If you're putting the finishing touches on a new home or reviewing your winterizing checklist for an older home, an important detail to keep in mind is the chimney cap. Whether you need to recap an existing chimney or choose the best one for new construction, you can avoid headaches down the road by making sure your house has a dependable chimney cap in place now. One prerequisite of any chimney cap you buy should be that it comes with some sort of quality guarantee, whether it's for three years or a lifetime. If the manufacturer isn't willing to stand behind their product for any period of time, then that should be seen as a major red flag. Check out the competition as fast as your Internet browser will allow.
Chimney caps are typically available in stainless steel, black galvanized steel, and copper. The size of the chimney cap is often determined by the outside width and length of the flue. Since flue dimensions can range from six to 22 inches, it's necessary to take accurate measurements before ordering. Most of the time, multi-flue chimney caps can be purchased to solve the challenge of covering odd-sized, multiple, or unlined flues.
Not only do chimney caps help keep unwanted stuff out of your chimney, like animals, snow, and rain; but they also play a role in keeping flying sparks and ashes off your roof.
You also have the option of choosing a spark screen with a more tightly-knit mesh; although with the exception of California, it's not a requirement. The state of California, and possibly other areas, have stricter spark arrestor codes that require chimney cap spark screens to have a 5/8 inch mesh, as opposed to the more standard ¾ inch screen mesh.
If you've been encountering chimney backdraft problems, there are chimney caps on the market that are designed to correct that condition. Vacu Stack wind caps, for example, not only have the effect of stopping downdrafts and wind-related back-puffing, but it helps draw air out of the chimney by increasing the upward draft. Another solution to most chimney draft problems is the Exhausto Fan, which includes a bird screen, a fan speed control, and a pre-wired junction box. From an energy consumption standpoint, the device does not use much more energy than a household light bulb. Another approach to reducing chimney backdraft problems is by installing a flue stretcher chimney cap. By extending the height of chimney flues by up to two feet, these stainless steel and copper flue stretcher chimney tops help reduce downdrafts and improve upward air flow.
Decorative chimney caps are available in a variety of sizes and shapes to enhance the outside appearance of your home. One approach to adding visual interest to a roof, while reducing chimney backdraft problems, is the use of copper chimney pots. Prices could be in the vicinity of $800 to $850. Attractive designs include octagon, square, and cone-shaped copper chimney pots, all of which are approximately three feet tall.
At $1300 to $1800, European copper chimney pots by Jack Arnold are at the upper end of the price scale. However, for people with palatial homes and a hefty budget, these antique-looking chimney caps will undoubtedly enhance the architecture of the house and the overall aesthetics of the property.
So whether you want to spend $59.95 on a basic, stainless steel chimney cap or $1799.95 on a fancy European-style copper chimney pot, you'll be accomplishing a similar set of objectives: keeping wildlife out of your chimney, adding a "finishing touch" to the look of your chimney, and, in some cases, controlling chimney backdraft. It all depends on your budget, the design of your house, and what kind of statement you'd like to make with your chimney cap.
