We all love our chimneys. They add a certain aesthetic beauty to our homes and help keep our families safe from the smoke and harmful gases that would otherwise leak into our homes without them. Since we value them so much for this protection that they provide, why sshouldn’twe protect them a little, too? This is where chimney caps come into play. They’re not required on chimneys; however, we strongly recommend that you consider having one installed on your chimney.
Purpose of a Chimney Cap
So what purpose does a chimney cap serve? It’s quite simple actually. The basic job of a chimney cap is to cover the chimney’s opening in an effort to keep water, birds and other wildlife, leaves, twigs and other debris from getting into your chimney and/or house. Water is directed away from the center and off the sides of your chimney. Birds, other wildlife, leaves, twigs and other debris are blocked from getting to your chimney via the mesh screening on the side, thereby preventing it from becoming a giant trash can. If any of these things were to get into your chimney, they could damage the chimney and cause more problems for you down the road. On the other hand, keeping them all out can increase the lifetime of your chimney liner.
Options, Options, and More Options
Now that you understand why a chimney cap is a necessary investment, you’re probably ready to make a purchase. Before you can do that, though, you’ll need to identify what type of chimney and flue you have. That information is important because the kind of flue you have determines what kind of chimney caps you can use as well as the measurements necessary in order to ensure your cap fits properly.
Do you have a single-flue or a multiple-flue chimney? Is your flue square, rectangular, oval, or round? Would you prefer a top-mount or a flue-mount cap? The options go on and on for days.
Chimney caps are most commonly manufactured from galvanized steel, aluminum, stainless steel, and copper. The one that’s right for you will depend on your priorities, preferences, and budget. Stainless steel caps generally give homeowners the most bang for their buck, as they are not impacted by the elements as much as are the other materials. Galvanized steel and aluminum caps can and will eventually rust and need to be replaced, while shiny, more expensive copper caps will slowly weather and eventually end up the same color as the Statue of Liberty (some homeowners may actually prefer copper’s natural patina and will be willing to fork over the extra money for it; it’s purely a personal preference).
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a chimney cap, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a stressful task. Once you understand what your options are and how to determine your needs, you’ll find that the selection process is actually fairly simple. Deciding to purchase a chimney cap and have it installed by a professional chimney technician is a choice you won’t soon regret. It’s much cheaper to add a chimney cap now than to have to repair or replace your chimney liner sooner than you’d like. Owens Chimney Systems offers and installs a wide variety of style and sizes of copper and stainless steel protective chimney caps. Having one of these in place will slow down the deterioration of the internal chimney components. Once you choose the chimney cap you like, let us know and we can get the order placed ASAP. What are you waiting for? Give us a call today!