Even Unused Fireplaces Need a Chimney Cap

The strange thing about chimney caps is that they are essential and therefore don’t really qualify as mere accessories. Whether you use your fireplace frequently or never at all, having a chimney cap installed is an important part of home security and maintenance. Is your chimney missing a chimney cap? If so, get your finger ready to dial the number for a trusted chimney sweep company to provide chimney cap installation as you read the following benefits of these invaluable accessories.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

A chimney cap installed on the top of your flue will prevent rain, snow, sleet, and hail from falling directly into your chimney. Moisture wreaks havoc on chimneys in many different ways. Chimney caps do the important job of keeping the moisture from flowing right into your chimney system.

Moisture inside a chimney liner can mix with the toxic properties in creosote and cause deterioration. Moisture can also cause rusting of the damper and components of the firebox. Mold and bacteria can form in your chimney because moisture and the warmth inside a chimney provide an environment that attracts their formation and growth.

Animals Not Welcome!

A chimney without a chimney cap is an open invitation for critters to go inside and make themselves at home. Animals and their nests, such as bats, raccoons, snakes, squirrels, and birds are found in many chimneys each year.

Problems animals can cause in chimneys include:

• Building nests that cause a hazardous obstruction
• Leaving behind toxic waste
• Causing an unbelievably bad odor (as a result of being unable to get back out and therefore dying)

In order to keep animals out, a chimney cap must include mesh.

Block Other Obstructions

If you doubt that debris could enter your chimney, consider the way leaves, branches, and twigs tend to clog gutters regularly. Adding a chimney cap can block these obstructions from occurring. Without a chimney cap, however, your chimney could be obstructed without your knowledge. As a matter of fact, this type of thing happens to homeowners every year. Thousands of home fires are caused by obstructed chimneys. Although creosote buildup is the most common cause, debris resulting from the lack of a chimney cap causes hazardous fires, as well.

Halt Spark Hazards

The mesh on a chimney cap can also prevent embers from escaping the chimney flue and starting a fire. It’s normal for sparks to fly up as fires are burning. With the installation of a chimney cap with a spark arrestor, you can help prevent a chimney fire from igniting your roof or nearby combustibles.

Provide Extra Protection

You can increase the potential benefits of your chimney cap by choosing to have an outside-mount custom chimney cap installed. The chimney crown at the top of the chimney, which resembles cement, is highly vulnerable to moisture damage. Chimney crowns frequently need to be repaired or replaced, but such expenses can be deferred by protecting the chimney crown with an outside-mount custom chimney cap. An added bonus is that outside-mount chimney caps will provide your home with enhanced aesthetics.

Contact Guardian Chimney Sweeps Today!

With all of the advantages named above, preventing backdrafts hasn’t even been mentioned! It is no joke that chimney caps are essential. Contact the trusted CSIA-certified chimney sweep technicians at Guardian Chimney Sweeps today. We offer high-quality, affordable chimney sweep services, from chimney inspections to chimney cleaning, chimney repairs, masonry repairs, chimney rebuilds, and more. Chimney cap installation is among our areas of expertise. At one of the numbers below, give Guardian Chimney Sweeps a call today for chimney cap installation, even if you never use your fireplace!

Toll-free: (888) 306-6069

Conroe: (936) 271-9781

Houston: (713) 401-2011