How Chimney Caps Protect Your Chimney & Home

Chimney caps are devices that sit on the top of a chimney to give the structure a nice finishing touch. But more importantly, they’re devices that provide protection against all kinds of damages and problems.

Chimney Sweeps Inc. of Lakeside, CA, would like to tell you about some of the key ways that a chimney cap can safeguard your chimney and fireplace system.

First, some terminology

Several different devices are often generically referred to as “chimney caps”:

• Full-width caps that cover the entire top of the chimney
• Flue covers that cover only the flue opening
• Top-mount chimney dampers that function similarly to fireplace dampers while providing the protection of a full-width cap
• Chimney chase tops, or chase covers, which protect the top area of a chimney chase used to draft a manufactured fireplace

For the sake of clarity here, we’ll be talking about full-width chimney caps unless otherwise noted.

The purpose of a chimney cap

A quality chimney cap does a lot more than you may realize.

Prevent water damage

An open flue top will allow rain to move right in. This can result in damage to the chimney liner, fireplace damper, firebox, and other parts of the system.

Another serious problem with water intruding through the top of the chimney is mold, which thrives in dark, damp, and poorly ventilated spaces. In time, mold spores can get airborne and spread throughout your home.

Prevent animal intrusion

Rodents, squirrels, birds, raccoons, and other small animals like to shelter inside chimneys. With no chimney cap in place, these critters can get into your chimney and build nests, which can create a drafting obstruction that sends smoke and deadly carbon monoxide into your home.

Occasionally, animals die in the chimney, adding to the obstruction and creating a horrible smell.

Prevent the escape of sparks from the top of the chimney

Sparks and fiery embers sometimes rise through the chimney flue. A proper chimney cap with a solid top and mesh sides will contain most or all of these sparks and embers and keep them off your roof and out of your yard.

Should a chimney fire occur, the chimney cap becomes even more valuable in keeping damaging particles from spewing out the top of your chimney. (Note that even a small chimney fire that goes unnoticed can shoot sparks and embers from a chimney.)

Prevent water damage to the chimney crown

A final protection offered by full-width chimney caps is keeping water out of cracks in the concrete chimney crown, which is the slab that covers the top of the chimney minus the flue opening. Water can eat through a crown and cause damage throughout the chimney and fireplace system.

Our recommendation

Since 1985, Chimney Sweeps Inc. has served San Diego County homeowners with a full menu of chimney repair and rebuilding services. We’ve seen firsthand the damage that open chimney tops can cause, and we’ve worked with every type of device that can be called a “chimney cap.”

If you have a standard masonry chimney, our recommendation is to install a full-width, custom chimney cap and not to rely on a simple flue cover. 

Contact your Lakeside CA chimney experts

If it’s time to install a new chimney cap or fix the damage that an old or missing cap has caused, we’re standing by to help. Reach us by phone or through our contact form.