It might not be a concern in the middle of the summer but when October rolls around you’ll wish that you dealt with this problem now. Many homeowners call us in the Fall and complain of what they believe are animals such as raccoons, squirrels, birds etc… in their chimney. And you thought that your unwanted guests had moved out! Sometimes they leave their babies in the chimney to keep them safe from predators and come back to take care of them. Animals can cause damage requiring chimney repairs to the smoke shelf, damper or flue tiles.
How can you stop this from happening in the first place? You can call Professional Chimney Cleaners to install a chimney cap on any sized, or type of chimney, and prevent wildlife from using it as a home. The chimney cap should have mesh screening on its sides. Not only will we help you pick the right chimney cap for you but will make sure that you avoid problems such as wrong chimney flue measurements, incorrect chimney cap metal or loose chimney cap installation.
It’s easy to make a mistake when sizing up a chimney cap. You have to measure the outside length and width for a square chimney flue. For round flues, note the inside diameter of the innermost pipe in inches, as well as the outside diameter. If you have more than one flue, the cap should be the height of the tallest flue, as well as the width of a rectangle big enough to cover all of them. A chimney cap that is made of materials that aren’t a match for your fireplace can lead to chimney fires and air of chimney drafts entering the chimney. Galvanized chimney caps aren’t ideal for gas log fireplaces since the exhaust can damage your home and they are high maintenance. Stainless steel and copper caps are more expensive and require less maintenance. And loose chimney cap can fly off from strong winds causing damage to your property or your neighbor’s property. A qualified technician will ensure that you have the right cap for your chimney.
Professional Chimney Services has been serving the Greater Houston area including Copperfield, Sugar Land, Cypress, Bellaire, Missouri City Texas, Memorial, Heights Texas, Katy, Pearland, Deer Park, West University Place and Polk County for more than 15 years.
