Chimney Caps Protect Your Home and Chimney

Every brick chimney needs a flue cap

Brick Chimney without a flue cap and with serious crown problems. — This chimney has problems with the crown, but also demonstrates an uncovered flue which needs covering. A new concrete crown and cap could protect this chimney for decades to come.

A chimney cap can spare expense and aggravation.

Flue-mounted chimney caps work quite well, and are economical. Alternatively, a custom-made cap which covers the entire chimney crown is sometimes preferred in some situations. Chimney caps provide many useful functions:

Quality Chimney caps control sparks and help prevent fires.
Chimney caps keep rainwater from entering a fireplace. Otherwise, rain mixes with creosote and creates a corrosive acidic mixture which can rust out the damper, cause odors and unsightly stains in the firebox, and prematurely damage bricks and mortar.
A chimney cap will effectively keep birds, squirrels, and other animals out of the chimney. They often look for new homes in the Spring, when fireplaces are not in use, but a cap protects both the home…and the wild animals from making this mistake. A birds’ nest in the chimney is an instant problem when a fire is built. Birds are in trouble, and your enjoyable moment is ruined.
Chimney caps help prevent or limit downdrafts in windy conditions, which cause smoke and/or odors to enter the house.

Let’s Look more closely at Chimney Caps

A basic chimney cap that clamps onto the protruding flue liner can be purchased from a hardware store and installed by the average do-it-yourselfer.

Chimney cap. Every brick chimney needs one. — Chimneys should be inspected for other issues before adding a cap. Does the chimney need to be cleaned? Is the crown solid? Is there an adequate mounting surface?

Who should climb up on your roof.

Some homeowners cannot or should not get out the ladder and tools and venture onto the rooftop. If not, most chimney sweeps can provide and install these caps for a reasonable fee when they are cleaning the chimney.

Telltale signs of brick or mortar damage?

It might make sense to call Brick Doctor, especially if you suspect you may need any repairs beyond cleaning. We can take a look at your chimney crown and brick, and appraise it for wear and tear, and offer you some good options for a chimney cap. Do you need information on assessing the overall condition of your chimney?

Do you have some questions? How can we help you? Feel free to call or email.

Maybe you would like a Chimney cap to cover the entire crown.

Custom chimney caps made of galvanized sheet metal, stainless steel, or copper can be quite expensive, but are designed to protect the entire top of the chimney. Custom chimney caps discussed in depth.

Custom Chimney Crown Protecting Brick Chimney — A custom chimney cap protects your brick and keeps water out of your fireplace. It also keeps sparks in, and critters out- all the while, looking great.

No nails or wire when attaching chimney caps!

Hammer and nails are for wood structures. Nails in mortar can dislodge brick and crack mortar joints, and also are subject to rust over time. A masonry bit and proper stainless concrete fasteners work much better in safely securing a custom cap. Improper fastening can cause caps to blow off in high winds, causing damage and potential safety issues.

Do you have some questions? How can we help you? Feel free to call or email.