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 Atlanta Owner’s Guide
Famco chimney cap installation in Atlanta typically runs $215 – $385 for parts and labor, and we stock most Famco-compatible bases, lids, and screens on the truck for a single-visit swap. Most homeowners discover their cap has failed after a windstorm, when they hear metal rattling on the roof, or when birds start making noise inside the flue. If you’re reading this, you either have a Famco cap that’s rusted loose, damaged by weather, or never fit quite right to begin with, and you want it handled without guessing.
Here’s how to match the part, what a replacement actually costs in Atlanta, and when you’re better off having us climb the ladder instead of doing it yourself.
Which Famco Models This Applies To
Famco makes a broad line of chimney caps, but the ones we see most often in Atlanta are the FC series round caps, the SC series for single-flue square or rectangular tiles, and the MC multi-flue caps that span wider chimney crowns. If your cap is stamped with a model number, you’ll find it on the underside of the lid or the side of the base collar. No stamp? That’s common, especially on older installs. We measure the outside dimensions of your flue tile and match the cap by those numbers instead.
One compatibility gotcha worth knowing: Famco bases are sized to the outside of the flue tile, not the inside opening. A homeowner who measures the hole where smoke goes out will order a base that’s too small, and the cap will sit loose or drop partway in. Another thing we see regularly in Atlanta: Famco stainless steel caps hold up well, but the galvanized versions will corrode in about five to seven years here thanks to our humidity and heavy spring rain. If you have a galvanized Famco cap that’s starting to rust, we typically recommend stainless as the replacement, even if it costs a bit more, because it’s realistic to get fifteen-plus years out of a stainless cap in this climate. Galvanized, not so much.
On the OEM-versus-aftermarket question: Famco caps are well made, and for round and standard single-flue sizes, we usually install the genuine Famco part. But for odd flue dimensions, older chimney crowns, or multi-flue setups where the original base never really sealed right, a quality aftermarket base from a brand like Copperfield often gives us more size flexibility. Hadley Chimney Atlanta is an independent service provider, not affiliated with Famco, so we’ll tell you honestly which option fits your chimney better.
Styles & brands we work with





Signs Your Famco Chimney Cap Installation Is Failing
- Rattling or banging on windy nights. The base screws have loosened or the cap itself was never screwed into the flue tile at all, which is more common than it should be. Metal-on-metal noise when a front moves through is the giveaway.
- Birds, squirrels, or bats sounds in the flue. The side mesh has pulled away from the lid, or the mesh openings have rusted wide enough to let critters through. Once a chimney swift nests in there, it’s a federal headache, not just a noise problem.
- Rainwater streaks or staining inside the firebox. The cap’s lid has rusted through or shifted, letting water run straight down the flue. In an Atlanta summer, that moisture leads to a damp, sour smell that gets more noticeable with humidity.
- Spark and ember debris on the roof. The spark arrestor mesh has burned through or corroded. If you’re burning wood and see tiny charred bits on your shingles after a fire, the cap is no longer doing its job.
- Visible rust bleed down the flue or crown. The cap is galvanized, not stainless, and it’s reached the end of its life. Rust streaks on brick or stucco are the clearest sign it’s time for a stainless replacement.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
In Atlanta, a Famco chimney cap replacement with installation typically runs $215 – $385. The spread comes down to a few factors: whether it’s a single-flue round or square cap versus a larger multi-flue unit, whether you need stainless or are fine with galvanized, and how easy the roof access is. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Cap itself (Famco or equivalent): $80 – $190, depending on size and material.
- Installation labor: $110 – $170, including securing the base to the flue and sealing any gaps.
- Roof access and safety setup: included in the labor. We don’t bill separately for ladder work.
- Disposal of the old cap: included, not an add-on.
Every replacement we do comes with a written price before we touch the roof, so you know the number walking in. The work itself is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not done right, we make it right, and if the repair fails within a year, the second visit is free. We also take before-and-after photos of the cap and flue, so you can see exactly what was wrong and what it looks like now, without climbing up there yourself.
DIY or Call Us?
This is one repair where the honest answer depends on your roof, not your handiness. If your chimney is on a single-story home with a walkable pitch and you can reach the cap without leaning off a ladder, swapping a Famco cap is mechanically simple: measure the flue, unscrew the old base, set the new one, screw it in. But most chimney caps in Atlanta sit near the ridgeline, and roof work is where DIY starts to get dangerous. A fall from a two-story roofline is a life-changing injury, not a weekend story. Add in chimney heights that require extension ladders and a harness, and it stops being a project and starts being a liability.
Here’s the split we’re comfortable with: you can absolutely measure your flue tile and check the condition of the cap from the ground or a safe ladder point. What we’d rather you not do is carry a drill and a new cap up a 28-foot ladder on a sloped roof. If the thought of that doesn’t sound fun, call us at (762) 320-6525 and Cory Mitchell or one of our techs will take a look.
FAQs
A stainless Famco cap should last fifteen to twenty years in Atlanta, while a galvanized cap realistically gives you five to seven years before rust starts to win. The humidity and heavy spring rain here speed up corrosion on any galvanized metal. If you’re buying new, stainless is the better bet even at a slightly higher price. Call (762) 320-6525 and we’ll help you match the right material to your chimney.
Sometimes, but usually not. A loose base can often be re-secured if the cap itself is still sound, but a rusted-through lid or deteriorated mesh isn’t worth patching. The cost of repairing most damaged caps gets close enough to replacement that you’re better off starting fresh. We’ll show you photos of the damage and tell you which way makes more sense before any work is booked.
Most Famco cap installations take between forty-five minutes and an hour and a half once we’re set up on the roof. The work itself is straightforward: remove the old cap, set the new base on the flue, secure it with stainless screws, and check that the mesh and lid are seated properly. You’ll get before-and-after photos when we’re done.
We stock common Famco round and single-flue sizes on the truck, along with aftermarket bases for odd or multi-flue chimneys, so most replacements happen in a single visit. If you need a specialty size we don’t carry, we’ll have it ordered and installed as soon as it arrives, and you’ll know the timeline before anything is scheduled. Call (762) 320-6525 with your cap’s measurements and we’ll tell you what’s available.
Written by Cory Mitchell, Owner, Hadley Chimney Atlanta at Hadley Chimney Atlanta, serving Atlanta and nearby areas.