Your chimney system consists of several important components that keep your chimney functioning safely and effectively, and one of these components is a chimney cap. Without a chimney cap, your chimney is vulnerable to animal intrusions and water leaks. Chimney caps also provide other advantages that include chimney draft improvement. Over our years of working on chimneys in the Charleston area, Ashbusters have seen a lot of uncapped chimneys. We have also performed many repairs of issues that would not have occurred if a chimney cap had been installed on top of the chimney. To inform you of why you need a chimney cap, we would like to tell you more about its functions.
A chimney cap keeps water out of your chimney.
Preventing water penetration is one of the most important things you can do to prolong the life of your chimney, and the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) recommends a chimney cap as the least expensive preventive measure you can take to keep water out of your chimney. If your chimney is uncapped, your chimney is an open hole on your roof that allows water from rain and melted snow to easily enter your home. A chimney cap helps you avoid extensive and expensive water damage to your chimney.
A chimney cap prevents wild animals from getting into your chimney.
Due to construction and development, more and more trees are being cut down, which leads to birds, squirrels, raccoons, and other wild animals choosing chimneys as nesting spots. These wild animals not only bring debris and disease into your chimney, but they can also cause quite a bit of damage. A chimney cap that is equipped with mesh metal sides keeps these critters from being able to enter your chimney.
A chimney cap stops hot sparks and embers from jumping out of the top of your chimney.
The mesh metal sides on a chimney cap can do more than just keep wild animals out of your chimney; they can also prevent hot sparks and embers from exiting your chimney. This greatly reduces your risk of an accidental roof fire. You will also be preventing a brush fire being ignited by a hot spark or ember.
A chimney cap improves your chimney draft.
If you have been having problems with the draft in your chimney, a chimney cap that is equipped with side vents can take care of this issue. The vents will direct how wind flows into your chimney so that it creates a draft that helps to pull the exhaust out of your home.
Improve the performance and prolong the life of your chimney with a chimney cap. Contact us at Ashbusters to learn more about our professional chimney cap sales and installation services.