Chimneys form a vital part for anyone’s home. They not only enhance the beauty of a house but also protect us from harmful and poisonous gases. A chimney is used to provide ventilation for hot gases from a boiler, furnace or fireplace to outside the atmosphere.
A chimney cap is the uppermost part of the chimney which protects it and ensures the proper functioning of chimney. The proper design of a chimney cap will keep the rain, and snow out of your chimney and also prevents the birds from entering in chimney and nesting there. A chimney cap also prevents water from entering into the chimney liner by directing the flow of water in a proper way. If the water enters the chimney liner it would deteriorate the chimney and lead to many problems one has to deal with.
A chimney cap helps to increase the current of air within your chimney. This current of air, which is commonly known as draft, is required for efficient working of chimneys. In fact, without proper drafting the chimney would be useless. Chimney caps also increase the lifetime of chimney liners by preventing the debris and water from entering. It improves the effectiveness of the liner to a great extent.
There are various kinds of chimney cleaning tools available in the market. Some of these are custom multi-flue caps, single flue chimney caps, multi-flue chimney caps, wind resistant chimney caps, etc. Copper and stainless steel are the most commonly used metals by chimney sweeps. Stainless steel is the preferable material because it can effectively handle the constant exposure to rain, wind, smoke and other filthy conditions on the top of your chimney. Metal chimneys are made of two or three layers of metals with air insulation between them so if the cap if not present water and moisture can get into these layers and cause failure of the chimney. One should be very careful regarding the design of the chimney caps. If an improperly designed chimney cap is installed then it will reduce the draft of the chimney. Also, proper screening of the chimney cap is necessary as with heavy use it gets blocked with soot and creosote which will further affect the draft.
Hence, it is very important to use an appropriate chimney cap to maintain a safe and healthy home. Enjoy your winters around the chimneys and feel the warmth growing in the relations with your family.
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