What Are the Most Common Chimney Problems?

Chimneys are an excellent feature of any house, as they provide a nice place to get warm in front of the fireplace and enjoy the crackling fire in the colder months. While chimneys might be found in many homes, they can cause a lot of problems. Luckily, many of these problems can be remedied with one simple fix. Continue reading to learn more about common chimney problems and how they can be prevented.

Blockage

The blockage of a chimney can take place in a variety of ways. In most cases, an animal has gotten down into the chimney and died, set up a home, or is currently having its young there. The most common chimney-dwelling animals are bats, birds, and squirrels. In addition to animals, blockages can occur from other sources as well. Leaves, sticks, and other debris can fall into chimneys and be built up over time, particularly if the fireplace has not been used for a while. This can lead to many serious complications. The most serious of all would be the potential for a fire. Here is a great resource to learn about early signs of a chimney fire at chimneykings.com. If a chimney catches on fire, it could potentially burn down the entire house or building, as many homes that have chimneys tend to be older and are made of more flammable building materials. If it does not cause a fire, it could still cause carbon monoxide poisoning and smoking up the entire home. Each of these can be very dangerous for human life.

Deterioration

In perfect situations, masonry work on chimneys can last a very long time. The problem is that most circumstances are not perfect and there is weather and many other problems that can cause the deterioration of masonry much more quickly. One of the most common reasons for rapid deterioration has to do with moisture. When there is rain or snow, it will get into chimneys. While it might not seem like a big deal, it will get into small, barely visible cracks within the masonry. When it freezes and thaws repeatedly, the cracks get larger and larger, eventually leading to a complete collapse of the masonry. Rain and snow are very hard on chimneys if they are not properly protected.

Downdrafts

While it is not a problem with the chimney itself, it is a problem that is caused by chimneys. Since there is virtually always even a slight wind in many areas, there is the potential for a downdraft in your chimney. Particularly when there is cold weather, downdrafts are noticeable. A downdraft of wind, whether it is summer or winter, can cause great amounts of money to be lost by homeowners over a long period of time. This is due to the downdraft causing your home to either heat up or get colder, which makes your air conditioning or heating system work harder to keep up with the changing weather. This ends up costing you more in energy bills.

How Can I Prevent These Problems?

Now that you have read about all of the problems with chimneys, you will be delighted to find out that there is a simple fix that will prevent each of these problems from occurring. Installing a chimney cap on your chimney is a must in order to prevent these problems from occurring. Not only do chimney caps look stylish, but they also prevent animals from getting into your chimney, they prevent weather from wreaking havoc on your masonry, and they prevent downdrafts from costing you money in energy bills.

Why Buy a Chimney Cap from Master Caps?

Here at Master Caps, we create our chimney caps custom for each client in the United States and Canada. Our chimney caps come with a transferable limited lifetime guarantee that shows you that we stand behind our product. If you are looking for a chimney cap that looks good and will stand up to the test of time, give us a call today!