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.
Gelco Chimney Cap & Crown in Yonkers: What to Know First
Gelco chimney cap and crown work in Yonkers typically runs $280-$640 for a cap replacement and $450-$900 for a crown repair or recoat, with most jobs completed same-day once parts are on hand. We’re an independent Gelco service provider - not a factory rep - which means we stock the Gelco caps and crown products that actually hold up in Westchester weather and we price the job before we touch the roof. If you own a Gelco cap or crown and it’s showing rust, cracking, or water stains below the roofline, this page tells you what’s happening and what it costs to fix. Call (551) 212-3526 and Corrine or a member of the crew will walk you through it.
How Gelco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
Gelco makes solid caps and crowns, but they fail in patterns we see on Yonkers rooflines every season. Here’s what we actually find:
- Gelco stainless steel multi-flue caps losing their corner welds. On older Gelco stainless caps, the corner welds are often spot-welded rather than seam-welded. After five or six winters of freeze-thaw cycles near the Hudson, those spot welds pop and the cap starts folding inward. We see it regularly on homes from Crestwood to Park Hill. The fix is seam-welding the corners and re-securing the mounting brackets - or replacing the cap if the mesh is torn.
- Gelco galvanized caps rusting through at the screen line. The galvanized Gelco lines hold up for six to eight years in most climates, but Yonkers gets salt air off the river and acid rain from interstate traffic. We replace the rusted mesh and re-coat the cap frame with a high-temp rust inhibitor before reinstalling. If the frame itself is compromised, we quote a full replacement in writing before we start.
- Gelco crown mortar and wash concrete separating from the flue tile. This is the big one. Crowns are poured concrete with a mortar wash, and when the bond between the crown and the clay flue tile breaks - often from water freezing in that gap - water runs straight down into the smoke chamber and firebox. We’ve pulled caps off Yonkers chimneys where the crown looked fine from the ground and was split wide open underneath. The camera shows it every time.
- Improper aftermarket cap retrofits on Gelco flues. We see homeowners and other contractors install generic caps that don’t fit Gelco flue tile dimensions. A loose cap means the mesh rattles, the screen clogs with oak leaves, and the whole thing eventually lifts off in a nor’easter. We size the cap to the actual flue tile opening, not the brand name on the box.
- Gelco caps installed without a proper crown seal. The cap keeps rain out of the flue, but if the crown beneath it isn’t sloped away from the flue and sealed at the base, water pools against the cap mounting brackets and rusts them out. We slope and seal the crown surface before setting the cap back down. That’s the difference between a repair that lasts two years and one that lasts ten.
Our Gelco Chimney Cap & Crown Process

- 1
You call (551) 212-3526. A live person answers. We schedule the visit and confirm the address. No web form, no voicemail tag.
- 2
We inspect with a Level 2 camera scan. We document the crown condition, the cap condition, the flue tile, and the smoke chamber. You get the photos and the camera footage from this visit - that’s Clause 4 of the Haven Standard, and we’ve done it on every job since 2009.
- 3
You get a written quote before we start anything. We name the specific Gelco cap model or crown product, the labor, and the price. If the part’s in stock locally, we can often do the work same day. If it needs to be ordered, we tell you the lead time and the exact cost before we order it.
- 4
We do the repair or replacement. Crown repairs get the surface prepped, the bond line sealed, and a flexible crown coat applied. Cap replacements get the flue opening measured, the cap sized, the mounting brackets anchored, and the crown surface sealed before the cap goes back down.
- 5
We run the camera again. The after-repair footage shows the crown sealed, the cap centered, and the flue clear. You get that record when we hand you the invoice.
- 6
You get the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If it’s not done right, we make it right. That’s stamped on the work order.
Before
AfterWhat Gelco Chimney Cap & Crown Costs in Yonkers
Here’s what we quote on a typical Gelco job in Yonkers:
- Gelco cap inspection and cleaning: $149 flat, includes the camera scan
- Stainless steel cap replacement (single flue): $280-$420 including the cap, mounting hardware, and crown seal
- Multi-flue Gelco cap replacement: $450-$640 depending on flue cluster size and access
- Crown repair with flexible crown coat (small cracks, minor spalling): $450-$650
- Full crown rebuild (poured concrete, re-sloped, sealed): $700-$900
What moves the price: roof pitch and access, whether the existing crown needs a full rebuild versus a recoat, and whether the flue tile itself needs repair. We don’t pad the price with parts markup - we source Gelco materials at volume pricing and pass that through. Estimates are free, and they’re in writing before anything starts. Call (551) 212-3526 and we’ll give you a number you can hold us to.
Why Yonkers Homeowners Call Level Two Chimney Yonkers for Gelco Work

We’ve cleaned and inspected 38,000-plus chimneys since 2009, and every single one got a written price before work started and a documented photo record when it was done. Corrine Halstead grew up in the Bronx, picked up her first wire brush in a vocational program at Bronx Community College, and she’s spent close to two decades on Yonkers roofs - she knows the stacks along the Hudson River corridor, the older colonials near the museum district, and the row houses downtown that haven’t seen a sweep in fifteen years. When a Gelco cap fails, she can tell you if it’s a weld problem, a crown bond problem, or an install problem, because she’s seen all three hundreds of times. If a cap or crown isn’t made by Gelco, we carry DuraFlex and HeatShield parts and can match the existing setup. If you have a written quote from another company, bring it to us - we’ll give you a free second opinion on it. No pressure, just the camera footage and the numbers.
FAQs
No. Repairing or replacing a Gelco cap with quality aftermarket or OEM parts does not void the Gelco warranty. As an independent Gelco service provider, we source parts that meet or exceed the original spec, and we document the work so you have a record if a warranty claim ever comes up.
You’ll see water stains on the ceiling or walls near the chimney, spalling brick below the roofline, or chunks of concrete on the roof after a storm. But the truth is most crown failures are invisible from the ground. The camera shows the split before the ceiling does. Call (551) 212-3526 and we’ll run the scan.
Usually, yes. If the crown is cracked but the structure beneath it is sound, we clean the surface, fill the cracks, apply a flexible crown coat, and seal the flue joint. A full rebuild is only necessary when the concrete has rotted through or the flue tile is compromised. We only recommend what the camera shows, and we tell you plainly if work can wait.
If the cap is a common size, we often have it in stock or can get it same-day from our supplier. Custom or multi-flue caps are typically two to five business days. We give you the delivery date and the install date in writing when we quote the job.
No. The Level 2 camera scan is included in every visit we make - it’s not a separate line-item or an add-on. It’s Clause 4 of the Haven Standard, and we’ve done it on every job since 2009. The camera doesn’t lie, and neither does the quote.
If you’ve got a Gelco cap or crown that’s showing its age, call (551) 212-3526. We’ll get on the roof, run the camera, and put the price in your hand before any work starts.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner, Level Two Chimney Yonkers at Level Two Chimney Yonkers, serving Yonkers and nearby areas.





Before
After
Before
After