Fife, Pierce County
Putting a stainless cap on a Fife chimney is a $265–$750 job. Plain square or round single-flue tops are the cheap end of it. A made-to-measure lid straddling two or three flues, or an awkward crown that needs extra brackets, is the dear end. Measurements come first, then a number in writing, then the order.
Typical investment
$265–$750
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Book your $99 inspection
$99 plus tax, deducted when you approve the repair
Not sure where to start
Pick what you're seeing at your Fife home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for Fife homes.
Level 1 or Level 2 as needed; Level 2 includes a camera run through the entire flue
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Top-to-bottom brushing of flue and firebox under drop cloths, with a HEPA vacuum pulling the dust
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Loose or damaged brick, open joints and firebox panels repaired
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A full-length stainless-steel or cast liner, firebox to chimney top
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Burner, pilot assembly and valve cleaned and adjusted
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Crown patched, or recast entirely if it can't be saved
Learn moreRanges shown for orientation — the exact figure is written up on-site, after the inspection.
On Fife's newer houses the chimney often ends in a factory termination cap, part of the metal flue system the builder installed. Those caps are brand-specific and should be replaced with the matching part, not a generic one. The older brick stacks around town are a different story: many were built without any cap at all, or with a light galvanized one that rusted off long ago. Both kinds reach us with the same complaint, water or wildlife getting in from the top.
Census Bureau heating data for 2020 through 2024 show about 1.2 in every 100 occupied Fife homes relying on wood first. In a house like that, the top of the chimney sees smoke and sparks nearly every day of the cold season.
September 2026 guidance from Washington's State Fire Marshal pairs a chimney cap with a yearly professional inspection and cleaning. On a stove fed daily, that cap's mesh is also what stops embers settling onto the shingles.
Fitting a cap does not exempt anyone from ban days. The regional air agency keeps its ban status on the web, on a phone recording (800-595-4341) and in email alerts, so a quick look before lighting is easy.
What a ban means depends on its stage. The first one stops wood fireplaces and every uncertified stove or insert; the second also silences certified wood units and pellet stoves. Outdoor fires are off in both. A capped, clean chimney is ready for the days in between.
Every chimney cap installation we do in Fife includes:
Smoke coming back into the room, or a smell that won't go? Book the inspection first.
Book nowAn open flue in Fife collects rain for most of the year, and that water ends up on the damper, the smoke shelf or the firebox floor, where it mixes with soot and starts to smell. Birds and raccoons find uncapped flues too, especially in spring. A properly sized cap with mesh stops both, and the hood keeps the wind from pushing straight down the chimney on gusty winter days.
WeatherSpark's long-term averages for Fife give November close to 8 inches of rain and December its windiest weather, at an average hourly speed near 5.2 mph. Rain driven sideways in winter finds an uncapped flue easily.
Washington's code gets specific when a cap carries a spark arrestor: mesh gaps must block a sphere of 1/2 inch while letting one of 3/8 inch through, and a sooty screen must lift off for brushing. Any arrestor cap we put on gets checked against that sizing.
We record the flue size, the crown and the kind of chimney so the cap fits the first time.
You get a fixed price in writing. Factory chimneys get the maker's own cap where one is still made.
The cap is fastened to the flue tile or the crown, with the screen facing out on every side.
We confirm the damper opens freely and the draft is clear, then send you a photo from the roof.
What this work is quoted at for Fife homes — the exact figure comes from the $99 on-site inspection, credited toward the work.
| Service | Price in Fife | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney Cap Installation | $265–$750 | Stainless cap fitted; multi-flue and custom at the top |
| Chimney Sweep | $189–$449 | Full flue swept, Level 1 inspection included |
| Chimney Inspection | $99 plus tax | Level 1 visual; Level 2 adds a full camera scan |
| Chimney Relining | From $1,900 | Full-length stainless liner, sized to the appliance |
| Chimney Repair | From $375 | Masonry repair — brick and mortar, scoped after diagnosis |
Ranges are what these jobs are quoted at in Fife. The exact figure is set on site after a $99 inspection (credited toward the job if you go ahead), and you approve it before any work starts.
Fife is a city incorporated in 1957 on farmland just south of the Port of Tacoma, along I-5, with mostly newer homes — a median build year of 2000, about 22% built before 1980.
FifePierce County, WA · 47.239, -122.357
Before and after
Illustrations of what each repair changes on a typical chimney — not photos of a specific job.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Four steps, each one on paper — so you always know what happens next.
Choose a genuine opening on the crew's calendar. Confirmation is immediate.
Liner, crown, cap, flashing and masonry examined in order — each finding photographed.
One document, plain numbers, covering only the work your chimney genuinely needs.
The repair is completed, then handed over with before-and-after photos of every item.
Installed, it is $265–$750. Stock stainless for one flue costs least; spanning several flues or custom sizing costs most. Your written quote names the figure before anything is ordered.
Yes, if it has mesh on all sides and fits tightly. If an animal is already inside, we make sure it is out before the cap goes on.
Yes. Metal flue systems use caps made for them, so we match the brand and size rather than fitting a generic cap that may not seal.
A $99 on-site inspection, a written quote before any work, and photos of every item we touch.
