cap installation in Marietta typically runs $180 to $420 installed, depending on the cap size and whether your flue tile needs any prep work first. Most swaps take under an hour once we’re on the roof.
The way most Marietta homeowners discover their Famco cap has failed is simple: they spot rust streaks on the chimney crown after a hard rain, or they hear something rattling up top during a windstorm. Sometimes it’s a leak that shows up on the ceiling near the fireplace. Ruben Castellano has pulled off enough caps in the historic Kennesaw Avenue corridor near Marietta Square to know the failure patterns by heart, and he’ll tell you plainly whether the cap is shot or just needs remounting.
Which Famco Models This Applies To
Famco makes a wide line of chimney caps, and the model number matters more than most homeowners expect. The most common units we see in Marietta are the Famco SC series (single-flue caps with corner mounting brackets) and the Famco FC series (fits flush over the flue tile). Famco also produces a line of multi-flue caps for chimneys with two or more side-by-side flues, and a heavy-duty line designed for coastal wind zones, though in Cobb County the standard galvanized steel versions hold up fine for a decade or more.
The compatibility gotcha most people miss: Famco caps are sized by the outside dimensions of your flue tile, not the inside opening. A flue that looks like an 8×8 from inside the firebox might actually be an 8×12 or 9×13 outside, and that difference means the difference between a cap that slides right on and one that rattles in the Georgia wind. Before we quote anything, we measure the flue tile directly, check the mortar crown condition, and confirm whether you need the corner-mount or flush-mount Famco style.
On OEM versus aftermarket: Famco is our default because their galvanization and welded seams hold up longer than the no-name caps we’ve pulled off after five years. But there are quality aftermarket equivalents from Copperfield and Olympia Chimney that match or beat Famco specs in certain sizes, and we’ll tell you if one of those saves you money without cutting lifespan. We’re an independent provider, not affiliated with Famco, so we don’t have a dog in that fight: you get the cap that makes sense for your chimney, not the one we’re told to push.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Famco Chimney Cap Installation Is Failing
- Rust streaks down the chimney chase or crown. This is the #1 tell in Marietta’s humid climate. Once the galvanized coating on a Famco cap wears through, rust follows fast, and those streaks are a sign the cap’s mesh is starting to degrade. The screen keeps embers and animals out; rusted mesh means both are getting through.
- Water staining on the ceiling near the fireplace. A cap that’s shifted or lost its seal lets rain drive straight down the flue. That water pools on the smoke shelf and eventually finds drywall. If you see staining upstairs but the roof itself is fine, the cap is usually the culprit.
- You hear metal clanking in high wind. Loose mounting brackets or corroded attachment points let the cap sway. That movement grinds the mortar crown underneath, and left alone, it turns a $250 cap job into a $900 crown repair.
- Birds or squirrels in the flue. The Famco screen mesh is designed to keep them out, but once the mesh detaches at a corner or a weld pops, animals get in fast. A squirrel in the chimney is roughly a $300 problem when you factor in nesting removal and the chimney sweep afterward.
- You see daylight through the cap’s mesh. From the ground, the screen should look uniform. Visible gaps or sagging means the cap has been on there long enough that the metal is fatiguing, and in Georgia we see that at the 10 to 14 year mark on standard steel caps.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
Here’s the honest math for a Famco chimney cap installation in Marietta. The cap itself runs $90 to $260 depending on flue size and whether you need galvanized, stainless, or copper. Labor to remove the old cap, inspect the flue, prep the crown, and install the new Famco cap typically adds $90 to $160. So the job lands between $180 and $420 for most single-flue chimneys. A multi-flue setup runs higher because the caps are larger and the mounting is more involved.
| Service | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Famco cap (galvanized, single flue) | $90 – $140 |
| Famco cap (stainless, single flue) | $160 – $260 |
| Labor, removal & installation | $90 – $160 |
| Full job, single flue | $180 – $420 |
Every quote we give in Marietta is a written price before we start. That price includes hauling away the old cap, inspecting the flue crown, and the installation itself. It also carries the same guarantee as everything else we do: if the installation fails within 365 days, the second visit is free. That’s the Done Right Promise, in writing, every time. No fine print, no “well, it depends.”
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
Replacing a chimney cap involves getting on the roof with tools in hand, and that’s the honest boundary. If you look up from the yard and the cap just needs its mounting screws tightened and you’re comfortable on a ladder, that’s a reasonable homeowners’ job. But if the cap is rusted through, if the flue tile has cracked corners, or if the crown need patching before the new cap sits flush, the risk isn’t worth the savings.
Roof falls are the most common home-service injury in Cobb County, and a chimney is the highest point on the structure. Our crew does this work with harnesses and roof jacks, and Ruben’s seen enough amateur cap replacements that shifted in the first storm to know that a $180 installation beats a $900 crown repair any day. If you’re in Marietta and want this done right, call (229) 350-8952 and we’ll give you an exact price over the phone.
Key Takeaways
- Famco cap replacement in Marietta runs $180 – $420 installed, all written down before we start.
- Flue tile size is measured on the outside – guessing gets you a cap that rattles.
- Rust streaks, loose mesh, or animal noise mean the cap’s already failing, not about to.
- We stock Famco caps on the truck, so most Marietta jobs are one visit.
- 365-day guarantee on every installation, and the second visit is free if it fails.
FAQs
In Marietta’s humidity and storm cycle, a standard galvanized Famco cap lasts 10 to 14 years, while the stainless versions regularly go 20-plus. The first thing to fail is almost always the mesh screen, not the lid, because the screen is thinner gauge and catches the most weather exposure. We can supply and install DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Copperfield, and Olympia Chimney components alongside Famco, but the lifespan math stays the same across brands: stainless outlasts galvanized roughly two-to-one in this climate. Call (229) 350-8952 for an exact quote on your chimney.
Sometimes. If the lid is solid and only a corner mounting bracket has worked loose or a single mesh panel is torn, a repair is absolutely viable and we’ll tell you that. But once the galvanization has rusted through in multiple spots or the mesh has separated from the frame, you’re patching a sinking ship. Ruben’s rule is simple: tell me what you’re seeing and I’ll tell you exactly what it means – no guesswork, no upsell. We’ll never recommend a full replacement when a repair gives you real mileage.
Once we’re on the roof, a standard single-flue Famco cap swap in Marietta takes 30 to 60 minutes. The wild cards are the flue tile condition and the crown condition: if the tile has cracked corners or the crown needs a quick patch to seat the cap level, we handle that on the spot and the job runs a little longer. We’ll tell you before we start if we see anything that changes the timeline.
Yes. We carry the most common Famco single-flue sizes on the truck (8×8, 8×12, 9×13, 8×13, and 13×13 are the workhorses in Marietta), which means most installations happen on the first visit. If your flue is an unusual size or you need the stainless or copper Famco line, we source it direct from our supplier, and that’s typically a two or three day turnaround. Call (229) 350-8952 and describe what you have, and we’ll tell you whether we’ve got it on the truck before we head out.
Call for a Free Famco Cap Estimate in Marietta
If your cap is rusting, rattling, or letting in water, don’t wait for the next storm to do more damage. Call (229) 350-8952 today and you’ll get a live person, a straight answer, and a written price before we touch the chimney. We’ve been serving Marietta homeowners since 2002, and every technician you’ll see is background-checked, identity-verified, and sent to you by name and photo before he arrives. That’s the Threshold Standard, and it’s not optional. The cap is the cheapest insurance your flue has; the crown underneath costs ten times more to fix.
Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner, Alcott Chimney Marietta at Alcott Chimney Marietta, serving Marietta and nearby areas.