Who should install a chimney cap?

Hire a licensed Virginia contractor who works on chimneys and roofs, and have a chimney sweep who is certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) check the chimney first. A cap is fitted at the top of the chimney, so the job means getting onto the roof, and the person doing it needs to know the flue, the fuel and the chimney type so the cap fits and does not restrict the draft.

Who does what

A certified chimney sweep. For the inspection, start with a sweep. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue advises having chimneys inspected annually, and cleaned as necessary, by a CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) certified chimney sweep.^[4] To become a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, a sweep has to complete a CCS review and pass the CCS exam.^[1] A sweep can tell you whether the cap is missing, damaged or clogged and whether the chimney needs more than a cap.

A roofing contractor. Virginia defines "Roofing contracting" as the service that provides for the installation, repair, removal, or improvement of materials common to the industry that form a watertight, weather resistant surface for roofs and decks.^[6] Flashing around a chimney is roofing work, so a roofer is a common choice when the cap job comes with flashing or leak repairs.

A masonry contractor. "Masonry contracting" is the service that includes the installation of brick, concrete block, stone, marble, slate, or other units and products common to the masonry industry, including mortarless type masonry products, and covers work such as tuck pointing, mortar washing and parging.^[6] If the crown or the brick at the top of the chimney is cracked, a masonry contractor is the right person to repair it before the cap goes on.

The manufacturer, for a factory-built chimney. On a factory-built fireplace or metal chimney, the cap is part of a tested system. DuraVent, a chimney manufacturer, says the supplied cap should never be replaced or left off for aesthetic or other reasons.^[3] A specialized replacement should only be fitted with the fireplace manufacturer's approval.^[3] Whoever you hire should work from the manufacturer's parts and instructions.

What Virginia requires

The Board for Contractors' list of specialty services has no chimney-sweep specialty.^[6] So there is no state sweep licence to check, and the CSIA credential is how you tell a trained sweep from someone with a brush and a ladder.

A contractor who installs a cap is another matter. DPOR says that if the work is valued at $1,000 or more, a valid Virginia Contractor's License is required for the license category in which the contractor is to work.^[2] Class C contractors are those working on single contracts over $1,000 but less than $30,000.^[5] A cap on its own may come in under that, but a job that adds flashing, crown or masonry work may not. A license number in an advertisement or on a business card does not necessarily mean the contractor's license is valid,^[2] so check the licence on DPOR yourself.

Questions to ask before you hire

• Is the business licensed, and for which specialty and class?
• Will you inspect the chimney first, and what will you check besides the cap?
• Which cap, and is it the manufacturer's part for my chimney?
• Is the price for the cap alone, or does it include crown, flashing or masonry work?
• Who is on the roof, and is the work insured and warranted?

DPOR advises you to ask the contractor for local references, and call them.^[2] It also advises getting at least three written bids using identical plans and specifications.^[2]

When to call a licensed pro

For the whole job. A cap goes on at the top of the chimney, and a cap that is wrong for the flue, or fastened badly, can restrict the draft or blow off in a storm. Do not use the fireplace or stove if the cap is missing or looks scorched or warped until a sweep has checked the chimney.

Read what a chimney cap does and how much a chimney cap costs. For the sweep's role, see what a chimney sweep does and what certifications a chimney sweep should have. Browse chimney and fireplace services or all chimney answers.

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