Chimney Chase Covers Near Uniondale

What A Chimney Chase Cover Does

The chase cover (or chase pan) is the square or rectangular system of copper that’s attached to sit securely on top of a 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 usually a rectangular-shaped piece that encloses the top of a chimney made of brick, wood, vinyl or metal. The chase aids in directing the smoke and burning embers away from your roof to prevent a house fire. The four main selections for chimney chase tops are aluminum, stainless steel, galvanized steel and copper. Each of these products has its pluses and cons.

Aluminum is a softer metal and might not hold up as well against the harsh elements. Stainless steel is by far the most robust material that the owner could find to use for your chimney. However, the downside to stainless steel is that a steel chimney chase cover is expensive. Galvanized steel will most certainly be a budget option. Galvanized steel rusts easily, so you will have to replace the chimney chase cover within a few years. Copper is frequently the most ritzy one. Not only does the chimney chase cover hold up very well, but the copper shade adds a nice, visually appealing touch.

How Does A Chimney Chase Cap Become Destructive?

Having a chimney essentially means having a hole in the roof of your home’s home. While water certainly doesn’t mix well with fire, a chase cover goes far beyond simply keeping your roaring fireplace going. Not only will these problems be extremely inordinate to fix, but the chimney chase cover might also be threatening to you and your family. Part of caring for a chimney is knowing when it’s time to get a chimney chase cover repaired.

If your chase is deteriorated or has taken significant wear and tear, then the chimney chase cover needs to be repaired. These two things may be easily spotted by reddish-brown stains around the top of your home’s chase. Eventually, the owner could take on more significant problems and leaks from a leaky chimney chase and that may only lead to more internal chimney issues. So how can a homeowner know when the owner need to replace a chimney chase? A simple way to take care of this area of a home is to schedule annual chimney inspections. This inspection includes a close look at your home’s roof, your chimney and the area surrounding it. A leaky chimney chase cover will cause leaks. So, if you’re finding water in a fireplace, there’s a good chance a cover is taking on rust or corrosion.

Chimney Chase Cover Issues To Look For

If you have a wood-framed chimney chase, a homeowner most certainly need a chimney chase cover. 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 obstacles that would be caused by a leak.

A chimney chase cover is a key defense against rain, snow and weather from eroding the chimney while still allowing the flue pipe to exit the chimney. If an owner may 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 familiar structure to be evaluated and inspected by a home inspector during the selling process of any home. If the chimney cover is in bad shape, the home inspector could include the chimney chase cover on the inspection report.

Chimney Pan Assessments

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 safeguard 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 frequently completed from leftover mortar or cement during chimney construction and is the basic first line of defense for protecting a chimney from its most risky threat: water. When exactly secured and upheld, the sloped surface steers much of the water away from the chimney. These influences might 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 fixed in a timely manner, the brick masonry could start 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. 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 stall outside material from getting into the chimney. Most homeowners could 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 conditions. These creatures (and other small debris) will clog the flue. Also, uncapped chimneys are at a higher risk for costly fire. With the right weather elements, burning embers from the fireplace might be sucked through the chimney and land on the roof and start a fire. Homeowners are urged to have their chimney cap, chimney crown and chase cover inspected semi-annually.

Expressway: Uniondale’s Chimney Chase Fix Specialists

While you may certainly continue to learn, it’s best to contact a chimney sweep with any questions or concerns a homeowner will have. If you’re in the Long Island area, schedule an appointment with Expressway or give Expressway Roofing & Chimney a call to address the chimney needs .

Our masons follow the National Fire Protection Association’s mandates to evaluate chimneys, fireplaces and vents annually to ensure safety and avert blockages and feasible unhealthy weakening. For instance, cross-breaks create a dome effect, allowing rain, debris to flow away from your chase cover rather than collecting on top of it. Water and other buildup left to cluster on your chase cover may 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 elements. Give us a call and let us handle all of a chimney’s needs.

CHIMNEY CHASE COVER INQUIRIES