Our Company Blog

The importance of a chimney cap

One of your chimney’s most important components sits at the very top, where you likely don’t see it or think about it. The chimney cap may be out of sight and out of mind, but it plays an important role in protecting your chimney from water damage. As such, it’s important that you make sure your chimney cap is firmly in place and in good repair.

Your chimney cap wears many hats

Your chimney cap sits at the very top of your chimney’s flue. In most cases, it is a metal cap attached to the top of your chimney with a wire cage. While a chimney cap’s primary role is to keep water from flowing down the walls of your flue and causing damage to the chimney liner, firebox, damper and other portions of your fireplace and chimney, it actually serves several other purposes as well.

While the top of your chimney cap diverts water and prevents strong downdrafts from entering your chimney, the metal caging that supports it is equally as important. The caging prevents animals and birds from entering your chimney, where they can build nests or become trapped and die. The caging also prevents leaves, twigs and other debris from entering and blocking the chimney. Blocked chimneys can cause all sorts of problems, including improper drafting, a backflow of carbon monoxide and even chimney fires.

The caging also helps to keep things in. Without it, sparks or still burning embers would be able to rise out of your chimney. Those embers can land on your roof or on nearby vegetation and ignite fires. 

Know your chimney cap

Because your chimney cap is so important, it is important not to forget about it high upon your rooftop. While most chimneys are fitted with chimney caps, those chimney caps can become dislodged over time, or they can rust or corrode. If your chimney cap is missing, in disrepair, or improperly fitted or installed it can pose a risk to your chimney and your home.

The only real way to know the status of your chimney cap is to visit your roof and inspect it. If you are unable to do so safely, your chimney sweep should inspect your chimney cap during your annual sweeping and inspection. Your sweep should inform you if your chimney cap is missing or in poor condition, and he or she should recommend and be willing to install a replacement if needed. If you are concerned, remember to ask your sweep about your chimney cap before he or she visits your rooftop.

If you need a sweep to inspect your chimney and your chimney cap, call Your Chimney Sweep today! We’ll make sure your chimney cap is in good repair and keeping your chimney safe.

Signs of chimney masonry damage to look for

Winter is hard on your chimney’s masonry, as it endures the heat of your fires, the winter’s freezing temperatures and moisture from rain, snow, sleet and ice. As spring brings warmer temperatures, you should be on the lookout for some common signs of chimney masonry damage.

Chimney discoloration

Staining along the outside walls of your chimney can be one of the first signs that your chimney is absorbing and retaining moisture. Generally, the discoloration will show up as white resident, called efflorescence, along the outer walls of your chimney. You also should be on the lookout for rust streaks down the sides of your chimney, a sign that your chimney cap is corroding and wearing down.

Spalling bricks

One of the most obvious signs of masonry water damage comes in the form of spalling bricks. Spalling occurs when moisture makes its way into the porous surfaces of the bricks and freezes, causing the faces of the bricks to crumble away. That break down of chimney bricks can lead to an overall breakdown of your chimney’s structure.

Crumbling mortar

One of the most common masonry repairs comes when mortar joints break down. You’ll notice the mortar crumbling away, leaving gaps in between the bricks. This can be fixed relatively easily with a service called tuckpointing, but if left unchecked, crumbling mortar can cause your chimney to fail.

Shaling flue tiles

If you have a masonry chimney liner, constructed of clay tiles, they can crack and crumble over time, due to the high temperatures of your fireplace and exposure to moisture. A dead giveaway that your chimney flue tiles are shaling will be the presence of pieces of chimney tiles in the bottom of your firebox.

Cracked fireplace masonry

Just like your flue tiles, the bricks of your masonry fireplace can crack or crumble due to heat and moisture. While some small cracks won’t compromise your chimney, eventually cracks will need to be repaired as they expand or become more numerous.

Failing chimney crown

Your chimney crown is the masonry component that surrounds the top of your chimney. Too often, chimney crowns are improperly constructed from mortar, rather than concrete. That leaves them susceptible to cracks and crumbling, which can allow water to make its way into your chimney flue, or allow water to flow down the outer bricks of your chimney and put them at risk for water damage.

Damaged walls and ceilings

While it may not look like a masonry problem, stained walls, peeling wallpaper and sagging ceilings inside your home, along the wall your chimney’s on, can be a sign that water is seeping into your chimney’s masonry. Eventually, that water can make its way into your home’s structure and cause damage to your walls, ceilings and joists.

This spring, we encourage you to take a walk around your chimney and look for signs of potential masonry damage so you have time to have it repaired and addressed before you’re ready for your next fire in the fall. If you notice any signs of masonry damage, call Your Chimney Sweep today! We’ll help you strategize and carry out needed repairs.