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 Miami Owner’s Guide
We stock and install Famco-compatible chimney cap systems across Miami, and most installations run between $285 and $620 complete, including the cap, mounting hardware, and labor. We carry the most common Famco sizes on the truck, so if your flue tile is a standard 8×8, 8×13, or 13×13, we can usually handle it in one visit. The way most Miami homeowners discover their Famco cap has failed is simple: they hear rain hitting the damper during a summer storm, or they spot rust stains bleeding down the chimney chase after a few wet seasons.
Key Takeaways
- Installed price range: $285 – $620, depending on cap size, material (galvanized vs. stainless), and roof access difficulty.
- What fails first on Famco caps in Miami: the screen mesh, then the sheet-metal seams, and it’s almost always salt-and-humidity driven.
- We stock it: common Famco sizes ride on our trucks; oddball flues get ordered and arrive within 3 – 5 business days.
- Warranty: every Famco cap installation by Ashby Chimney Miami carries our written guarantee. If it fails inside the guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge.
Which Famco Models This Applies To
If your chimney cap was manufactured by Famco, you’ve got one of their multi-flue or single-flue cap systems, and the model number is usually stamped on the underside of the lid or on a small metal tag riveted to the skirt. In Miami, we see three Famco lines most often: the standard galvanized single-flue caps (model numbers starting with SC), the stainless steel versions (SSC), and the larger multi-flue caps built for homes with two or more flues sharing one chase. The biggest compatibility gotcha with Famco is the leg kit. Famco caps use bolt-on legs that slide inside the flue tile and tension against the walls. If your flue tile is cracked at the top, the legs won’t hold, which means we have to install a top-mount bracket system instead. That’s a $40 – $60 add-on that most owners don’t know about until someone shows them the cracked tile.
Here’s the honest truth about OEM versus aftermarket: for Famco specifically, aftermarket equivalents from Olympia Chimney and Copperfield are dimensionally identical in most standard sizes and hold up just as well in coastal air. The only time we insist on genuine Famco is when you’re matching a multi-flue cap to an existing installation where the leg spacing is proprietary. Otherwise, we’ll quote you both options and let the price decide.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Famco Chimney Cap Installation Is Failing
- Water in the firebox after heavy rain. The screen mesh on a Famco cap is the first thing to rust through in Miami humidity. Once that mesh goes, rain blows straight down the flue instead of being deflected by the cap lid.
- Rust streaks running down the chimney chase or the cap’s exterior. Galvanized Famco caps in salt air start showing surface rust within five to seven years. Stainless caps resist it longer, but the hardware doesn’t always.
- A cap that’s visibly crooked or leaning. High wind off the Atlantic during hurricane season works the leg bolts loose. A tilted cap lets water in around the flue tile, which leads to spalling brick at the crown.
- You find bird nesting material near the top of the flue. A torn or missing mesh screen is an open door for chimney swifts. Miami’s spring bird season makes this one of the most common calls we get.
- Debris falling into the firebox during windy days. Soot and small fragments of deteriorated flue tile collecting in the firebox usually mean the cap isn’t doing its job of keeping wind-driven debris out.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
In Miami, a complete Famco-compatible chimney cap installation runs between $285 and $620. A basic galvanized single-flue cap on a one-story roof with easy access is at the low end. A stainless steel cap on a two-story home with a steep roof pitch, a multi-flue setup requiring a custom bracket system, or the need for a new top plate pushes you toward the high end. Every quote we write includes the cap, the mounting hardware, the labor, and a written price before any work begins. No “just one more thing” moments after we’ve started.
The guarantee is simple: we cover the installation and the cap’s performance for a full year under the Kingswell Guarantee. If the cap fails, rusts through, or comes loose inside that year, we return and correct it at no charge. Nathan Corliss has been installing these caps across South Florida long enough to know that a cap that’s not mounted tight to the crown isn’t going to survive one Miami summer, let alone hurricane season.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
Replacing a chimney cap means climbing onto your roof, measuring flue tiles, and working at height. That last part is where we draw the line for most homeowners. A two-story Miami home with a tile roof is not the place to learn whether your extension ladder is tall enough. If you have a one-story home with a walkable pitch and you’re comfortable on a ladder, you can absolutely measure your flue tile’s inside dimensions and order the right Famco cap yourself. What we recommend against is the install itself. We’ve lost count of how many caps we’ve removed that were siliconed to the crown by a homeowner who meant well but sealed in moisture instead of keeping it out.
If you want it measured, priced, and installed by people who do this every week, call us at (850) 787-8597. We’ll give you a written price before we touch a ladder.
FAQs
A galvanized Famco cap in Miami’s salt air and humidity typically lasts 6 to 9 years before the mesh or seams start failing; a stainless version can go 15 to 20 years with the right mounting hardware. Coastal homes closer to the water should plan for the shorter end of that range and have the cap inspected during the annual sweep.
If the rust is surface-level and limited to the lid, it can sometimes be wire-brushed and repainted with a high-temp rust inhibitor, but once the screen mesh has holes or the leg brackets are corroded, replacement is the honest fix. We’ll show you photos before recommending anything, so you’re not taking our word for it blind.
For a standard single-flue cap on an accessible roof, the job takes 45 to 90 minutes from ladder setup to final tightening. Multi-flue caps or custom bracket installations add another 30 to 45 minutes. Most customers book the replacement as part of their annual sweep or inspection visit.
We stock the most common Famco-compatible sizes on our trucks, including 8×8, 8×13, and 13×13 single-flue caps in both galvanized and stainless. If your home needs a larger multi-flue cap or an unusual size, we’ll order it and schedule the installation once it arrives, usually within a week. Call (850) 787-8597 and we’ll check what’s on the truck before we set the appointment.
Tell me the price first, then explain the work – everything else is just noise.
Get Your Famco Cap Installed Right
Ashby Chimney Miami has been working chimneys and fireplaces in South Florida since 2002. We use Famco, DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco products because they hold up to the coastal climate we work in every day. Every job gets a written price before we start and a written guarantee when we finish. If you’re seeing rust, hearing rain hit the damper, or just want a straight answer about your chimney cap, call us at (850) 787-8597 for a free estimate. A live person answers, any hour, any day.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner & Lead Chimney Technician, Ashby Chimney Miami at Ashby Chimney Miami, serving Miami and nearby areas.