Sweep & inspection
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.
Gelco Chimney Cap Installation: The Orlando Owner’s Guide
A Gelco chimney cap installation in Orlando typically costs $385 to $740 installed, and we can usually get it done in a single visit once we confirm your flue size. You’ll know you’re in the market because you probably just spotted a rust-bleed stain running down your chimney chase, heard rain hitting the damper during a storm, or found a squirrel making itself at home in your flue. The cap’s not decorative. It’s the roof your chimney never had, and when it fails, water, embers, and wildlife all use the same front door.
We’re an independent Orlando chimney service, not affiliated with Gelco, but we stock and install their caps regularly because the stainless holds up in Florida humidity better than most galvanized options. Here’s what to know before you buy.
Which Gelco Models This Applies To
Gelco makes caps across three main lines: the standard single-flue caps (sized by the outside dimensions of your clay tile, from 8″x8″ up to 13″x18″), the multi-flue caps (which span the entire chimney crown and come in custom widths), and the top-mount dampers that replace a rusted throat damper. The easy way to identify what you have is to look at the underside of the cap’s base plate. Gelco stamps the model number there, usually starting with a “G” followed by the size code.
Here’s the gotcha we see all the time in Orlando: homeowners measure the inside of their flue tile, order a cap to match, and it arrives too short. Gelco caps mount over the outside of the tile. If your flue tile has a spalled face or a rough surface from years of Florida rain, the cap’s compression bolts won’t bite evenly, and you’ll get a wobble. We dry-fit every cap on the tile before anyone drills, and if the tile’s toast, we’re honest about it. There’s no point bolting a $400 cap onto a tile that needs replacing in two years.
OEM Gelco caps are worth the money over generic aftermarket ones for one reason: the spark arrestor mesh is welded to the lid, not spot-tacked, and the base plates are a heavier gauge. Cheap caps leave the screen rattling after one season of afternoon thunderstorms. We also stock compatible caps from Copperfield when a homeowner wants a different color match, but for stainless, Gelco is the default on our trucks.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Gelco Chimney Cap Installation Is Failing
You don’t have to climb onto the roof to figure out when the cap’s done. Here’s what we hear when Orlando homeowners call:
- Rust-colored streaks down the chimney chase. The cap’s screen has rusted through, and rainwater is carrying iron oxide down the masonry. Galvanized aftermarket caps do this in three to five years. Gelco’s stainless option shouldn’t do it on your watch.
- Water on the damper or faint dripping after thunderstorms. The cap’s lid has shifted, a bolt backed out, or the screen is clogged with oak pollen and debris, forcing runoff sideways instead of down the flue.
- Animal noise at dusk. Squirrels and raccoons push through torn screens. A punctured mesh is an open invitation, and they’ll use your flue as a dry, elevated nesting site all through hurricane season.
- Chunks of creosote or flue tile fragments on the hearth or smoke shelf. The cap’s missing entirely. Water’s been getting in, and freeze-thaw cycles have already started breaking down the tile lining at the top of the flue. This is beyond a cap swap; don’t ignore what you’re seeing.
- Visible separation between the cap base and the tile. You spotted it from a second-story window. The cap’s lifting. Compression-style mounts loosen over time, especially on older unglazed tiles, and a lifted cap stops doing its job even if it still looks fine from the ground.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
In the Orlando market, you’re looking at $385 to $740 installed for a Gelco chimney cap replacement, depending on two things: whether you need a standard single-flue cap (the lower end) or a multi-flue or custom-width cap with a deeper skirt for a wide chimney chase (the upper end). A universal aftermarket cap might run $120 to $200 on a shelf, but once a tech is on the roof doing a clean mount, the labor’s the same and the part’s the weak link. We don’t install flimsy screens that rust out in four years and send the customer back to square one.
Every quote we give is a written number before any work starts. That number covers removing the old cap, inspecting the top of the flue tile for spalling or cracks, dry-fitting the new cap, mounting it with stainless hardware, and a photo report so you can see the finished install without getting on a ladder. We’ll also do a quick visual on the crown while we’re up there. If the crown’s failing, we’ll tell you, and you decide what to do next. No surprises. Every cap install also carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if the cap loosens or shifts within the year, we come back and make it right for free.
See the difference
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
Look, if you’re comfortable on a ladder and your chimney’s a low-pitch, single-story run, you can swap a cap yourself. What you can safely check from the ground first: the measurement plate on your old cap, a clear photo of the flue tile edge, and whether the tile’s already crumbling at the lip. If the tile is spalled, cracked, or soft at the edges, stop right there. That’s the part your cap bolts onto, and if it fails under load, you’re on a roof with loose hardware and a bad time.
Where DIY goes wrong is when the chimney’s tall, the roof is steep, or you’re working near a power line to the service mast. We’ve seen homeowners drop a $300 cap off a second-story roof and watch it dent on the driveway, and we’ve seen improperly torqued mounts loosen during a summer squall because the bolts weren’t seated into solid tile. It’s your call. If you’d rather not risk it, call us at (904) 822-8172 and we’ll get you scheduled while the weather holds.
FAQs
In Orlando’s humidity and salt-adjacent air, expect a Gelco stainless cap to last 12 to 18 years before the screen shows meaningful wear. Galvanized aftermarket caps are done in 3 to 5. We see cracked welds more often than full rust-outs on Florida Gelco installs; the screen takes the brunt of the weather, and once it separates from the lid, water starts running down the tile face instead of shedding off. If you’re year 15 and the screen’s rough, you’re on borrowed time. Call (904) 822-8172 and we’ll check it during a routine sweep.
Sometimes. If the damage is a separated screen or a bent lid, we can often re-weld the screen or straighten the lid in place for $95 to $180. If the base plate is rusted through or the mounting bolts have stripped out of the tile, repair isn’t worth it, and replacement gets you a fresh warranty and a dry flue. We’ll always show you a photo of the actual damage before recommending replacement, not a guess from the ground.
Most Gelco cap installs in Orlando take 45 to 90 minutes, including removing the old cap, inspecting the tile, mounting the new one, and verifying the fit with photos. Multi-flue caps on wide chimneys run a bit longer because we’re spanning the crown and shimming for an even seat. You’ll get before-and-after photos by the time we’re down from the roof, so you can see exactly what changed.
Yes, we carry standard Gelco single-flue caps in the most common Orlando tile sizes and orders the rest for delivery within a few days when needed. We also stock products from DuraFlex and HeatShield for liner and crown work, but if you need a Gelco part specifically, we’ll get it into our hands before we put a ladder on your house. Call (904) 822-8172 to confirm your size with a quick measurement guide over the phone.
Call Hadley Chimney Orlando for Gelco Cap Installation
If your Gelco chimney cap has failed, or you’re not sure it’s ever been right, call us at (904) 822-8172. Cory Mitchell and our crew will check the measurement, dry-fit the replacement, and send you photos before you pay a cent more than the written quote. We cover all of Orlando, from Delaney Park’s historic bungalows to the newer builds near Lake Nona, and we answer the phone with a live person every time. Get the cap before the next storm does.
Written by Cory Mitchell, Owner & Lead Chimney Sweep, Hadley Chimney Orlando at Hadley Chimney Orlando, serving Orlando and nearby areas.