CHIMNEY REPAIR · CAPS · CHASE TOPS · MASONRY
Chimney Repair & Caps
Masonry or metal — if your chimney is deteriorating, I can fix most of it. I've been doing this since 1996.
Grab a flashlight and call me — many damper problems sort themselves out on the first call.
CHIMNEY CAPS
Rain and Animals — Out.
Most fireplace repairs needed in Florida come down to one thing: the chimney cap.
Chimney caps are the raised hoods covering the opening at the top of the chimney flue. The purpose is simple: keep out rain and animals.
Factory-built fireplaces usually have two caps — one for the flue, one covering the chase box. Some rooftops have a single metal pipe; others have a structure roughly 3' × 5–6'. Whatever the configuration, a worn or missing cap is the most common reason a fireplace lets in water or wildlife.
- Rain & weather sealing — keeps water out of the flue
- Bird and animal exclusion — pairs with chimney sweeping for prevention
- Multiple cap configurations — single-pipe, dual-cap, or chase-cap
CHASE BOXES & CHASE TOPS
The Top You Don't See.
On top of the chase box sits the chimney top — and replacing rusted or missing ones has been the backbone of my work for thirty years.
WHY IT MATTERS
The chase top — also called the chase cap, washpan, or chimney flashing — sits on top of the chase box. It must NOT cover the opening of the chimney itself; that would cause smoke to back up into the home. You can usually see a metal band wrapping around the top about 3″.
MATERIALS
Most chase tops are made of galvanized steel, which is prone to rusting and sometimes perforation. Better-grade chase tops can be fabricated from copper, aluminum, or stainless steel.
WHAT JOE SEES
Most of my business over the years has been replacing chimney chase covers or caps that have either rotted out or been blown off in a hurricane. Often the top is very rusty, and since you don't see it from the ground, you do not notice it until it leaks.
If there is any deterioration to the masonry or metal components of your chimney, I can repair most masonry and metal chimney problems.
— Joe Judge, on the phone since 1996
BRICK & MASONRY · WATERPROOFING
Loose Mortar, Tight Repairs.
Masonry chimneys in South Florida take moisture hard. If it's crumbling, cracking, or leaking — don't wait.
MASONRY · WATERPROOFING · POINTING
Many masonry chimneys in South Florida need waterproofing. The chase box on factory-built systems develops moisture issues; in older neighborhoods, I've replaced fireboxes entirely. Where you burn the logs is called the firebox — and it takes more abuse than most people realize.
Don't burn a fire without inspecting your fireplace, flue, damper, and chimney first. If there is any deterioration — missing mortar, loose bricks, deteriorated cement or brickwork in need of chimney pointing — I can repair most masonry and metal chimney problems. In the worst case, I'll assess your needs for a chimney builder or chimney mason.
DAMPERS · FLUE TOPS
Sometimes Joe Can Walk You Through It on the Phone.
A missing, rotted, or stuck damper is a problem I can often diagnose before I ever send a truck.
Damper problems — a missing damper in older neighborhoods, a rotted damper, one that's hard to open or close — can sometimes be talked through on the phone. So if you have some questions, grab a flashlight and give me a call.
If we can't fix it from there, I can locate replacement parts, or we can install a new chimney-top fireplace damper with a mechanism in the firebox that opens and closes the top of the chimney.
BEFORE YOU CALL
Have a flashlight handy, and a sense of whether the damper opens, closes, or sticks. Many damper questions can be answered without a truck visit.
DRAFT · FANS · SMOKING FIREPLACES
When the Smoke Comes Back In.
If your fireplace or pizza oven smokes, it usually isn't a tear-down problem. Let's start with the simple fixes.
THE PROBLEM
Short chimneys, wind-induced or pressure-related downdraft, and restaurant chimneys all suffer from poor draft. If your wood-burning fireplace or coal-fired pizza oven smokes, it needs inspection and cleaning before anything else.
FIRST FIX
Sometimes the introduction of adequate air for combustion will improve the draft and eliminate the smoke. Other times, raising the chimney might help.
WHEN A FAN HELPS
If needed, a rotating chimney top assisted by wind — or an electrical chimney fan at the top of the flue — does the trick.
CUSTOM METAL CHIMNEY TOPS
Fabricated for Your Chimney.
Odd dimensions, hurricane-replaced structures, custom homes — when nothing off the shelf fits, I fabricate it.
Custom metal chimney top enclosures are fabricated for chimneys that don't fit a stock cap or chase top — odd dimensions, hurricane-replaced structures, custom homes, and tall masonry chimneys.
I've fabricated and installed custom enclosures across Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade — mostly as direct replacements for tops that rusted through or blew off in a hurricane.
POST-HURRICANE CHIMNEY REPAIR · SOUTH FLORIDA
After the Storm — I'm Already on the Phone.
After thirty years of Florida storm seasons, post-hurricane chimney repair is a big part of what I do.
of references — word-of-mouth built over thirty years
of chimney repairs after hurricanes — caps, chase tops, and masonry
After the storms of the last thirty years I've replaced and repaired chimneys throughout South Florida. If your chimney was damaged in a hurricane — recent or coming — call me to inspect, repair, or replace.
Inspections & repair scheduling — Broward · Palm Beach · Miami-Dade
SERVICE AREA
Three Counties, One Phone.
One call covers three counties. Call Joe at 954-826-3521 to get on the schedule.
BROWARD COUNTY · PALM BEACH · MIAMI-DADE
Call or Email Joe
Most chimney problems can be talked through on the phone first.
CALL JOE · 954-826-3521