Chimney caps are an essential for anyone who wants to keep their chimney and fireplace around for many years to come. There are many reasons why they are necessary, but they can also cause problems if not installed properly.
Benefits of Having a Chimney Cap
- Intruders: The most important benefit is that they keep things out of your chimney. Animals, like birds, squirrels, and raccoons, will nest in the top, and can be a real problem when the obstruction caused by their nests pushes smoke back into your home. Animals and people, alike, don’t need to be exposed to the harmful, toxic smoke that is emitted from your fireplace.
- Moisture: Masonry is porous, meaning that water enters into the small holes in the brick and may freeze and melt, causing it to crack and break. Water encourages the presence of mold, which is very harmful and can spread into your home. Chimney caps keep moisture in the form of rain and snow out of your chimney, moving it outside of harms reach.
- Ember Protection: One of the major protective functions of a chimney cap is to keep the amount of burning embers from escaping onto the roof and possibly damaging it. Having an additional spark guard attachment is especially helpful if you have low-hanging trees or brush nearby that is highly flammable.
Draft Issues
Adding a chimney cap to a chimney that doesn’t have one will certainly help with the draft that pushes smoke into your home depending on the strength of wind. Sometimes, chimney caps aren’t installed properly, either by a professional that didn’t take the right measurements, or a homeowner that didn’t fully understand the need for a well-placed cap. This can create more issues down the road, and will end with a new cap being needed. If you live in an area that deals with strong winds on a regular basis, it may be in your best interest to look into a model of chimney cap that increases the amount of updraft it produces. The science behind it basically boils down to a specialty cap built to keep the smoke in your fireplace moving upward and out. May as well do it right the first time since it is so crucial to a happy and healthy life for your chimney.
If you want to use your chimney this winter and you don’t already have a cap for it, get it swept and inspected immediately, and then talk with us about the best option for a chimney cap. There are so many options that it can be overwhelming, but that’s why we are here, to walk you through to the best fit for your needs. Give us a call today to schedule your cleaning and ask all the questions your heart desires!