WHY IS A CHIMNEY CAP NECESSARY? – FAMILY ROOFING

Posted on by David Reid

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WHY IS A CHIMNEY CAP NECESSARY?

Chimneys carry smoke and soot from a fireplace or furnace out of the house.  Wood-burning stoves and fireplaces produce more smoke than clean-burning gas furnaces, but both require venting through a chimney or stovepipe.  The top of a chimney after installation does not always have a chimney cap.  You will likely need to install a cap for your gas furnace chimney, but not for the reasons you might think.

Chimney caps protect the inside of your chimney and the inside of your home from weather damage and outdoor pests.  Most people prefer to hire a professional when capping their chimney, but you can technically install a cap on your own.  The steps you need to take vary based on the type of chimney you have, so make sure that you select the right type of cap before proceeding.

What is a Chimney Cap?

Before we go into why you need a chimney cap, you must first understand what it actually is.  Many homeowners with fireplaces often don’t fully understand every part of their chimney which can lead to things getting overlooked or forgotten about.  Not to be confused with a chimney crown or chase cover, a chimney cap is located at the very top of your chimney and is a metal structure that covers the opening on top.

Whereas a crown and chase cover are what covers the bulk of the top of your chimney, there still obviously has to be an opening for smoke to come out of. That’s what the chimney cap is installed above.  They come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and even finishes to help match your chimney and the rest of your home’s exterior.  Now, let’s get into why they’re important and what they provide for your chimney and home.

Benefits of Chimney Caps

The benefits of chimney caps can range from moisture protection to animal invasion prevention with many other benefits in between.  Chimney caps fit on top of the chimney to provide ventilation of the chimney as well as a block against water and animals.  Look for chimney caps that only cover the top edges of the chimney or are suspended above the flue opening at the top of the chimney.  No matter the type of chimney cap you install, it must be removable for regular cleaning and servicing of the chimney.

Your chimney is built using different components to help it function correctly and efficiently. While a chimney seems like a simple structure, leaving small elements out, such as a chimney cap, can result in several disadvantages.  Before you decide to forego your chimney cap, keep the following considerations in mind:

Prevent Water from Entering Your Home

One of the primary functions of a chimney cap is to keep water out of your home.  When it rains, moisture can easily enter the flue – especially if there no chimney cap in place.  Without the chimney cap, moisture makes its way inside the chimney, as well as the attic.  Eventually, undetected moisture damage can lead to stains on the walls and ceilings. While mold and mildew growth may also occur as a result.

It’s also a Spark Arrestor

A spark arrestor is designed to prevent the emission of flammable debris from combustion sources.   A properly sized chimney cap can also ask as a spark arrestor keeping the sparks generated from the fire contained and prohibiting them from igniting the roof or nearby trees.

As you may know, when you burn a fire in your fireplace, there are sparks and embers that flow up through your chimney. These particles from the fire can end up on your roof or can come in contact with trees or power lines nearby.  While it’s not very common for these sparks and embers to trigger fires, it’s still entirely possible and does actually happen from time to time.  One way to ensure that this isn’t even a possibility is to install a chimney cap. It’ll catch and contain any stray embers and keep them from landing on your roof or anything else nearby.

Animal Block

Animals such as birds or rodents look for small, enclosed spaces to build their nests.  When viewed from above, a chimney opening resembles a hole in a tree.  To bird-brained animals, the difference between your chimney and a tree is not apparent, especially during the warmer months when your chimney is out of use.  Nesting animals in your chimney cause blockages that result in carbon monoxide from your gas furnace backing up into your home.  This dangerous situation can be prevented by installing a chimney cap that is suspended over the flue to let gas out and keep animals out.

Not only do you need to worry about the elements and smoke causing problems with the chimney, but there is also another culprit to consider—critters!  When you install a chimney cap with mesh, it keeps many kinds of animals outside and out of your chimney.  If your chimney is missing a cap, it provides a direct entry point inside of your home.  You can find all kinds of animals deciding to make their chimney your home, ranging from raccoons to birds.  Sometimes birds accidentally fly into the chimney and get stuck, unable to escape and can die inside of your chimney.

Rain Guard

Chimney caps keep rain off the masonry sides of chimneys.  Rain falling on the masonry over time can wear it away.  A chimney cap made of concrete or metal fits around exposed masonry to protect it from this, but it does not cover the flue.  Rain caps are another type of chimney cap.  These cover the top of the flue to keep water from flowing down the flue.

Moisture is your chimney’s worst nightmare.  When water has an easy path into your chimney, the problems that’ll arise if you don’t take care of it can end up costing thousands in repairs.

Your brick and mortar will deteriorate faster and your liner and damper can become damaged.  Plus, whenever there’s buildup of water in your home, the possibility of mold and mildew growth becomes greater.  A chimney cap will keep rain water out of your chimney which will lead to a longer and healthier life for all aspects of your fireplace and chimney.

 Downdraft

Strong winds blowing across the top of uncapped chimneys can blow the gases from the furnace back down the chimney, inadequately venting the furnace.  A wind or rain cap creates a partial barrier to the wind so its effects are lessened.  This type of cap covers the top of a chimney, differing from the concrete chimney cap surrounding the masonry at the top of the chimney.

Chimney caps aren’t the focal point for homeowners with fireplaces and chimneys, but they’re definitely an important piece to the puzzle.  Chimney caps   have many great benefits and can help prevent unwanted problems from happening in your chimney.  You want to be able to fully enjoy your fireplace all winter long. A properly functioning chimney cap will help you achieve that goal.

One of the most common annoyances that people face with their chimneys is when it’s windy outside and drafts sneak into their home while they’re using their fireplace.  Not only does this make your fire less efficient, it creates a health hazard because smoke can get blown back into your home.  With the addition of a chimney cap, you can get rid of your draft problem or prevent any drafts from entering in the first place.

Prevent Animals and Debris Build-Up

Another very common chimney problem is when animals and debris get in your chimney.  Obviously, anytime wild animals get inside your home it’s a problem.  Oftentimes, they’ll get stuck in your chimney and end up dying which leaves a smelly, rotting corpse behind. Plus, they can damage other parts of your chimney if they get inside. The simple solution? Get a chimney cap.

Another thing that will get avoided with a chimney cap is any debris build-up such as leaves and branches. You need the inside of your chimney to be as clean as possible so that you can enjoy your fireplace with no worries.

Chimney Cap Installation

In order to fully take advantage of all the great benefits of chimney caps, you must make sure it’s installed correctly.  An incorrectly installed chimney cap will basically render it useless. It won’t be able to prevent moisture, drafts and animals from entering nearly as well as a properly installed one will.