Although you may be familiar with chimney flue caps, you may be wondering what benefits they offer. Besides giving your chimney flue a completed look, flue caps keep your chimney functional and safe so you can keep the home fires burning.
What Is A Flue Cap?
A flue cap is placed over and attached to a chimney flue. A flue is a pipe, tile, or opening in a chimney through which flue gasses are carried out of your home and away from the fire or furnace.
In older homes, the flue meant the chimney and could be made of clay to line a masonry style chimney. Older homes may have more than one flue in the chimney to connect to a woodstove, fireplace, or furnace. This means your chimney may need a multi-cap option.
In newer homes a flue is often a metal pipe(s) coming out of a roof to promote ventilation and release carbon dioxide gas from the home. The flue cap may cover a single pipe or duct and is made of the same metal as the pipe to minimize corrosion from dissimilar metals.
Why Are Flue Caps Beneficial?
If chimney flues are left uncovered damage can be caused to both your flue and your home. Flue caps are an inexpensive method to prevent chimney deterioration to keep your flue functioning properly.
A well-fitted flue cap protects your chimney from weather elements such as rain, and snow. Without a cap, these elements cause unnecessary wear and tear on your flue and can make it unsafe to use. Just like great, great-grandma when she made soap for cleaning, she used a mixture of lye and potash. When moisture mixes with creosote it makes lye which can “eat” the mortar joints between flue tiles or begin to stress the metal of the flue pipe.
Flue caps prevent small animals, birds and Mr. or Mrs. Raccoon from making their home or nest inside your chimney. When critters such as raccoons enter through an open chimney they can create a hazard. Or worse, cause damage to the interior of your home.
These caps help prevent downdrafts which make your fire burn safer and more efficiently while in use.
How Do I Install A Flue Cap?
Consult a chimney professional to determine the right size and solution for your system(s). Some caps are easy to replace while some chimneys may require extra work to close the opening and allow for proper drafting. A chimney professional can inspect your flue to assess if damage has taken place as well as sweep your chimney to remove the creosote or build-up caused by the debris.
Keep your chimney flue protected by making sure it’s properly covered with a flue cap. If you need help with your chimney, contact the local Colorado Springs chimney experts at Dr. SOOT. We’ll fix your flue and make sure your chimney is in top shape! Check out our services for more information
