Chimney Chase Covers Near The Town Of Smithtown

The Importance Of A Chimney Chase Cover?

The chase cover (or chase pan) is the square or rectangular piece of aluminum that’s secured to rest securely on top of a chimney chase, helping to keep water and other environmental factors out. A chimney chase cover is a chimney cover that fits on top of the chase. Chimney chase covers are like a metal chimney crown. Chimney chase covers are periodically also referred to as chase pans or chase tops. Chase tops are only found on chases connected to factory-built fireplaces. The four main designs for chimney chase tops are aluminum, stainless steel, galvanized steel and copper. Each of these products has its pluses and detriments.

Aluminum is a softer metal and might not hold up as well against the bad issues. Stainless steel is by far the most robust material that you will find to use for your chimney. However, the downside to stainless steel is that a steel chimney chase cover is costly. Galvanized steel can most certainly be your home’s 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 material a homeowner may choose, copper is considered the most high-quality.

How Does A Chimney Chase Cap Become Leaky?

Having a chimney essentially means having a hole in the roof of a home. While water certainly doesn’t mix well with fire, a chase cover goes far beyond simply keeping your roaring fireplace going. Not only can these problems be extremely pricey to fix, but the chimney chase cover can also be sickening to you and your family. Although chimney chase covers are utile, preventative resources – chimney chase covers don’t last forever.

If your home’s chase is deteriorated or has taken significant wear and tear, then the chimney chase cover needs to be repaired. Corrosion and rust could lead to leaks and holes in the cover. Once rust begins, the chimney chase cover only gets worse. Of course, not all of us have the skill or resources to climb high atop our roofs to check the chimney cover on a regular basis. A simple way to preserve this area of the home is to schedule yearly chimney inspections. This inspection includes a close look at your roof, a chimney and the area surrounding it. Another sign that an owner need a new cover is finding water on the floor of the fireplace. If you see any sign of water in a fireplace, you should call a chimney inspector right away to block any further harm.

Checking For Chimney Chase Complications

A chimney chase cover is a necessity to ensure the top of the chimney is watertight. If you have a framed chimney chase, you need a chimney chase cover. If your home’s existing chimney chase cover is starting to deteriorate, it would be a good idea to replace the chimney chase cover sooner rather than later to avoid additional harm that would be caused by a leak.

A chimney chase cover is a key defense against rain, snow and weather from damaging the chimney while still allowing the flue pipe to exit the chimney. If the owner will see rust stains running down the siding of the chimney, it’s likely the rust was caused by the chase cover being old. The chimney is a popular structure to be evaluated and inspected by a home inspector during the selling process of any home. If the chimney cover is in poor shape, the home inspector could include the chimney chase cover on the inspection report.

Chimney Chase Problems

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 shield their home and chimney. And when any of these components are not there anymore or fail, the risk of chimney problems swells.

It is generally completed from leftover mortar or cement during chimney construction and is the basic first line of defense for protecting your home’s chimney from its most threatening threat: water. When exactly connected and managed, the sloped surface conveys much of the water away from the chimney. These influences can cause cracks to develop on the crown allowing water to leak behind the bricks inside the chimney. While the crown seals most of the chimney, the flue is still exposed. So having a crown alone is not enough to keep all water and debris out of 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 trouble. The chimney cap acts similar to 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 connected when the chimney was originally constructed.

This will cause the masonry to decay and also rust important metal components like the damper and smoke shelf leading to more ritzy repairs. These creatures (and other small debris) could clog the flue. This stops the escape of noxious fumes from a burning fireplace exposing people in a home to dangerous, high levels of smoke and carbon monoxide. The force of a downdraft from an exposed flue could blast open fireplace doors pushing smoke, soot and ash into the house. Repair any missing or damaged components as quickly as possible.

Chimney Chase Repairs By Expressway

While the owner might certainly continue to learn, it’s best to contact a chimney sweep with any questions or concerns an owner could have. If you’re in the Long Island area, schedule an appointment with Expressway or give us a call to address the chimney demands .

Our pros follow the National Fire Protection Association’s mandates to check chimneys, fireplaces and vents yearly to ensure safety and stop damage and unwelcome adverse weakening. Not all chase covers are created equally! Unfortunately, not all covers feature this extremely beneficial design and people generally don’t realize that until it’s too late and the damage has already been done. Give The Town Of Smithtown’s local roofing experts a call and let us handle all of your home’s chimney’s needs.

CHIMNEY CHASE COVER INQUIRIES