Black Chimney CapBlack Chimney Cap: A Sign of Greater Troubles
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Do you have a black chimney cap? If you do then you may have some problems with your fireplace that you should consider repairing as soon as possible. While there may not be much of a problem now with your chimney, a black chimney cap is a sign that too little oxygen is getting into your fire and that it is failing to burn efficiently. This will be costing your money by increasing your fuel bill because you will not be getting the most heat possible out of your fire, but there are other problems that may arise and a black chimney cap is the first sign.
A well burning fire should be well oxygenated and should produce very little smoke. The blackness that you seen on your chimney cap will most likely be caused by a build up of creosote or soot. This is a problem because creosote is flammable if you are seeing it around your black chimney cap, you can be pretty sure that it will also be building up inside your chimney.
The danger of a black chimney cap depends on how you burn your fuel. You may be using a stove such as a wood burning stove, or you may be using a simple open fire. In either case, the problem has the same causes. You can reduce the amount of creosote that is being caused by improving the air supply to your fire or by changing your fuel. If you burn wood, then you really have to make sure that you are burning well seasoned, dry wood. This means that the wood has been stored above ground and covered for up to a year. It should be thoroughly dry and you should certainly not be burning any green wood.
If you have a stove, then the black chimney caps will be more worrying as not only do you run the risk of a chimney fire, but you may also be doing irreparable damage to your stove that will cost you a lot to replace. If your chimney has a damper then the very first thing you should do is check that it is completely open. Many people like to keep their damper partially closed as they think they are saving fuel by causing it to burn more slowly. However, the lack of oxygen means that a lot of smoke and creosote is being caused, and this results in the black chimney cap that you notice.
There is also the possibility that a black chimney cap is nothing to worry about and is simply the result of years of fire. In this case, a good cleaning will take care of the problem. |
