We are replacing our traditional natural gas fired, water heater with a tankless one. What is Causing my Chimney Discoloration? ... Hancock & Brown Chimney Capping Cowl Powder Coated for Unused Chimneys Also Vents. The flue ventilator stops rain entry to the chimney but still allows a small amount of … Is Your Chimney Welcoming Unwanted Visitors? Best chimney cap – Which is the best chimney capping method for you and product links provided. If your damper is near the firebox, you can use insulation to seal the chimney. We are still using one of the flues for the woodstove, or I’d probably dismantle the whole thing. Chimney Dampers and How they Can Save You Money, Chimney Evolution – Elimination of Smoky Fireplaces, Chimney Inspections Are Similar to Medical Check-ups, Chimney Restoration: Time to Reevaluate Your Heat Source, Common Causes of Fireplace-Related Home Fires, Common Off-Season Chimney Repairs Made by Homeowners, Creosote & Chimney Fires: What You Must Know, Creosote in Your Chimney: Types, Causes, and Remedies, Crumbly Chimney Masonry and How to Prevent Spalling, Custom Fireplace Designs for Your Interior Fireplace. . You must be a magazine subscriber to access this feature. If this is the case, then there is no cause for worry as there are very many ways that you can close it up. Water From My Chimney Is Leaking into My Home, Hire a Professional for a Fireplace/Stove Install. When retiring a chimney, many chimney experts recommend using Roxul, a hydrophobic mineral wool insulation, which means that it will dry out if it ever gets wet. What’s the best way to close off an unused flue in a brick chimney? This chimney cap is often the solution for draft problems when no other solution is effective. _____ It also reduces outside noise significantly whilst completely stopping animals and debris deposits. x 13 in. The company I occasionally use flogs 2nd hand ones if anyone want them. Is Your Chimney Adding to Your Heating Costs? If you click on them we may earn a small commission. In some cases, it may involve capping a chimney off. Capping an unused chimney is a wise decision to maintain and protect the value of a residential property. Please do not assume that because it looks clear it is suitable for a fire that has any kind … Even with the damper closed, the fireplace flue seems to dump cold air into the house all winter, so I’d like to seal it up. If there is no air flow in the chimney, moisture gets trapped and deterioration of the chimney structure will be accelerated. Chimney damp will often occur if your chimney is unused and boarded up. In some cases, it may involve capping a chimney off. It is shaped like a disk, as with the chimney caps for unused chimneys, but is fitted on legs, so that there is enough room beneath for smoke to pass out of the chimney. We had full roof replaced when we moved in two years ago. at this time the roofer asked if we wanted to knock off the chimney stack, but we kept it. I have one which is capped, it has a chimney pot which is closed at the top, but surrounded by vents - so air can flow, but rain cannot get in. The problems… Left uncapped, disused chimneys are exposed to the elements, air-borne debris and nesting birds and can be a major waste of … Even though the upfront cost is higher, stainless steel is the better investment. Alternatively, you can get a galvanized chimney cap, which will cost a little less but does not last for a long time. Do Your Walls have Ghosting aka Soot Stains? Is it Easy to Convert a Wood-burning Fireplace to Gas? Unlined masonry chimney - replace with metal? One thought I had was to drop a length of rebar down the flue and fill it with concrete . Chimney Caps. These can simply be made out of a scrap or an offcut of lead, beaten into the correct shape and bonded to the top of most chimney pots to effectively seal it and make it waterproof. Has the Icy Winter Damaged your Atlanta Chimney? 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Disadvantages. Looking to seal an unused chimney? Just wondering if I should cap it off completely at the roof or more of a vent style cap with mesh to let the condensation to evaporate that may form inside the flue. Become a GBA Prime member and get full access to GBA articles, enyclopedia, videos, CAD library, and more. Yes, chimneys need to breathe, even if they won’t be used anymore. Call us today at (770) 691-6707. A chimney cap is a covering for the top of your chimney, and it usually includes wire mesh. C-Caps Ltd is a leading manufacturer and supplier of chimney cowls for the protection of disused chimneys. Extend the tape measure to find the total combined length of all the flues. Top Cap Says: This is now the only cowl we use for unused chimney pots. Women Chimney Sweeps Fine with the Dirty Work, Wood-Burning Fireplace versus Wood-Burning Stove, You Shouldn’t Use a Regular Vacuum to Clean A Fireplace, Flashing: A Leading Cause of Chimney Leaks. Why Is Firebox Cleaning an Important Part of Chimney Service? On the other hand it will prevent ventilation and drying in the two flues that will be capped. last updated ... ( 400 x 400) siliconed on, as a quick & very durable solution but in my case I'd need TWO for each chimney, and they are ~ 7 kg each : I am a little worried that ... as it doesn't dry out if it's unused..! The vast majority of problems with chimneys are related to moisture, and that’s the issue as regards ventilation. How Can You Fix Your Fireplace & Chimney Problems? It completely shuts down the chimney only allowing for the smallest of ventilation to clear any condensation and moisture build up. Cornish Crofter, Jul 6, 2008 #6. lionel hutz New Member. ter portion of the flue.Note this illustration is not showing this correctly. I don't consider simply capping the basement end of the chimney, as the furnace installers have done, to be a proper way of dealing with the unused chimney. Capping the chimney will prevent any rainwater from entering the chimney space and causing issues related to damp and moisture. Galvanized steel is the least expensive, but it is prone to rust much more quickly than other options. A: Unused flues should be capped at the top, to minimise rainwater ingress. Capping the flue is one of the best ways to close up the top of the chimney as it will still allow air to get in and out, preventing condensation from building up. Flue ventilators can be found on our chimney pot page. 5.0 out of 5 stars 8. It also reduces outside noise significantly whilst completely stopping animals and debris deposits. If you are only talking a few feet of redundant flue then you'll probably be ok with fully capping after reducing the height, with a single vent left in the blocked-up fireplace. None have been used in the nearly 30 years that I have been in the home but I am contemplating installing a wood burning stove in one of the fireplaces and using one of the flues. C-Caps Chimney Cowls. What Technicians Look for During a Chimney Inspection, What to Do if your Chimney Liner is Damaged. How to Clean and Maintain Your Log Burner, How to Deal with Multiple Estimates for Chimney Services, How to Increase the Life of Your Fire Pit, How to Keep Away Chimney Enemy #1: Moisture, How to Know if Your Chimney Chase Cover Needs Replacing, How to Prevent these 5 Common Chimney Dangers, How to Use a Fireplace for the First Time, Increase Chimney and Fireplace Efficiency This Winter. Movement in bricks as ice expands and contracts causes spalling, which means the brick begins to break up. We are re-doing our basement and I don’t want any issues with water leaking from the old clean out door. The bottom is even easier. The chimney breast is both the most visible and vital portions of a chimney. 14 watching. One is an inflatable balloon-type product that will seal the flue. . Then we decided to remove it completely. It makes a great deal of sense to install a chimney cap, when you look at the benefits.There are, however, some problems which can occur because of a chimney topper, particularly involving wire mesh. Even new cast-iron dampers allow air loss. Richard T. Kreh Sr., an author and masonry consultant, has some advice on what the best method is. What are the benefits of a wood stove versus a traditional fireplace? Unused, though, they can waste a lot of heat up the chimney. There are dozens of different chimney cowls on the market, many are designed for disused chimneys and act a breather/ventilator (like this one from online retailer Amazon).. The other option is getting your chimney fitted with a ‘cap’, normally made from terracotta. How Often Does a Chimney Need to Be Cleaned? If the liner is quite rusted in any location, it is a good idea to remove it and cap the top of the chimney with a metal flashing or thick mortar bed. You can choose from several materials for a chimney cap. If moisture gets into masonry, deterioration occurs because of freezing and thawing cycles. However, this doesn’t apply all the time. 12 September 2008 at 11:29AM edited 30 November -1 at 12:00AM in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving. This is the most expensive chimney cap option, with prices ranging from $900 to $2000+. The battle to keep moisture out of the chimney is the same whether it’s in use or not. 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What’s the best way to close off an unused flue in a brick chimney? How to permanently block a chimney The battle to keep moisture out of the chimney is the same whether it’s in use or not. Capping Off a Redundant Lead Pipe? Chimney cap. Take The Chimney Down This option is best for standalone small chimneys, it can be very easy to dismantle a small chimney to just below a the roof and then install a few metres of felt, timber baton and some roof tiles. The expanded galvanized steel mesh protects against animal infestation. In addition, the home’s interior could be affected by moisture damage. An unused chimney still draws, and will suck the heat out of your house. Use a Breather Cowl Do You Need a New Chimney? How to Block Off a Fireplace. On top, it has an old, rusted rain cap (now closer to a funnel than a cap). For details of recommended fitters, along with chimney cap installation cost and chimney cap replacement cost, please read on. We are still using one of the flues for the woodstove, or I’d probably dismantle the whole thing. But it is important to maintain a flow of air through a redundant flue to prevent dampness problems in the chimney … Chimney lining companies are always removing these as people seem to think they can use them with gas and solid fuel fires whereas they can't. Closing of an unused chimney. There are a few products you can purchase to block the chimney just above the damper. Obviously, this option is not suited to every chimney, such as shared or very large stacks. The most simple chimney cap is also known as a raincap. One of our viewers has removed a stove and has an unused chimney going up the outside of the house. But it is more expensive, costing more like £150. A few things I’ve read suggest that capping it off can trap moisture and cause problems. Here’s How to Tell. The open flue will be a vent to channel cold air into the home. Unused chimneys not only waste a lot of heat, they also pose a potential damp problem as well as being a cause of smoking fireplaces and stoves. Learn how to close up an unused fireplace with our top tips below. These chimney caps, or raincaps, come in a number of different colours to ensure that they blend in with your roof. Lots of heavy lifting, but it enabled an improved layout of our kitchen/dining room! Some links in this article may be affiliate links. When Your Fire Isn’t Burning as Bright as It Used To, Why a Level 2 Inspection is Crucial To Buying A Home, Why Fireplace Repair is Only for Knowledgeable Experts, Why Gas Fireplaces Need Annual Inspections. Hello all, I have an unused chimney in my century home. Discussion in 'Building' started by overlandrover, 14 Apr 2007. overlandrover. For details of recommended fitters, along with chimney cap installation cost and chimney cap replacement cost, please read on. C-Caps Chimney Cowls. Stainless steel chimney caps won’t rust, and they are very durable. If your damper is near the firebox, you can use insulation to seal the chimney. This way you (or the next owner) have the option to have it open or closed at will. Copper chimney caps are the most decorative and most expensive. Call in a Corgi registered plumber to test the flue. Just make sure that it has a small vent, so air can pass through. Blocking up an unused fireplace . A few things I’ve read suggest that capping it off can trap moisture and cause problems. It’s Possible! If you need your chimney capped, or you would like the capping removed we can convert your chimney to … Colt Econolid Chimney Pot Cap Capping Cowl - Rain Strap Fix unused chimney/vents. Insulating the Bottom of the Chimney Once you've capped the top of the chimney, you will need to insulate the bottom of it. Click to enlarge illustration. Free postage. The top has been capped off, what to do with the bottom? If you don’t have a chimney cap, it’s essential to have one installed to keep out rain and snow. After an old fire surround and hearth has been removed, the hole in the chimney breast can be bricked in to tidy up the wall. Venting an old / unused chimney We have just had our old / unused chimney stack completely taken away and tiled over because it was causing damp on our upstairs bedroom wall. They can last up to 90 years; and the copper looks good whether polished or whether patina, a colored film, forms on the copper surface. Learn how to repair and install a chimney cap. How to Close Up an Unused Fireplace. Flue ventilators can be found on our chimney pot page. 1155 McFarland 400 Drive, Alpharetta GA 30004, Chimney Solutions Main Office - 1155 McFarland 400 Drive, Alpharetta GA, 30004 / Tampa FL Web Design, “Rumfordizing” Fireplaces in Older & Newer Homes, 3 Compelling Reasons Annual Chimney Inspections are Worth the Cost, 3 Problems Common to even the Best Wood Stoves, 4 Common (and Uncommon) Problems a Chimney Sweep Can Resolve, 4 Reasons Why Fireplace Inserts Make Sense, 4 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Fireplace in Winter, 5 Steps to Preventing Chimney Leaks during Spring Rainy Season, 6 Ways to Keep a Safe and Clean Fireplace Between Professional Cleanings, 7 Essential Tips for Safe and Efficient Wood-Burning Stoves and Fireplaces, 7 Reasons to Get Your Chimney Cleaned in Spring or Summer, 7 Reasons to have a Chimney Cleaning & Inspection even after those Mild Winters, 7 Tips for Off-Season Fireplace & Chimney Maintenance, After Labor Day is the Perfect Time for an Inspection, Basic Chimney Chores Homeowners Shouldn’t Forget, Before Getting a Chimney Liner, Ask These 7 Questions, Benefits of Having a Clean Fireplace & Chimney, Block Cool Air from Entering Through Your Chimney This Fall & Winter. 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