Chimney Care Company's Blog

About Chimney Chase Covers

What is standing between your prefabricated chimney and the elements? The answer should be a chimney chase cover. Chimney chase covers can deteriorate over time, and that is when you need to address your chimney chase cover. Here is what you need to know about your chimney chase cover and keeping your chimney protected from the elements and potential water damage.

What is a chimney chase cover?

chimney chase cover A chimney chase cover is a metal piece that encloses the top of your chimney. Chimney chase covers are installed along with a prefabricated chimney to fit over the chimney opening. It prevents water from leaking in around the different layers of your chimney. Chimney pipes are vented through the chimney chase cover, and they should be topped with a chimney cap. A chimney cap prevent water from running down your chimney flues when it rains or snows.

Why do chimney chase covers need to be replaced?

If you didn’t choose a custom chimney chase cover when your fireplace and chimney were installed, chances are your chimney is topped with a galvanized steel chimney chase cover. While a galvanized chimney chase cover will do a fine job of keeping water from running down your chimney, they are prone to break down over time. Chimney chase covers made from galvanized steel generally have a five-year lifespan. After that, they begin to rust, corrode or crack. When they begin to breakdown, it can cause ugly rust streaks to stain the sides of your chimney or home. This can open your chimney and home up to the rest of the world to potential water damage and other threats.

How do you know if your chimney chase cover needs to be replaced?

To catch damage to your chimney chase cover before it can allow water to damage your home, you should be keeping a close eye on your chimney chase cover. During your annual chimney sweeping and inspection, be sure to ask your chimney sweep about the health of your chimney chase cover. Between chimney inspections, beware of signs that your chimney chase cover is breaking down. Look for streaks of discoloration on your chimney’s exterior. Inside your home, look for puddles of what within your firebox, rust or water damage to your fireplace damper and doors and moisture stains on the walls or ceiling around your chimney.

What are your options for replacing your chimney chase cover?

If your chimney chase cover is no longer protecting your chimney from water damage, you should invest in a chimney chase cover. If you’re looking for a durable chimney chase cover that will keep your chimney protected for decades, choose from beautiful copper or stainless steel chimney chase covers from us. Both of our stainless steel and copper chimney chase covers are durable, and they add a beautiful, high-end touch to your home.

If your chimney chase cover is no longer protecting your chimney, get it replaced before water seriously damage your home. Call the Chimney Care Co. to schedule an appointment to discuss a chimney chase cover replacement today!

Does Your Chimney Need a New Chase Top?

One of the greatest benefits of a prefabricated chimney system, particularly a gas-burning one, is the low maintenance factor. Often, homeowners forget that their easy-to-use prefabricated hearths require some regular care, and often the care these systems need is a new chimney chase cover. Neglecting your chase top can lead to serious problems for your chimney and your home. But what is a chimney chase top and how does it protect your chimney system? How do you know if your chimney requires a new chimney chase cover?

Your chimney chase top serves as a lid to your chimney system. It encloses the very top of your chimney, leaving room for individual flues to exit your home while providing a seal for the chimney. It keeps water, debris and animals from entering your home’s prefabricated chimney. If your chimney chase top is in decaying and in need of replacement, it can allow water, animals, and debris to enter your chimney, where they can cause serious damage over time. If your chimney chase top needs to be replaced, your chimney sweep should alert you during your annual chimney sweeping and inspection. Your chimney also might be sending you some signs that your chase cover needs to be replaced, such as:

Rust Stains

Most chimney chase covers are made of metal, or more specifically, steel. The first sign of breakdown for these metal chimney chase covers is usually rust. You might be able to spot rust forming on your chimney chase cover, or you might notice brownish-orange streaks or rust streaming down the sides of your chimney from the chase cover. While the rust itself isn’t a danger, rust means your chimney chase cover is breaking down. Eventually, your rusting chimney chase cover will form holes that can let water or animals access your chimney and cause damage.

Water Entering Your Home

Water enters your chimney through holes and cracks in the chase cover. You might notice water pooling on your fireplace floor, rust forming on your fireplace doors or grates, or water spots forming on your walls or ceiling. Address signs of water entering your home immediately, as they can cause major damage to your chimney and your home’s infrastructure.

Water Pooling on the Chase Cover

Some chase covers have been improperly constructed and for that reason alone need to be replaced. An improperly constructed chimney chase cover doesn’t do its job of diverting water away from the chimneys opening. Instead, it can allow water to flow back into your chimney flue or pool on top of the chase cover.

If you think you need a chimney chase cover replacement, don’t wait to call! A damaged or deteriorating chimney chase cover can lead to severe water damage. This can obviously cost you serious time and money in repairs in the future. If you need a new chimney chase cover, call the Chimney Care Co. to schedule your appointment today!

By Jeff Keefer | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment

Replacing Your Chimney Chase Cover

When it comes to keeping your chimney and fireplace system safe and sound, keeping water out should be your No. 1 priority. When water is allowed to make its way into your chimney, it can damage your flue liner; rust your replacing-your-chimney-chase-cover-img-cincinnati-oh-chimney-care-codamper, firebox or fireplace doors; or even cause water damage to the walls and ceilings that abut your chimney.

If you have a manufactured fireplace, your chimney top should be enclosed with a chimney chase cover. Each fall, as you prepare your chimney for the fire-burning season, it’s important to make sure that your chase cover is firmly in place and damage free. If your chase top is corroding, it’s crucial that you have your chase cover replaced.

What is a chimney chase cover?

Unless you have visited your roof, you’ve likely never seen your chimney chase cover. It’s a flat metal box that encloses the top of your chimney. It should be fitted with a chimney cap that allows smoke to escape the flue while keeping water from running down the chimney flue.

What does a chimney chase cover do?

Your chimney chase cover should seal your chimney’s chase. That is, the box framing that surrounds your prefabricated chimney. The chase cover prevents water, animals and debris from entering the chimney flue. It also keeps water from seeping down between the sides of the chimney and the sides of the chase, which can cause water damage to your home’s structure.

Why do chimney chase covers need to be replaced?

Like anything, chimney chase tops will wear down over time. When homes are built or fireplaces or heating stoves installed, contractors often will keep costs low by installing the cheapest possible materials. Because of that, many chase covers are made from cheap galvanized metal. That metal breaks down within the span of about five years, rusting and corroding and failing to keep out water.

How can you tell if your chimney chase cap needs to be replaced?

Often, the first sign of a failing chimney chase top is a water leak within your chimney. If your chimney chase cap has developed a hole or crack, you might notice water pooling within your firebox, rust around your damper or a discolored wall or ceiling near your chimney. To avoid a leaking chimney, it’s important to have your chimney inspected annually! Your chimney technician will check your chimney chase cover and warn you of any signs of weakness.

What should I look for in a new chimney chase top?

At The Chimney Care Co. we recommend installing a chimney chase cap made from a durable metal that will protect your chimney for years to come. We install chimney caps made from stainless steel or copper, both of which will provide a beautiful finish to your chimney and keep your chimney dry.

If you’ve noticed water leaks in your chimney, if you’ve noticed rust or corrosion on your chimney chase cap, or if you are due for your annual chimney sweeping and inspection, call The Chimney Care Co. to schedule an appointment today.

By Jeff Keefer | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment

The Importance of the Chimney Chase Cover

chimney_chase_cover_chimney_care_company_cincinnati_ohChase covers fit over the top, outer opening of your chimney. These covers are designed to keep precipitation, debris and animals out of your chimney and are custom made to fit your specific application; it’s similar to the lid on a shoebox. Buying a chase cover is extremely important and absolutely necessary to the life and maintenance of your chimney and your home. Because of its job function, a chase cover is more than an option; it’s a necessity!

Material Options for Every Budget… 

Everyone loves knowing that they have options. For those of you in the market for a new chase cover, you’ve got options, too. Chase cover materials run the gamut and can accommodate all budgets: galvanized steel, aluminum, copper and stainless steel. Galvanized steel covers are the least expensive; unfortunately, they rust quickly and need to be replaced within a few years. Aluminum covers don’t have the same rusting issues as their galvanized counterparts, however they’re not typically used for this function simply because the metal is too soft.

Copper is, by far, the highest quality choice and is accompanied by the largest price tag as well; if you’re in the market for that type of look (and can afford the additional cost associated with it), you can’t go wrong with copper. Stainless steel is the strongest of the four materials. It costs a bit more up front than galvanized steel, however, the mere fact that it won’t rust and should never need to be replaced again more than makes up for the increased initial investment.

Never Trust the Rust…

Many homeowners do not notice that their chase cover has begun to rust. This is because it’s all the way up on top of the chimney, which isn’t exactly the easiest place to see. Sometimes it’s easier to spot a rusted chase cover after it has rained. This is due to the fact that when the water runs off of the chimney cap and down the sides of your chimney, it carries the rust down the sides with it, leaving stains and discoloration.

It is your responsibility as a homeowner to have this problem repaired as quickly as possible to prevent more significant damage from occurring to the chimney system. If rust damage isn’t repaired, the middle of the cover may begin to sink in, which will lead to an accumulation of water, leaves, and other debris. This buildup puts more stress on your already damaged cover and could cause it to cave in completely, thereby exposing the inner workings of your chimney system to the elements.

If you’re in the market for a chase cover for your chimney — either as a replacement for a damaged cover or as an enhancement for your chimney — contact the professionals at Chimney Care Company. Our professional technicians will inspect your entire chimney system and, if necessary, will properly fit a chase cover to your chimney’s exact dimensions to ensure that it is properly sealed from the elements. Your home is an investment, and we want to help you protect it. No matter what your chimney or vent needs, contact us today. We look forward to serving you!

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Chimney Care Company | 413 Wards Corner Road, Loveland, Ohio 45140