Tags
chimney cap chimney

There has always been speculation about the necessity of having a chimney cap for chimneys. In all reality, having a chimney cap will help protect your chimney and your home from all different types of damages, which can be prevented by utilizing the chimney cap as soon as possible. Here we have listed 2 of the main reasons why we focus on the importance of a chimney cap.

Reasons for A Chimney Cap

  • Unwanted Guests

    First and foremost, unwanted guests - Chimneys are naturally built to be exposed at the top to allow all of the excess from the fireplace, up the flue, and outside of the home. Now, chimneys are open at the top for a very good reason on behalf of ourselves and our families. Unfortunately animals have also adopted the idea that it is a wonderful idea. With that being said, going without a chimney cap can lead to all sorts of critters going down into the flue and down into your chimney. Birds and the nest they create naturally, are a serious hazard for chimneys without a chimney cap. A birds nest can actually block a chimney flue, which can lead to carbon monoxide buildup inside of the home because it cannot escape up the flue. In many cases not having a chimney cap, and birds creating their homes in the flue can cause a chimney fire, which can be deadly. It isn't just animals, human beings have also been known to attempt to climb down a chimney without realizing the size limitations, they then get stuck and some have ended up with the most undesirable fate.

  • Rain Damage Prevention

    The other main reason for a chimney cap is to prevent any rain damage - when rain gets into an uncapped chimney it causes the flue itself to deteriorate as well as the smoke shelf and the area down below it. Many many people are completely unaware of this but rainwater plus coal soot forms sulfuric acid, which can be detrimentally destructive. Rainwater can also rust a fireplace damper, as well as rusting the innards of a stovepipe, stove in general, the fireplace insert, or the furnace itself. Rain can also freeze being that it is water, so during the colder temperatures, if a chimney is not capped the water can get into the cracks and then expand and make the cracks even larger with the drop of the temperature.

 

Having a chimney cap not only keeps our families safe from outside entities, but it also keeps other living things safe from the chimney itself. Chimneys are meant to enhance a home, they keep us warm when it is cold, and bring family together for important discussions and holidays. Having a chimney comes with responsibility, which is why having a chimney cap is so important so we can make sure that all parties are safe and using the chimney for its use, in the safest way possible.