Top sealing caps
Caps with a built in damper seal the top of the flue and cut drafts for a tighter seal than an old throat damper.
Chimney Parts
Chimney Cap Installation Severn, MD
A Severn chimney sweep can measure your flue and install a chimney cap with mesh sides that block animals and embers without choking the draft. Dial (443) 899-3081 to talk with a local chimney pro about a cap.
A chimney with no cap lets in water, debris and animals every day of the year. Rain runs straight down the flue, where it rusts dampers, soaks the smoke chamber and mixes with soot to make a sour smell. Birds, squirrels and raccoons see the open top as a safe place to nest.
Caps are made of a lid that keeps precipitation out and wire mesh walls that let smoke and gases pass. People often confuse the cap with the crown, but the crown is the masonry slab and the cap is the metal piece above the flue.
The right cap depends on the chimney. Some caps fasten to the flue tile with screws or a clamp, and others mount to the crown and cover all the flues at once. Galvanized caps cost less up front but tend to rust, so stainless steel or copper is the longer lasting choice.
Many chimney cap installation calls in Severn also turn up a need for chimney crown repair or chimney animal removal.
Dealing with this in Severn, MD right now? Call (443) 899-3081 and describe the problem to a chimney sweep who works in Severn.
Call nowThe process
How chimney cap installation works
A cap that fits well and is fastened properly will stay on through years of wind.
Check the flue first
Nothing should be trapped below a new cap, so the flue is checked first. Active nests can affect when the cap goes on.
Size the cap
The flue tile is measured across the outside and for how far it sticks above the crown. A cap that is too small will not fit, and one that sits too low can restrict draft.
Select a style
You choose between stainless steel and copper and between a single flue or full crown design. Wood, gas and oil flues can each call for a different cap.
Inspect the top
While on the roof, the sweep looks for cracks in the crown and loose flue tiles. Small cracks can be sealed before the cap goes on.
Fasten the cap
The cap is attached firmly so wind and animals cannot pry it loose. It should not wobble when pushed, and you will hear when the mesh should be checked for soot.
What is included
Types of chimney caps
Stainless steel caps
Stainless and copper caps resist rust far better than galvanized steel without staining the brick below.
Full crown caps
A larger cap that covers the entire crown and every flue under it keeps several flues covered under one lid.
Animal guard mesh
A heavy mesh screen blocks animals from nesting in the chimney while letting smoke and gases out.
Flue tile caps
Caps made for a single flue that clamp or screw onto the tile is the most common type on brick chimneys.
Related service
Chimney Cap Replacement Severn, MD
An old cap can fail in ways that are easy to miss from the ground. Look for rust stains on the crown, a tilted lid or gaps in the screen. Upgrading the material is the main way to avoid replacing the cap again soon.
In Severn, a missing cap is often noticed only after a nest or a wet firebox appears. It helps to tell the sweep whether the chimney has one flue or several and what is vented through it. A flue left uncapped for a while is worth sweeping or checking for nests.
Related service
Spark Arrestor Installation Severn, MD
A spark arrestor is the mesh screen on a chimney cap that stops burning embers from leaving the flue and landing on the roof or nearby trees. The NFPA 211 standard sets a mesh size that is small enough to stop embers but large enough not to clog quickly, about half an inch or a little less. Check with your local fire department, since some areas require arrestors on wood burning chimneys.
Spark arrestor mesh needs occasional cleaning, because creosote and soot can build up on the screen and slow the draft. Smoke rolling back into the room can be a sign the screen is blocked. Cleaning or replacing the mesh restores the draft.
Local help
Chimney Cap Installation Near Me
Chimney caps in Severn take a beating from wind, storms and the freeze and thaw cycles that come with the seasons. From Severn out to neighboring towns like Gambrills, Jessup, Odenton and Elkridge, sweeps regularly find missing caps, rusted mesh and caps blown loose by storms, and a good cap pays for itself by keeping water and animals out of the flue.
Need chimney cap installation around Severn? Call (443) 899-3081 for a Severn chimney sweep who serves the towns around it too.
What the local climate does to a chimney
Cold winters keep fireplaces, wood stoves and oil burners working for half the year or more. Masonry takes the worst of it from the freeze and thaw cycle: water soaks into brick, mortar joints and the crown on a mild day, freezes overnight and expands, and each winter widens the cracks a little more. Nor'easters drive rain sideways into flashing and mortar that looked fine in summer. Most homeowners in Severn, MD schedule a sweep in early fall, and a repair check after a hard winter.
Why call
Why not wait
Smaller repairs
Small chimney problems caught early usually stay small repairs.
Sweeps who know Severn
Chimney sweeps in Severn know the chimneys and fireplaces common in local homes.
Straight answers
Ask your questions before you agree to anything.
Common questions about chimney cap installation
Will a cap make my fireplace smoke?
Well fitted caps rarely cause draft trouble. Trouble usually traces back to a clogged screen or a cap that is undersized or mounted too close to the flue opening. Ask the sweep to check the cap whenever the chimney is cleaned.
Why should I put a cap on my chimney?
A cap keeps rain, snow, leaves and animals out of the flue, which protects the damper, the masonry and the inside of the chimney. Water damage and animal nests are two of the most common chimney problems, and both are largely prevented by a cap. Most chimney sweeps recommend a cap on every flue.
How long does a chimney cap last?
Lifespan depends mostly on the material. Galvanized caps rust much sooner, often within a handful of years. A quick check at each chimney sweeping catches damage early.
What should I do if birds are nesting in my chimney?
Some chimney birds, especially chimney swifts, are protected, which limits what can be done during nesting season. The sweep will advise on when it is legal to clear the nest. Capping after the birds migrate keeps the next season from repeating.
What is the difference between a chimney cap and a chimney crown?
The crown is the slab of concrete or mortar that covers the top of the masonry around the flue. The cap sits on or over the crown and covers only the opening. Having one does not replace the other.
More questions? Call (443) 899-3081
Related services
Chimney Crown Repair
Repairing the concrete slab that caps the top of the chimney, before freeze-thaw damage spreads down the chimney.
Learn moreChimney Animal Removal
Clearing animals and nesting material out of chimneys and flues, and cleaning up what they left behind.
Learn moreChase Cover Replacement
Replacing rusted or leaking chase covers before rust and leaks damage the framing below.
Learn moreChimney Leak Repair
Finding and stopping water that gets in through the crown, cap, flashing or brick, instead of patching the stain on the ceiling.
Learn more
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(443) 899-3081
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