The different parts of your chimney and fireplace system all work together to ensure that you can build a warm, inviting, crackling fire. One important part that shouldn’t be overlooked, yet often is, is the chimney cap. A chimney cap can save you headaches and repair bills by protecting your chimney and your home from the dangers of fire damage, and the qualified technicians at Owens Chimney Systems have the know-how to get you the chimney cap you need.
How A Chimney Cap Can Benefit You
There are two main reasons that a chimney cap is important for protecting your chimney. First, a chimney cap will help stop sparks from the fire from escaping from your chimney. Without a chimney cap, these sparks can land on your chimney and start a fire, or they can even fly onto your yard, and if conditions are dry, you could have a real disaster on your hands.
Another role that a chimney cap plays is to stop things from coming down your chimney. Enclosed spaces are perfect for building nests, and without a chimney cap, birds, squirrels, or other small animals can get into your chimney and make it their home. Dry twigs and leaves or other garbage could also blow down your chimney and cause an obstruction, and these obstructions could also catch a spark and start a chimney fire. A chimney cap will also keep other natural elements, like rain, sleet, and snow, from coming down your chimney.
Different Kinds of Chimney Cap
The next question to ask would be what kind of chimney cap is needed. The National Fire Protection Association gives several options. Standard chimney caps can be fitted over several different chimney types, such as square, oval, round, or even rectangular. If you have a flat roof, you can get draft increasing chimney caps, but you may need an adaptor to install this type of chimney cap if you have a masonry chimney. If you wish to increase the performance of your chimney flue, you might look at draft master caps, which will use wind to meet this goal, Older fireplaces might benefit from integral damper mechanisms to cause a better draft. Top sealing fireplace dampers can reduce downdrafts and heat loss. For help in making a decision on which chimney cap best suits your needs, talk to a chimney sweep company like Owens Chimney Systems, where our expert technicians can look at your home and give options that will best suit your needs. In fact, Owens Chimney Systems manufactures our own custom chimney caps, so you know your chimney cap will be exactly what your home needs.
Caring For Your Chimney Cap
Owens Chimney Systems offers top-notch chimney cap maintenance, inspection, repair, and replacement. If you need a new chimney cap or if you don’t have a chimney cap, they can recommend exactly the chimney cap that will meet your individual needs. They will be able to advise you on whether you can repair your existing chimney cap or whether a new one is your best option. Give us a call today and you will soon be able to rest easy, knowing that your home is protected from the elements and any unwanted visitors that might enter through the chimney.