Level 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 & Crown in New Rochelle: What to Know First
We provide independent Famco chimney cap and crown service in New Rochelle, with most jobs completed in a single visit and upfront pricing before any work begins. A standard Famco cap replacement runs $340-$620, while crown repair or coating typically falls between $280-$550 depending on accessibility and mortar condition. We’re not here to sell you a full rebuild when a proper cap or crown coating will do.
This page is for homeowners in New Rochelle who already have a Famco product on their chimney and need honest answers about what’s failing, what it costs, and who can fix it right. Maybe you’re in a 1960s split-level near Wykagyl with a Famco multi-flue cap that’s started to gap at the seams, or you’ve got a single-flue model on a Beechmont Colonial where the crown underneath has hairlined after another freeze-thaw winter. Wherever you are in New Rochelle, call (516) 927-2678 and a live person will pick up.
How Famco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
- Famco 304 stainless single-flue caps: The mesh screen on these welds itself to the frame after seven to ten years of Long Island Sound salt air, especially on chimneys within a mile of the water in New Rochelle’s Premium Point or Davenport Neck areas. We cut the old screen free, inspect the flue tile for spalling underneath, and fit either an OEM Famco replacement or a Gelco equivalent with a heavier gauge mesh that holds up better to coastal corrosion.
- Famco galvanized multi-flue caps: The galvanized coating fails predictably at the drip edges first, sending rust streaks down the chimney face that homeowners mistake for a roof leak. We see this constantly on the mid-century ranches near North Avenue. We remove the cap, assess whether the underlying crown is still sound, and replace with a 304 or 316 stainless Famco cap - never another galvanized unit, because the same failure will repeat in four to six years.
- Famco wind-directional caps (rotating series): The brass bushing seizes after a few seasons of creosote dust and coastal grit, leaving the cap frozen in one position or spinning endlessly in a breeze. We’ve found that many New Rochelle homeowners don’t realize the cap has stopped working until they smell smoke on a windy day. We disassemble the mechanism, clean the bushing or replace it with a solid stainless cap if the owner prefers reliability over the rotating feature.
- Famco crown-mounted models: These sit directly on the crown rather than flue-mounted, which hides crown deterioration until water is already migrating through cracks into the chimney body. On a 1920s Tudor near Ward Acres last spring, we lifted a Famco crown-mount to find the crown had turned to sand underneath. We rebuilt the crown with proper slope and overhang, then reinstalled the cap with a new bead of silicone sealant rated for 400°F.
- Famco draft-increasing caps: The secondary baffle inside these caps can clog with glazed creosote in chimneys that burn primarily green or unseasoned hardwood, common in New Rochelle where homeowners stock up on local oak and maple. The restriction builds slowly, backing up smoke into the house on cold starts. We remove and hand-clean the baffle, or replace the entire cap with a standard Famco model if the draft problem was misdiagnosed to begin with - no point in an expensive draft cap on a chimney that just needs sweeping.
Our Famco Chimney Cap & Crown Process
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Call and schedule: A live person answers, asks what you’re seeing, and books a time that works. We don’t do windows - we do arrival windows of about an hour, and we’ll be there when we say.
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Level-2 camera inspection: Our technician arrives in uniform, runs a camera up the flue, and photographs the crown, flue tile, and cap mounting condition. You see the photos on the spot. No guesswork, no “trust me.”
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Plain-English verdict and upfront price: Russell or one of our techs explains what’s actually wrong, what can wait, and what was never a problem. The price on the estimate is the number on the invoice. Period.
- 4
Parts decision: If your Famco model is still in production, we source OEM. If it’s discontinued - the older galvanized multi-flue line was dropped in 2019 - we spec a quality aftermarket equivalent from Gelco or Olympia Chimney with matching or better specs. We never substitute builder-grade.
- 5
The repair: Crown repair gets hand-troweled Portland-based mortar with proper crown mix and slope. Cap installation gets stainless fasteners, not sheet-metal screws that rust. We test draft and check for leaks with a water hose on low pressure.
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Documentation and guarantee: You get photos, a written report, and our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not right, we make it right. No paperwork to dig up, no arguing.
What Famco Chimney Cap & Crown Costs in New Rochelle
| Service | Typical Range | What Moves the Price |
|---|---|---|
| Famco single-flue cap replacement | $340-$480 | Height of chimney, stainless grade (304 vs. 316), mesh size |
| Famco multi-flue cap replacement | $520-$780 | Flue count, cap dimensions, scaffolding needs |
| Crown repair (partial, under 25%) | $280-$420 | Accessibility, depth of cracks, need for bonding agent |
| Crown coating (CrownCoat or equivalent) | $320-$550 | Crown square footage, number of coats, flue proximity detail work |
| Crown rebuild (full) | $1,200-$2,400 | Chimney size, demolition depth, liner protection during work |
Chimneys over two stories, steep roof pitches common in New Rochelle’s Glenwood Lake area, or crown work requiring temporary rain protection add labor time. We quote everything before starting. Call (516) 927-2678 for a free estimate - we’ll look at your specific setup and give you a number you can count on.
Why New Rochelle Homeowners Call Hearthstone Chimney Co. for Famco Work
We’ve been sweeping and repairing chimneys in New Rochelle for over 42 years. Russell Haines learned this trade hands-on after vocational training in Los Angeles, then spent the better part of two decades running brushes through flues across Westchester - including plenty of older Colonial-era stacks in Beechmont, where the mortar tells stories the owners never knew. Tell me what’s burning, and I’ll tell you what’s wrong.
Our technicians are background-checked, uniformed, and carry Famco, Gelco, and Olympia Chimney parts on the truck for most common sizes. If your Famco cap is discontinued, we know which aftermarket spec matches. Every job ends with photos you can see, a plain-English verdict, and our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. A square deal: no surprises on the bill. We’ll be there when we say.
FAQs
No - Famco’s limited lifetime warranty on stainless caps covers manufacturing defects, not installation or weather damage. As an independent Famco service provider, we use OEM parts where available and document our work so any legitimate warranty claim with Famco remains valid. If you’re unsure whether your cap failure is defect-related or wear-related, call (516) 927-2678 and we’ll inspect it at no charge.
Some. Famco discontinued their galvanized multi-flue line in 2019 and certain wind-directional components in 2021. We stock compatible caps from Gelco and Olympia Chimney that match or exceed Famco’s original specs. For proprietary parts like seized rotating bushings, we can often machine a solution or convert to a fixed stainless cap that outlasts the original design. Call us with your model number - it’s stamped on the underside of most caps.
If cracks are hairline and the crown still sheds water properly, a elastomeric coating like CrownCoat buys you five to ten years. If cracks are wider than a nickel, if pieces are spalling off, or if the crown has lost its slope toward the edges, coating over it is painting a rotted deck. We rebuild. The camera inspection tells us which category you’re in, and we’ll show you the photos so you can decide.
Most cap replacements take 90 minutes to two hours. Crown coating needs a dry day and about three hours including cure time before we reinstall the cap. Full crown rebuilds run a full day and need 48 hours of curing before exposure to rain. We schedule around New Rochelle’s weather patterns and never rush a cure.
Water stains on the ceiling near the chimney usually mean crown failure or flashing issues, not the cap. Rust streaks on the chimney face point to cap deterioration. Smoke backup on windy days suggests a stuck wind-directional cap or undersized flue. Our camera inspection separates these quickly - call (516) 927-2678 for a free estimate and we’ll tell you exactly what you’re dealing with.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner, Hearthstone Chimney Co. at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving New Rochelle and nearby areas.





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