Chimney Care Company's Blog

Reasons to Invest in a Chimney Cap

One of the best places to invest in your chimney happens to sit on top, likely out of sight and out of mind. If you’re looking to protect your home and your chimney from serious and costly damage, you should invest in a chimney cap. Here’s why.

Protect your chimney from water damage

The No. 1 reason to invest in a chimney cap for your home is to protect your chimney and fireplace from water damage. Without a chimney cap in place, rain, sleet and snow all fall freely into your chimney. Water in your chimney can weaken chimney liners. It can cause cracks in masonry chimney liners and rust in metal ones. Water coming in through your chimney also can rust and damage your damper, fireplace doors, and fireplace grate. Water can damage your firebox’s masonry or metal components, as well. An investment in a chimney cap can save you from having to invest in repairing water damage to your fireplace and chimney.

Keep birds and animals out

An open chimney serves as an invitation to birds and animals seeking warmth and shelter from the elements. At a minimum, a cap-free chimney can result in a bird or bat flapping noisily around your chimney or finding its way into your home. On a more serious note, birds or animals can build nests in the chimney that block the chimney’s flue and pose fire hazards. Or, the animal itself can find its way into your home to cause damage and threaten you, your family or your pets. A chimney cap secured with a cage surround can prevent animals from entering your chimney and causing damage or other problems.

Block downdrafts

Sudden gusts of wind through your chimney can chill your home or cause ashes and embers to come bursting out of your fireplace. A chimney cap blocks downdrafts from chilling your home, forcing smoke from your fireplace back into your home or causing a spray of embers from your fireplace.

Stop debris from entering the chimney

When the wind blows, it’s not just drafts that can find their way into your chimney. Leaves, branches, and other debris can blow into your chimney. Once inside, the debris in your chimney can cause blockages that can combust and cause a fire hazard, or that can prevent smoke and carbon monoxide from exiting your home safely through your chimney. A chimney cap with a wire surround can block debris from entering your chimney.

If your chimney cap is missing or damaged, or it’s not made from a durable material like stainless steel or copper, it’s time to protect your chimney, your fireplace, and your home by investing in a chimney cap. Call the Chimney Care Co. to learn about your chimney cap options today!

Water damaged chimney? We repair them!

The Chimney Safety Institute of America has deemed water a chimney’s No. 1 enemy. That’s because nothing can damage a chimney like water. When water makes its way into your chimney, it can damage every chimney component, from the masonry chimney structure, flue liner and firebox to the metal damper, fire grate and fireplace doors. Protecting your chimney from water damage means knowing how water can damage a chimney and spotting and repairing water damage as quickly as possible.

How Water Damages A Chimney

Masonry is porous. When your masonry chimney is hit with rain, sleet or snow, it absorbs the moisture. When temperatures drop, the water within the masonry freezes and expands, causing the mortar, bricks and cement to crack and crumble.

Some common victims of masonry chimney damage include:

• Chimney crowns.
  Cracked chimney crowns are incredible common, especially if the chimney crown wasn’t constructed from the right materials to begin with.
• Mortar.
  One of the most common signs of chimney water damage is crumbling mortar. Mortar crumbling from in between chimney joints is unsightly, and it can weaken your chimney structure.
• Chimney bricks.
  Moisture making its way into your chimney bricks can cause the faces of the bricks to fall or crumble away.
• Flue tiles and fire box bricks.
  When water manages to make its way into your chimney’s interior, it can cause cracking and spalling of the tile chimney flue liners and the bricks that line your firebox.

Water that invades your chimney’s interior also can cause problems with the metal components of the chimney. It can cause chimney dampers and fireplace doors to rust and stick in place, and it can cause fire grates to rust away.

What To Do About Chimney Water Damage

If you’ve noticed signs of water damage in your chimney, the Chimney Care Co. can help! We repair chimney water damage! If you see signs of a chimney leak or signs of water damage, it’s crucial to call in the professionals immediately! When chimney water damage is ignored, the problem can grow and intensify. Your overall chimney structure can become weak and unsafe, and water leaking in through the chimney can spread to the abutting home structure, causing wood rot and mold.

The Chimney Care Co. also can help you stop chimney damage before it starts.

We can protect your chimney from water damage in several ways, including:

• Installing a chimney cap.
  Chimney caps are the best defense against water damage. Chimney caps ensure that water doesn’t flow down the interior of your chimney.
• Making sure your chimney crown is properly constructed.
  Chimney crowns are meant to direct water away from your chimney flue and keep water from running down the sides of your chimney, but they are often improperly constructed and fail to perform their functions. An improperly constructed chimney crown should be rebuilt to protect your chimney from water damage.
• Waterproofing.
  One of the best ways to protect your chimney from water damage is with a waterproofing treatment. Chimney waterproofing blocks moisture from entering your chimney’s masonry while still allowing your chimney to breath.

If you see signs of water damage on your chimney or if you’d like to protect your chimney from water damage, call the Chimney Care Co. to schedule an appointment today!