The Purpose and Function of a Chimney Cap

Determining whether or not you need a chimney cap can be a confusing task if you are not really sure of the purpose of a chimney cap. While many believe a chimney cap is just a stylish addition to your chimney, it actually serves some very important purposes that can save plenty of money and effort in the long term. Continue reading to learn more about the purpose and function of a chimney cap.

Prevents Animals

One of the most important purposes and functions of a chimney cap is that it keeps animals out of your chimney. Often, squirrels, bats, and birds may decide to make your chimney their home. This might not seem like a problem, but it is important to understand that dead animals, live animals, or their nests can create a chimney fire, which can potentially cause your whole house to burn. In addition, you could even have these animals or their young start to enter your home by coming down through the fireplace. Clearly, this is a terrible thing to get started in your home, so it is important to keep a chimney cap on your chimney at all times to keep nuisance animals out. 

Prevent Moisture

When you have a chimney, keeping out water in all its forms might seem like an impossible feat. And, in a way, it is. With that being said, if you have a chimney cap, you will be able to keep out a vast majority of the moisture, which is excellent to be able to do. Chimney caps prevent a majority of hard rains, heavy snows, and ice accumulation from getting into your chimney. This is important, as moisture in chimneys can be very bad. Often, this moisture gets into small cracks in the masonry, and the repeated freezing and thawing of the water can cause larger cracks to form. This never-ending cycle will eventually end up crumbling all of the masonries, creating a big problem to fix. In addition, more moisture means there is a greater chance that molds begin growing in your home, which can potentially be very serious and cost a lot of money to take care of.

Prevent Wind

Since chimneys are sticking straight up into the air, generally higher than the home around them, they can create some problems. In many cases, the wind will create downdrafts, depending on the wind speed and direction. These downdrafts of cold or hot air might not seem like a big deal, but over time they can cost you large sums of money. Downdrafts in cold weather will make your house colder, and downdrafts in warm weather will warm your home. This will lead to your heating system or air conditioning having to run harder, using up more energy, which will cost you more money over time. A chimney cap is an excellent way to prevent these downdrafts from occurring. Obviously, there will still be airflow, but it will be very negligible and will not impact your energy bills in a noticeable way. If you live in a very windy area, it is important to pick out a chimney cap that will stand up to the wind.

Why buy a chimney cap from Master Caps?

If you have decided to purchase a chimney cap upon reading this article, look no further than Master Caps. Here at Master Caps, we take high-quality, built-to-last chimney caps seriously. We are so serious that we even offer a transferable limited lifetime guarantee on every chimney cap we produce. Master Caps produces a wide variety of chimney caps that fit every style, budget, and need you may have.