Installing a Chimney Cap

A cap not only looks good on top of your chimney, it also helps to keep out animals. Most caps feature a stainless steel screen with half-inch spaces to allow for air circulation. This presents a problem for homeowners who have previously dealt with bats. Some species have been known to squeeze through these spaces. In this case, you may have to go for a damper and cap combination.

Do not skip this upgrade! It pays to invest wisely. Although caps run the gamut when it comes to price, opting for stainless steel makes sense when you want to keep out multiple potential invaders such as birds, squirrels and raccoons. The latter are notorious for chewing through aluminum caps. If you decide to forego the cap, there is a good chance that before long your chimney will once again host assorted fauna.

Contact a local Los Angeles CA chimney service for more information on their services.

3 Add-ons to Consider When Building a Chimney

There is more to building a chimney than just the firebox and flue. Once you've made the decision to have a masonry fireplace built, you should consider including these three add-ons in your plans to help extend the life of your new investment.

Damper

You could be loosing up to 30% of your home's heat and air, wasting hundreds of dollars in energy costs, if you don't have a damper installed. A fireplace damper is a flap placed in the flue just above the firebox or inside the flue cap. It can be opened and closed manually. Having the damper closed when the fireplace isn't in use increases your home's energy efficiency. Before starting a fire, you should open it to prevent your home from filling with smoke. And once the fire is started, the damper setting can also be used to control the intensity of the fire by controlling the oxygen exposure.

Chimney Cap

The top of the flue is exposed when not protected. That's where a chimney cap comes in. It will prevent animals, rain and other elements from entering your home. A cap with the proper size mesh will also protect your roof from any burning embers that find their way up to the top of the flue. Be careful not to use mesh smaller than 3/4" because it could ice up in the winter and prevent smoke from escaping.

Fireback

A fireplace fireback is a metal plate placed at the back wall of your fireplace. It can extend the life of your fireplace by protecting rear bricks and mortar from normal wear or expensive damage due to intense heat and direct fire. Firebacks can act as a heat reflector and can provide 20-40% more heat to the room. 

These add-ons don't have to be installed during the initial chimney construction. If you have an existing fireplace, but are missing any of these key elements, contact your local chimney care provider to go over your options. 

Before building your chimney, you'll want to make sure that your roof is in good enough shape to handle the addition. Call your local roof inspector in Naples FL today! 

Use a Chimney Cap to Keep Pests Out

Wildlife is beautiful when you're watching it out in your yard. Colorful birds frolic near the feeder and squirrels and chipmunks are full of silly antics in the trees. But, every once in a while, these critters take a wrong turn and end up in your chimney.

Sometimes they get stuck in there and you have to figure out how to get them out, and other times they suddenly end up in your living room, and you have to capture them or chase them outside. While it may provide a little excitement, it's not how most people want to spend their time. You may end up needing to call in a Los Angeles CA chimney sweeping professional for help, but don't be fooled - this can become a problem anywhere, and not just on the west coast.

To avoid this issue, have a chimney cap installed by a professional who specializes in chimney repair in Long Island NY.

How Chimney Sweeps Keep Animals Out of Your Chimney

If you have woken up to the sound of chirps coming from your chimney, or the rustling of a raccoon busily nesting, you know it is time to call in the experts. Chimney sweeps help you keep animals out. (First, of course, you may want to call in animal control to humanely remove the bird, raccoon or other critter that has set up housekeeping there.)

There are many benefits of calling in a professional in this situation, such as the measures they will take to prevent this from happening again, but at the very least, your chimney will get a good cleaning. Chimney sweeps start out by inspecting, sweeping and cleaning your chimney. They remove the nesting materials the animals left behind. This process also removes feces, food scraps and other detritus.

Contact a local Los Angeles CA chimney sweep for more information or to schedule your next chimney cleaning.