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A Chimney Cap Saves Money & Protects Your Home

Chimney caps and flue covers sit on top of chimneys and provide a wide level of protection for your chimney and home. If you’re using your chimney without some kind of cover, you’re setting yourself up for expensive damage and possibly dangerous operating conditions.

Here’s what you need to know about chimney caps.

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Chimney caps vs. flue covers

A chimney cap, in its strictest definition, is a full-width apparatus that covers the entire top of the chimney including the cement chimney crown. A flue cover is a device that covers only the flue opening. For long-term solid protection, a proper chimney cap is the best choice.

What a chimney cap does

1. Blocks rain

Chimneys and water don’t mix. When rain and snow are allowed to fall into the chimney flue, all kinds of problems can happen. Chimney liner damage and mold growth are two of the most serious. If the liner is already compromised, water can move to the interior masonry and other areas of the home adjacent to the flue.

 

2. Contains sparks

A good chimney cap or flue cover keeps sparks and embers that might travel up the chimney during a fire from popping out and landing on the roof or in the yard. Caps and covers have a mesh material that allows for air to help drafting while preventing fire-causing materials from exiting the chimney.

3. Keeps animals out

Birds, squirrels, raccoons, rodents, snakes and other animals regularly get into chimney flues either to birth their young or avoid the cold. Nesting materials and the bodies of animals that have died in the flue can cause smoke to draft sluggishly and back up into your home, carrying with it deadly carbon monoxide.

4. Blocks downdrafts

Wind whooshing down your chimney will blow fiery particles, ash and soot all over your room. A quality chimney cap solves this problem to a great extent.

5. Keeps debris out

Falling tree leaves, twigs and fruit can end up causing a serious obstruction in your chimney flue. This debris also can serve as fuel for a chimney fire. Prevent this problem with a chimney cap or flue cover.

6. Protects the crown

The concrete chimney crown is a layer extending out from the flue pipe at the top of your chimney. Its job is to guard the bricks beneath it and the interior areas of the chimney from water damage. Crowns are prone to cracking over time, and those cracks can become much worse if there’s no chimney cap to keep water out.

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Chimney cap installation

Having a new chimney cap installed or getting your old one repaired isn’t a huge job. And the cost will be a fraction of what you might have to spend on major chimney repairs caused by problems such as those we talked about here.

Above & Beyond Chimney Service of Dedham, MA, installs a lot of chimney caps for our South Shore customers; we also repair damaged caps and flue covers. We work year-round to keep your chimney, home and family safe. Schedule an appointment or get your questions answered at (781) 383-0415.