How a Chimney Cap Can Save Your Chimney
Chimney caps sit at the very top of chimneys and aren’t given much thought – until there’s a serious problem. As simple as the component is, it can prevent several issues that can seriously damage your chimney and put the health and safety of people in your home at risk.
Approved Chimney of Hackensack, NJ, would like to tell you a little bit about the value of a quality chimney cap.
Four Types of Chimney “Caps”
There are four different types of components installed at the top of a chimney or chase system:
- Full-width chimney cap
These devices cover the entire top of a masonry chimney, including the flue opening and the concrete chimney crown.
- Flue cover
A flue cover covers just the flue opening.
- Top-mount damper
A damper mounted at the top of a chimney performs the same function as a damper located just above the fireplace, but it also provides some of the same services as a chimney cap and flue cover.
- Chimney chase top
These components are essentially chimney caps for chimney chases, which are the drafting housings for manufactured chimneys.
What a Chimney Cap Does
All the devices described above keep rain, snow, tree debris, and small animals out of the chimney flue.
Rain and snow inside the flue can cause chimney liner deterioration, resulting in smoke, combustion gases, acids, and flames escaping the liner and coming into contact with nearby home building materials.
Incoming water can also form rust on the fireplace damper and eventually damage parts of the firebox.
Tree debris and the nests of squirrels, birds, raccoons, and other small animals can narrow the flue passage. The result is a fireplace that drafts sluggishly and can send smoke and deadly carbon monoxide into your home.
Periodically, a small animal will die inside the chimney, unable to escape. This adds to the blockage and can cause some pretty offensive odors.
Extra Protection with a Full-Width Chimney Cap
Chimney caps that are custom-built to cover the entire top of a masonry chimney give you protection that’s not supplied by a simple flue cover.
A full-width chimney cap shields the concrete chimney crown from rain. Crowns are susceptible to cracking, and when water enters these cracks, it can begin to deteriorate the crown material. In winter, the intruding water will freeze and expand repeatedly, causing further damage.
A crown with large gaps and cracks will allow water to move down into the topmost bricks of the masonry. Eventually, this will weaken those bricks.
Most top-mount chimney dampers protect the entire top of a masonry chimney. A quality chimney chase cover protects the top areas of a chimney chase.
Chimney Cap Replacement?
Watch for:
-Rust stains on the cap or flue cover
-Musty odors coming from the fireplace
-The sounds of little animals in the chimney
-A squeaky fireplace damper that’s hard to operate
-Smoke backups
-Fires that are hard to start and burn sluggishly
-Obvious damage to the chimney cap structure
Be aware that some of these issues may not be the result of a damaged chimney cap. If you notice any of them, schedule a chimney inspection.
Chimney Cap Replacements in Hackensack NJ
If it’s time to have your chimney cap inspected or replaced, the certified technicians at Approved Chimney are standing by to help. Learn more or schedule an appointment by giving us a call or reaching out through our handy contact form.
