Chimney Chase Covers Near West Hampton Dunes

What A Chimney Chase Cover Does

The chase cover (or chase pan) is the square or rectangular piece of aluminum that’s screwed in to sit securely on top of a chimney chase, helping to keep water and other environmental factors out. The chase cover and chimney cap help keep the harmful factors — (including water, snow, leaves, debris and critters) — out of the fireplace and flue. Chimney chase covers are similar to a metal chimney crown. Chimney chase covers are commonly also referred to as chase pans or chase tops. The chase aids in directing the smoke and burning embers away from your roof to impede a house fire. The four main styles for chimney chase tops are aluminum, stainless steel, galvanized steel and copper. Each of these products has its perks and detriments.

Aluminum is a softer metal and might not hold up as well against the harsh conditions. Stainless steel is by far the most robust product that a homeowner could find to use for a chimney. That being said, because it’s predisposed to last very long, it’s often worth the extra price. If the owner need to replace a rusty, leaky cover directly – it might be a good option when your home’s bank account isn’t prepared for a huge, significant bill. Galvanized steel rusts easily, so you will have to replace the chimney chase cover within a few years. While stainless steel is the strongest product a homeowner will choose, copper is considered the most high-quality.

Do I Need My Chimney Chase Cover fixed?

Typically, a hole would let things in: that’s why a homeowner needs a chimney chase cover. While water certainly doesn’t mix well with fire, a chase cover goes far beyond simply keeping a roaring fireplace going. Not only may these complications be extremely expensive to fix, but the chimney chase cover could also be threatening to you and your family. Although chimney chase covers are serviceable, preventative resources – chimney chase covers don’t last forever.

If your home’s chase is problematic or has taken significant wear and tear, then the chimney chase cover requires to be repaired. These two things can be easily spotted by reddish-brown stains around the top of your home’s chase. Once rust begins, the chimney chase cover only gets worse. So how may you know when you need to replace the chimney chase? A simple way to control this area of the home is to schedule yearly chimney inspections. An inspector could be able to easily tell if a chimney chase cover requires to be replaced. Another sign that a homeowner need a new cover is finding water on the floor of your fireplace. If the owner see any sign of water in your home’s fireplace, you should call a chimney inspector right away to hamper any further trouble.

Chimney Chase Cover Issues To Check For

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 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 leaks 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 can 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

Your chimney is a workhorse constantly exhaling smoke, fumes and other contaminants while you’re enjoying the warmth of a fireplace or wood stove. 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.

The chimney crown is the top level of the chimney. These influences should cause cracks to develop on the crown allowing water to leak behind the bricks inside the chimney. If damages to the crown are not discovered and replaced in a timely manner, the brick masonry may begin to soften, decay and eventually break off the chimney.

The structural housing between the roof line and the chimney crown is the chase. Since aluminum chase covers are more prone to rusting than stainless steel, especially in coastal areas with high levels of salinity in the air, chimney chase covers need to be inspected regularly. It’s mounted above the crown and is manufactured using stainless steel to wrap the flue inside a cage-like mesh allowing smoke to vent, but avert outside product from getting into the chimney. Most homeowners can consider the chimney cap to be an indispensable safety device.

The chimney cap is of particular importance. Without it, the flue and fireplace are exposed to the external factors. Also, small birds, squirrels, raccoons and other little critters are attracted to exposed chimneys for cover against predators. Also, uncapped chimneys are at a higher risk for expensive fire. The force of a downdraft from an exposed flue should blast open fireplace doors pushing smoke, soot and ash into the house. Repair any missing or problematic components as immediately as possible.

Chimney Chase Repairs By Expressway

Not everyone has the time or ability to be a chimney expert. If you’re in the Long Island area, schedule an appointment with Expressway or give West Hampton Dunes’s local roofing experts a call to address your chimney requirements .

Our pros ask that the owner be careful whom the owner hire(s)! Customers should only allow possibly damaged chimney to be worked on by a knowledgeable CSIA Certified Chimney sweep who might provide a homeowner with the proper service and suitable parts for your system. For instance, cross-breaks create a dome effect, allowing rain, debris to flow away from the chase cover rather than collecting on top of it. Water and other buildup left to convene on a chase cover could result in rusting, sagging and warping of the cover – rendering the chimney chase cover ineffective and leaving your chimney vulnerable to intrusion of water, animals and other environmental conditions. Give us a call and let Expressway Roofing & Chimney handle all of the chimney’s demands.

CHIMNEY CHASE COVER INQUIRIES