A chimney cap sits at the top of your chimney, right above the chimney crown. It serves several purposes, including keeping rain out of your chimney. Your chimney has a flue, which is the pipe and or clay tiles that runs up your chimney and allows the smoke and chemicals it carries to leave your home. Since this is open, it is also a great channel for rain and other precipitation to flow down. Your chimney cap fits over that opening and stops precipitation from getting in your chimney. This is important because rain in your chimney can cause internal structural damage by eating at the mortar, clay tile and bricks. It can cause other damage as well, such as rusting dampers, weakening the walls and ceiling around your fireplace, damaging the firebox, or cracking the flue. Not only does your chimney cap keep water out of your chimney, it also keeps sparks and embers in. This protects your home from the chances of a roof fire. There are other things that can get in your chimney and cause an annoyance or damage. Birds and other animals, such as squirrels or even raccoons love to find dark, warm places that get them out of the wind and elements and offer protection from predators while they are raising a family. This can be annoying because those little animals can make lots of noise. In most areas, it is illegal to remove certain nesting animals from your chimney, and you’ll just have to wait until they leave to get rid of this nuisance. The problem is, they’ll leave their nest behind, and not only will this make it more difficult for the smoke to leave your chimney, it is also a fire hazard. The best solution is to keep those animals out before they build a nest, and a chimney cap will do just that. Give us a call and we’ll make sure your chimney cap is in perfect working condition so precipitation and critters aren’t getting into your chimney!