Stainless Steel Chimney Cap

Typically, a company that makes and sells the stainless steel chimney cap has a wide range of choices in stock. This means the standard size shapes and sizes, along with some customized caps are already in inventory so you do not have to wait for something to be special ordered. To protect the chimney from animals looking for a warm/cool place to go, or leaves and other debris from the wind, the stainless steel chimney cap usually has a mesh screen.

When you shop around for the right stainless steel chimney cap, we do recommend you consider one with a removable lid. The reason is that this will provide you with easier access to the inside of the chimney for inspection and/or cleaning. Additionally, talk to the professional installer to see if the stainless steel chimney cap will attach to the mortar crown surrounding the flue. The reason this question is important in that this type of installation provides the best possible protection.

Many times, a stainless steel chimney cap can be installed by the homeowner, as long as proper measurements were taken and the installation completed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. In fact, many fireplace and home improvement stores now offer weekend courses for various home projects. Therefore, if you want to do the work yourself, it might be worth your time to seek out one of these courses to learn the exact steps for installing the cap properly. After all, with proper installation, you are protecting your home from animals and fallen debris that can create clogs in the chimney. The problem here is that when a fire is started in the fireplace, the material in the chimney can catch fire, creating a dangerous situation.

The type of chimney you have will determine the exact stainless steel chimney cap needed. For example, if you have a metal chimney, a cap is needed since there is no place for rain to go in this type of chimney. In other words, without using a cap, you would find the rain running directly into your fireplace, making a huge mess. In addition, a metal chimney is designed from two, possibly three layers of metal with insulation in between. Therefore, if a cap is not used, moisture and/or water seep in between the layers, which will actually cause the chimney to fail much earlier than anticipated.

Finally, for a masonry chimney, using a stainless steel chimney cap has both pros and cons. One of the potential problems is that if the cap is not designed and installed correctly, you could experience a problem with draft restriction. Then, you want to make sure the protection screen on the cap is of adequate size to avoid becoming clogged. As mentioned, a stainless steel chimney cap also has a number of benefits to include keeping animals and birds out of the chimney, helping eliminate the buildup of moisture and/or rain in the chimney, increasing draft, and keeping ice and rain away from the chimney crown, thus extending its life.