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Mon, Nov 30, 09 at 20:58
| I just had a guy come out today who said I needed to install something over my chimney (I have a boiler) to keep it from eventually spalling and cracking and falling apart. What is this thing he is talking about? He said it would cost $150, including installation. I have heard of chimney caps. Is that what he is talking about? It doesn't seem like they would prevent this cracking, etc.
Thanks for your help. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by danmitchell9 (My Page) on Tue, Dec 1, 09 at 1:19
| A chimney cap will limit the amount of moisture that gets in and on your chimney. Less moisture means less problems with the freeze/thaw cycle...which breaks apart your masonry. |
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- Posted by mainegrower (My Page) on Tue, Dec 1, 09 at 6:00
| A cap will keep rain out of your chimney but will do nothing to protect the outside where spalling takes place. Many chimneys do have caps. Are they necessary? One of my chimneys was built in 1810; my neighbor's in 1774. Neither has ever had a cap. Both are still in fine shape in a damp coastal climate. |
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| There are many chimney caps and top dampers available. Only the installer knows what he was proposing. He should give you a web reference or a photo and spec sheet. |
Here is a link that might be useful: caps
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- Posted by blackcats13 (My Page) on Thu, Dec 3, 09 at 14:34
| Seems a little strange to me as well, but I know very little about chimneys. Like everything else get multiple people to look at it. Our roofer wanted to replace our chimney to the tune of $3 - 4k. The guy who we had do the work charged us $1k and is one of the top rated in our city for quality work. I'm just glad it's another thing I don't have to worry about! |
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| Keeping birds and small animals out is more than reason enough to cap all chimneys. (Unless you enjoy a room full of maggots feeding off decomposing flesh and the delightful odor of death everywhere. I speak from experience.) |
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