The Crown Top Vent is a two-piece chimney cap with a separate vented top and a solid base. The base wraps the chimney and the vented top sits above it — leaving a full open gap around the entire perimeter for airflow while keeping rain out from above. It's the cap I recommend when draft performance matters as much as weather protection.
Every CTV is hand-fabricated to your exact chimney dimensions in my shop in Berlin, NJ. No standard sizes. No stock inventory. Built to order.
Also called a chimney topper, chimney rain cap, chimney cover, chimney shroud, or chimney surround — whatever you call it, this one is built to last.
Unlike store-bought caps that sit on the clay flue tile, this cap covers the entire chimney crown — protecting the masonry itself from water infiltration, freeze-thaw damage, and the creosote acid that eats mortar. Crown repair runs $500–$3,000. A full rebuild runs $10,000–$20,000. A cap that covers the crown correctly prevents all of it.
Top Mount Cap Measuring — Add 6" to the length and width of where you want the screen to sit on the chimney top. Top Mount vs Side Mount Guide →
Available in copper, stainless steel chimney cap, Kynar aluminum, and Galvalume. Stainless steel chimney caps and stainless chimney covers are built to the same spec and dimensions as every other material — contact me to order.
What It Does
The two-piece design separates the weather barrier from the vent plane. The solid top lid keeps rain, snow, and debris out of the flue from above. The open gap between the top and base lets combustion gases, heat, and moisture escape around the full perimeter of the cap — not through a restricted screen zone. The result is lower draft resistance than a conventional cap with side-mount screen panels.
The base includes a stainless steel mesh screen in both the lower screen zone and the gap between top and base. Birds and debris stay out. Air moves freely. The lid is removable for flue access.
Two-Piece Construction
The base is a four-sided box with a premium flange at the bottom and a screen-covered opening at the top edge. The top is a flat lid with a standing seam overhang that sheds water outward and away from the vent gap. The two pieces nest together — the top rests on the base and removes with a screwdriver for chimney sweeping or flue access.
Corner seams on both pieces are double-locked. The flange is brake-formed from the same sheet as the body — 8" rip, 1" exposed face, mitered corners. All fasteners are stainless steel. The screen is expanded stainless steel mesh for copper and stainless caps, aluminum mesh for Kynar and Galvalume.
Mount options: side mount (standard drip edge wraps the chimney crown) or top mount flange (sets on top of the crown). Side mount is standard for most masonry chimneys. Top mount is correct when the chimney crown is flush or the cap needs to sit above a wood chase top.
Cross-Brake Lid
The CTV top lid includes a cross-brake — two diagonal brake-formed ribs that run corner to corner across the underside of the lid. The cross-brake stiffens the lid panel against oil-canning and adds visual structure. On copper caps, the cross-brake lines will patina at the same rate as the rest of the lid and become more visible as the surface develops color.
Specs
- Cap style: Copper Top Vent (CTV) — two-piece, vented gap perimeter
- Screen: Dual zone — lower screen + vent gap screen
- Lid: Solid with cross-brake, removable
- Mount options: Side mount (drip edge) · Top mount flange
- Drip edge height: 2" – 5" (3" standard, side mount only)
- Flange: Premium, 8" rip, 1" face, mitered
- Size range: 24" × 24" minimum · 48" W maximum · 120" L maximum
- Materials: Copper · Kynar Aluminum · Galvalume · Stainless Steel
- Fasteners: Stainless steel throughout
- Made in: Berlin, NJ
Wood-Framed Chase
The CTV works on wood-framed chases with the top mount flange option. The flange sets on the chase top board — seal the perimeter with elastomeric caulk and back-prime any exposed wood before installation. If the chase top is deteriorating, address that before capping. A new cap on a failing deck is a short-term fix.
Not sure if the CTV is right for your application? Call or text (609) 352-9840.
About Archaic Metal
I'm Sean. I've been working copper and sheet metal since 1994, trained under master coppersmith Stephen L. Foss at Ye Olde Tin Shop in Haddonfield, NJ. Archaic Metal has been my operation since 2011 — one person, one shop in Berlin, NJ. Every cap I sell is one I fabricated. No outsourcing, no batch runs sitting on a shelf. Your cap is built to your dimensions after you order it.
More on how I build caps: How Chimney Caps Are Made · Copper vs. Aluminum
Not sure what size or style you need?
I personally review every order before I build it — send me your measurements and I'll confirm everything before fabrication starts. You won't be left guessing.
Request a quote or call/text me directly: (609) 352-9840