Chimney cap installation in brief
The job starts with measuring the flue opening or the top of the crown, so the cap fits whether the chimney has one flue or several. We check the top of the chimney for cracks or loose material that would keep a cap from seating securely. Then we fasten the cap in place and make sure the flue still vents freely. Most caps include a mesh screen that keeps birds and animals out, and depending on the mesh, the screen can also act as a spark arrester. Materials, cap styles and fitting details are covered on our chimney cap installation service page.
Spark arresters and Corte Madera's roofing guidelines
The Town of Corte Madera Community Development Department's roofing guidelines state that replacement, alteration or repair of a roof requires a spark arrester on chimneys serving solid-fuel or wood-burning appliances or fireplaces. (Source: Town of Corte Madera Community Development Department, Roofing Guidelines, 2024-06-04.)
In practice, it makes sense to plan a roof project and the chimney top together. If your chimney serves a wood-burning fireplace or a wood stove and you are replacing, altering or repairing the roof, plan for a spark arrester as part of that work. A cap with a spark arrester screen is a common way to provide one. If the chimney already has a sound cap without a suitable screen, we can install a spark arrester on its own instead of replacing the whole cap.
Worth knowing before roof work starts
- What the chimney serves: a wood-burning fireplace, a wood stove, a fireplace insert or a gas appliance
- How many flues come out of the top of the chimney
- Whether there is a cap now, and whether its screen is intact or rusted through
- Whether animals or nests have been heard or seen in the flue, since they need to come out before a cap closes the top
- Who on the project is handling the chimney top, so it doesn't fall between the roofer and the chimney work
Questions about your roof project
The roofing guidelines come from the Town's Community Development Department. Questions about what your specific roof project needs should go to that department.
Selling a home in the Wildland Urban Interface
Central Marin Fire requires a residential resale inspection and report for all single-family homes listed for sale within Corte Madera's designated Wildland Urban Interface, effective November 5, 2021. (Source: Central Marin Fire Department, Residential Resale Inspections, Corte Madera section.)
The fire department's resale inspection is a separate process, run by Central Marin Fire. If you are preparing to list a home in that area and want the chimney looked at first, including the cap, the screen and the flue below them, a chimney inspection in Corte Madera shows you its condition. Any cap or screen work can then be done before the listing goes up.
When a cap is the right job, and when it isn't
- No cap, or a cap that is rusted, bent or loose: a new cap is the right fix.
- Wood-burning fireplace or stove with no spark arrester screen: a cap with an arrester screen, or a separate spark arrester on an existing cap.
- Animals or a nest already in the flue: removal comes first, because capping over them traps them inside.
- Water stains or leaks where the chimney meets the roof: that usually points to the flashing rather than the cap.
- Cracked or crumbling concrete on the chimney top: the crown needs repair so a new cap has something solid to attach to.
- Not sure what the chimney needs: start with an inspection. For the general case for and against caps, read do you need a chimney cap.
Booking a cap installation
We also handle commercial and property-manager work, as well as gas fireplace and gas appliance work. For a step-by-step look at the job, read how chimney cap installation works. For the other chimney, fireplace and dryer vent services we offer in town, visit our page for Corte Madera.
Sources (2)
The sources of the Corte Madera facts on this page.
- 1Town of Corte Madera Community Development Department - Roofing Guidelines (2024-06-04); Town of Corte Madera Community Development - Submittal Guidelines, Roofing
- 2Central Marin Fire Department - Residential Resale Inspections (Corte Madera section); Central Marin Fire Department - Residential Resale Inspections
