Protect Your Chimney With a Quality Chase Top from Lords Chimney!

You’re running late for work and the kids still need to be dropped off at school. The day is off to a rotten start. With a piece of toast dangling from your mouth, you shuffle the kids through the door, careful to grab your keys on the way out. You get everyone situated with car seats and seatbelts and begin to back down the driveway when a little voice yells from the back that he forgot his backpack. Shifting into park, you glance up at the house and the rusted metal of your chimney chase top taunts you, a reminder that you still have yet to get someone out to replace it.

But who has the time?

Of all people, we at Lords Chimney know the feeling. Widely unappreciated in their home-enhancing appearance, chimneys have the power to not just create ambience on the inside in the form of a lit fireplace, but also really make or break the overall “finished product” external look of any home.

If you’re a homeowner in or around Houston and you’re in the market for an update or repair for your chimney, check out Lords Chimney. No matter if you’re looking for a new chase top, someone to repair your chimney flashing, or need resolutions for the increase in chimney leaks  you’re experiencing, the talented team at Lords has got you covered. Reach out online or give us a call at 281-497-4000 to see how we can best serve you.

What Is a Chase Top? What Purpose Does It Serve?

Traditionally intended for non-masonry, prefabricated chimneys, a chase top (also known as a chase cover) is a metal structure that acts as a sort of combination between a crown and a cap.

Prefab fireplaces have been on the market for about 25 years and have been a huge hit with homeowners who like how affordable they can be – and how easy they are to have installed. The majority of these factory-built fireplaces are made of metal, and all of them need to be outfitted with a metal chase top. They should never be outfitted with concrete crowns, as this leads the prefab pipe to rust and erode.

Chase tops serve primarily to keep water out of your chimney, but they also keep birds and other critters out too. Did you know that most birds prefer to nest in prefab chimneys instead of in masonry chimneys? In fact, the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) reports that it’s common for chimney technicians to find entire buckets of nesting material inside a prefab chimney. Hello, fire hazards.

And not only can these nests catch fire, but they can impede the flow of air and cause the chimney to overheat. Definitely not an ideal scenario. Chase tops are a key line of defense for your chimney, ensuring none of these scenarios can happen.

Are Chase Covers Only for Prefabricated Chimneys?

Great – and not uncommon – question. While they might be intended for prefab chimney systems, they are not exclusively used for such. In recent years, many homeowners with traditional brick chimneys have been turning to chase covers as an alternative to the crown and cap combo, simply because they generally offer a bit more protection for the whole top of the system, while also providing a sleek and modern finish.

When we offer this information to our customers, we’re often met with a question about if one option is better than the other.

The truth of the matter is that it’s really up to personal preference when weighing the options between a metal chase top and the more traditional poured chimney crown in tandem with the metal chimney cap. When installed and constructed properly, both choices offer adequate protection against water damage, animal intrusion, and any other debris found in the air. It just comes down to the overall finished look you’re after and what your goals or preferences are in terms of maintenance.

But remember, no matter which you decide on, there is always an expectation to schedule those preventive services every single year – even if you don’t regularly use your fireplace.

Have you had your inspection yet this year? Is it time to get your annual chimney sweep service on the books? Schedule with Lords Chimney by filling out our appointment request form right here on our website or by giving us a call at 281-497-4000.

How Long Does a Chase Cover Last?

Well, in a lot of ways, it depends. In the way that all homes are different in terms of their structure, maintenance requirements, and general soundness, so, too, are the chimneys that accompany them. Sure, there might be some general rules or guidelines when it comes to degradation timelines, but nothing is absolute.

There are a variety of factors that can affect the lifespan of a chimney and all of its components – especially the ones found outside of the system and vulnerable to the weather elements, like a chimney chase top.

That said, generally speaking, a chimney chase cover can last anywhere between five years to a lifetime, depending on what it’s made from, how the material was treated, and the way in which it was installed onto the system.