A rusted chase top is why your chimney leaks.

Prefab chimneys leak from the top down

Many homes built in the last few decades have a prefabricated fireplace inside a framed chimney chase, finished with a flat metal cover on top called a chase top or chase cover.

Builders often use a thin galvanized cover that rusts within a few years. Once it rusts through or sags, it holds water instead of shedding it, and that water runs straight down into the chase and your home.

We replace it with a custom cover fabricated from stainless steel or heavy aluminum, sloped to drain, with a proper collar and sealed seams. It is the permanent fix a prefab chimney needs.

The chase top is the roof of your prefab chimney

On a factory-built chimney, the chase cover is the single barrier between the weather and the framed chase below. A rusted or ponding cover lets water into the wood framing, the firebox and the ceilings, and rusts the fireplace components that keep it safe to burn. A custom stainless cover, sloped and sealed, is the accepted permanent fix and protects the appliance and the structure around it.