Rust stains on your chimney siding? Your galvanized chase cover is failing. We replace it with stainless steel (lifetime warranty) or copper. Stop water damage before it destroys your chimney interior.
If you see brown or orange streaks running down the sides of your chimney, your galvanized steel chase cover is rusting through. This is extremely common on prefab (factory-built) fireplaces throughout Chicago and its suburbs — Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Naperville, Orland Park, Buffalo Grove, and beyond. The original builder used cheap galvanized metal that rusts within 10-15 years in Chicago weather.
Many homeowners confuse chase covers with chimney caps — they are different components that serve different purposes. A chimney cap sits on top of the flue pipe and keeps rain, animals, and debris out of the flue opening. A chase cover is the large metal pan that covers the entire top of a framed chimney chase — the wood-framed, sided structure that surrounds a factory-built (prefab) fireplace. Think of the chase cover as the roof of your chimney structure, while the cap is a smaller piece that sits on top of the flue pipe poking through the chase cover. If your home was built after 1980 and has a fireplace with wood, vinyl, or stone veneer siding around it (rather than solid brick), you have a chase — and it has a cover on top.
A rusted chase cover is not just cosmetic. Once the metal corrodes through, water pours directly into the wood-framed chase below. That framing — studs, sheathing, insulation — absorbs water and begins to rot. Within 1-2 years of an active leak, you can develop mold growth inside the chase walls, rotted framing that compromises the chimney's structural support, water damage to interior walls, ceilings, and flooring around the fireplace, and rust damage to the prefab firebox itself, which can require full fireplace replacement ($3,000-$8,000). A $400-$800 chase cover replacement now prevents thousands in structural and mold remediation costs later.
| Material | Cost Installed | Warranty |
|---|---|---|
| Galvanized steel (not recommended) | $300–$500 | None |
| Stainless steel (recommended) | $400–$800 | Lifetime |
| Copper (premium) | $600–$1,200 | Lifetime |
We strongly recommend stainless steel. Replacing a galvanized cover with another galvanized cover means you will be back in 10-15 years doing it again. Stainless steel is a one-time fix. All our stainless steel covers include cross-breaks for water drainage, drip edges to prevent runoff staining, and new storm collars sealed with premium terpolymer sealant.
Chase covers are not off-the-shelf parts — every one is custom-fabricated to fit your chimney. We climb up, take precise measurements of the chase top (length, width, flue pipe locations, and any obstructions), then fabricate the cover with proper cross-breaks (the X-shaped ridges that prevent water pooling) and a 2-3 inch drip edge overhang on all sides. We install the new cover with new storm collars around each flue pipe, sealed with terpolymer sealant rated for extreme temperatures. The entire process — measurement, fabrication, and installation — typically happens in a single visit of 1-2 hours.
Do not repair a rusted chase cover — replace it. Patching buys months, not years. A stainless steel replacement is a one-time fix that outlasts the chimney itself.
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