Chimney Chase Covers Near East Meadow

The Importance Of A Chimney Chase Cover?

The chase cover (or chase pan) is the square or rectangular part of copper that’s secured to function securely on top of your home’s chimney chase, helping to keep water and other environmental conditions out. The chase cover and chimney cap help keep the harmful issues — (including water, snow, leaves, debris and critters) — out of the fireplace and flue. Chimney chase covers are like a metal chimney crown. Chimney chase covers are periodically also referred to as chase pans or chase tops. The chase aids in directing the smoke and burning embers away from the roof to stall a house fire. The four main designs for chimney chase tops are aluminum, stainless steel, galvanized steel and copper. Each of these materials has its rewards and cons.

One of the major benefits of an aluminum chimney chase cover is that it won’t rust, which is good for the overall longevity of the product. Stainless steel is by far the most robust product that you could find to use for the chimney. That being said, because it’s given to last very long, it’s often worth the extra price. Galvanized steel could most certainly be your budget option. Galvanized steel rusts easily, so you may have to replace the chimney chase cover within a few years. While stainless steel is the strongest product an owner can choose, copper is considered the most high-quality.

Repairing Your Chimney Chase Cover

Generally, a hole would let things in: that’s why a homeowner needs a chimney chase cover. The cover bars things such as precipitation, leaves, dirt and other debris from eroding your chimney and falling into the fireplace and home. Continuous leaks of water from rain and snow, plus other conditions, may eventually cause structural trouble. Part of caring for your home’s chimney is knowing when it’s time to get your home’s chimney chase cover repaired.

The most common cause of leaks comes from corrosion and rust. Corrosion and rust should lead to leaks and holes in the cover. Once rust initiates, the chimney chase cover only gets worse. Of course, not all of us have the skill or resources to climb teetering on our roofs to check the chimney cover on a regular basis. A simple way to renew this area of your home’s home is to schedule semi-annual chimney inspections. An inspector could be able to easily tell if your home’s chimney chase cover requires to be replaced. Another sign that an owner need a new cover is finding water on the floor of a fireplace. So, if you’re finding water in your fireplace, there’s a good chance your home’s cover is taking on rust or corrosion.

Checking For Chimney Chase Breakages

A chimney chase cover is a necessity to ensure the top of the chimney is watertight. A chimney chase is a structure that is most prevalently constructed to hide an ugly vent pipe running up the side of a home or through the roof. If a homeowner should catch it soon enough, a homeowner can avoid any additional inordinate repairs.

A chimney chase cover is a key defense against rain, snow and weather from infiltrating the chimney while still allowing the flue pipe to exit the chimney. If the owner can see rust stains running down the siding of the chimney, it’s likely the rust was caused by the chase cover being old. By replacing a galvanized or rusty chase cover, an owner are adding value to the home.

Spotting Leaky Chimney Parts

It’s important for homeowners to not only understand the difference between a chimney crown, chase cover and chimney cap, but how chimney chase covers help protect their home and chimney. Together, these three critical components are the most visible, forming a protective barrier to keep water, small animals and debris out of the chimney and fireplace.

It’s mostly completed from leftover mortar or cement during chimney construction and is the basic first line of defense for protecting your chimney from its most dangerous threat: water. When rightly secured and controlled, the sloped surface carries much of the water away from the chimney. Due to its prime location, the chimney crown takes quite a bit of abuse from outside influences such as the weather and environmental issues. If damages to the crown are not discovered and replaced in a timely manner, the brick masonry could begin to soften, decay and eventually break off the chimney.

The structural housing between the roof line and the chimney crown is the chase. The chase cover is a steel or aluminum square or rectangle-shaped cap that fits snugly on top of the chase to help protect the chimney chase cover from water leaks. The chimney cap acts like an umbrella to help forestall snow, rain, water, birds, animals and debris from getting inside the flue. It’s an optional accessory and may not have been fastened when the chimney was originally constructed.

The chimney cap is of particular importance. Without it, the flue and fireplace are exposed to the external issues. Also, small birds, squirrels, raccoons and other little critters are attracted to exposed chimneys for cover against predators. This halts the escape of risky fumes from a burning fireplace exposing residents in a home to adverse, high levels of smoke and carbon monoxide. With the right weather conditions, burning embers from the fireplace may be sucked through the chimney and land on your home’s roof and start a fire. Repair any missing or leaky components as promptly as possible.

Chimney Chase Repairs By Expressway

While an owner might certainly continue to learn, it’s best to contact a chimney sweep with any questions or concerns a homeowner will have. Our technicians have the prowess, experience and commitment an owner needs to protect a chimney and avoid future costly issues and repairs.

Our masons follow the National Fire Protection Association’s mandates to maintain chimneys, fireplaces and vents semi-annually to ensure safety and prevent leaks and harmful detrimental trouble. Not all chase covers are created equally! Water and other buildup left to accumulate on the chase cover can result in rotting, sagging and warping of the cover – rendering the chimney chase cover ineffective and leaving your home’s chimney vulnerable to intrusion of water, animals and other environmental issues. Give Expressway Roofing & Chimney a call and let us handle all of a chimney’s demands.

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