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| What are Chimney Caps? Why do I need one?
Chimney caps are simply a cap to cover the vent or chimney on your home. A chimney is essentially a hole in your roof. If not properly covered, a whole host of problems could occur from various things entering that outlet.
Exposing your chimney to Mother Nature’s elements can lead to extensive and costly damages. When the moisture mixes with chimney soot it can cause unpleasant odors, rust, and the deterioration of the chimney walls. Additionally, water that seeps into existing cracks may expand and cause more damage. Without a flue cap, rain and coal soot mix to form sulfuric acid, which is particularly damaging to your chimney and not exactly something to which you want your family exposed.
Without a fireplace chimney cap, critters may crawl, slide, or fly into the chimney as well. It’s a warm and protected space that animals find appealing in cold weather. Not only can this lead to the untimely death of the fuzzy creature, but some woodland animals carry parasites, rabies, and other unpleasantries that can be transmitted to your home and family. Even worse, an animal caught in a flue can cause fires, carbon monoxide backup, and very unpleasant smells if not detected.
Finally an open chimney without a flue cap or fireplace chimney cap is a fire hazard. Embers and sparks can fly from the top and land on your roof, dry leaves in your rain gutters, or surrounding foliage and quickly cause a blazing and lethal fire.
How do I choose the right flue cap or fireplace chimney cap?
As you can see, chimney caps are crucial for the safety of your family and longevity of your fireplace. With all the options – pipes, mesh grates, copper pots, stainless steel – finding the optimal chimney cap may seem challenging, but it’s really very easy. Simply look at your chimney or flue to determine its shape; your chimney will be round, square, or rectangular. For masonry chimneys with multiple flues placed close together, the arrangement is rectangular.
There are a variety of sizes and fits for your chimney cap. Although it is best to leave this up to a contractor or professional to ensure that the cap is properly installed, there are a several materials to choose from, including stainless steel, galvanized steel, and copper.
• Stainless steel chimney caps are hands down the best value for your money, and they can be coated with black or colored heat resistant coatings to achieve a different appearance. These durable chimney caps are recommended for saltwater climates.
• Although a copper flue cap is expensive, it lends a very distinguished appearance to your home and is the recommended option for historic and upscale homes.
• Galvanized steel is the cheapest material, but it is also the least durable.
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