One of the best ways to prevent water penetration of your chimney, a chimney cap is an essential part of your fireplace and chimney system. However, if your chimney cap is cracked, damaged, or does not fit correctly, you may have to deal with rain and snow in your home, animals taking up residence inside your chimney, or even potential chimney fires. At Ashbusters, our CSIA-certified chimney technicians are experienced with the proper installation of chimney caps, and we strongly recommend every chimney be capped. We would like to share with you why a chimney cap is so important in protecting your chimney.
Chimney Caps Protect Your Chimney from the Elements.
If your chimney is not capped, there is a square foot hole in your roof where rain and snow can enter at any time and penetrate the masonry work of your chimney. Water penetration can cause extensive and expensive damage, and repairing this damage is necessary to keep your chimney safely working. Additionally, wind can cause issues as well by causing persistent drafts and allowing cold air to enter your home. A basic chimney cap can take care of all of these problems.
Chimney Caps Keep Animals from Entering Your Chimney.
Some animals, usually birds, squirrels, and raccoons, look at chimneys as prime real estate, and without a chimney cap, you are giving these animals a wide-open, unlocked entrance. Not only are the sounds of animals annoying, but they can bring diseases into your home. Additionally, the nesting materials of these animals are generally flammable and can create a fire hazard by preventing proper air flow through your chimney by blocking the flue. To be sure your chimney cap will keep animals out, be sure it is equipped with protective mesh screening.
Chimney Caps Can Be Adjusted and Customized to Perfectly Fit Your Chimney.
- Prefabricated Chimneys – All of the parts of a factory-made fireplace and chimney system, including the chimney cap, have been designed to work safely and efficiently together.. The cap size should be determined by the specifications by the manufacturers. However, chimney caps can be blown off by strong winds as well as become damaged and deteriorated. If this should happen, you can count on our expert technicians to measure your chimney to exactly fix a new cap.
- Masonry Chimneys – The flue size of your chimney will determine the size of its chimney cap. Ashbusters can take these measurements and install a correctly sized cap.
- Custom Caps – If your chimney has more than one flue, you can get a single, multi-flued cap custom made for your chimney. You can find various designs and decorative caps made from a variety of different materials as well.
Chimney Caps Should Always Be Professionally Installed.
According to EBSCO Research, chimney caps may seem relatively simple to install; however, removing a rusted cap can be quite a challenge. Proper sizing is crucial during a chimney cap installation.
If you would like to have your chimney cap examined, contact Ashbusters today. We would be happy to set up an appointment for our technicians to check out your cap and install a new one if needed.