chimney cap ???

[066blaster]

Recently moved into a house with a stove fireplace insert. The chimney has a clamp on cap on it ..metal top with mesh on the sides..should I keep this on when I'm using the stove.? Or just keep it on during the summer?

I noticed the smoke just kinda rolls out and blows around on my roof and some is getting in the ridge vent.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Sounds like its not tall enough.

I would leave it on and solve the underlying issue.

 

[Fred Wright]

Agree with Casey; the cap isn't causing what you describe. That said, I'd leave the cap in place. The cap will keep rain and critters out of your flue.

 

[ziggo_2]

MY OPINON.....i have a brick chimney and clay flue...i dont have a cap, i think it causes more problems than it fixes....i might put it on in the summer if i feel like it but usually the strong winds we get around here will eventually blow it off. Dont know what you have for a chimney but if its metal, Ive seen alot of caps on metal chimneys that look very restrictive too me, and i wouldnt put them on or id modify them a little.

Im not gonna say your chimney is too short unless i see a picture of it at least...could be just the surrounding trees that make the wind do weird things. Of course more height wont hurt anything either

 

[066blaster]

MY OPINON.....i have a brick chimney and clay flue...i dont have a cap, i think it causes more problems than it fixes....i might put it on in the summer if i feel like it but usually the strong winds we get around here will eventually blow it off. Dont know what you have for a chimney but if its metal, Ive seen alot of caps on metal chimneys that look very restrictive too me, and i wouldnt put them on or id modify them a little.

Im not gonna say your chimney is too short unless i see a picture of it at least...could be just the surrounding trees that make the wind do weird things. Of course more height wont hurt anything either

It's brick with a clay flue.. could I just add some height to the flue? It is short ..probably level with the peak of the roof which is about 10 foot away. I'll get some pics.

 

[tla100]

If 10 feet away that should be tall enough. I would leave it on. Or pull it off and light a fire and see if anything changes.

I just added some chicken wire on mine. Got sick of starlings and sparrows in it.....Actually had a sparrow come flying out one of the last fires this past winter.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Normally the ridge vent is an exhaust. It intakes from the soffit vents.

If your weather has been similar to here I could see lazy smoke and weak draft right now. I'm not sure if it's humidity. Air pressure or what but it makes for smoke to pretty well "fall" to the ground. It's a pain at the shop because the smoke seems to travel right where I have my processor. I come home smelling like a campfire.

 

[flotek]

A lot of guys have that wire mesh load up with creosote and block off smoke causing a bad situation in the house . I would use the cap ( water running down your flue is very hard on anything steel) and remove any wire mesh .

 

[tla100]

If 10 feet away that should be tall enough. I would leave it on. Or pull it off and light a fire and see if anything changes.

I just added some chicken wire on mine. Got sick of starlings and sparrows in it.....Actually had a sparrow come flying out one of the last fires this past winter.

Sorry, had a brain fart. It needs to be 2' above peak, or 2' above where it hits 10' horizontal to roof.

 

[JeffHK454]

I hate those mesh caps ..they draft like crap , especially if they're level with the peak of the roof. How your house sits in relation to wind obstructions also has a lot to do with the smoke laying around.

We had the same problem with our metal chimney on my furnace..it was level with the peak and had a mesh rain cover and it had weak draft and the smoke actually rolled back down the roof and into the house if we opened any of the entry doors.

I put a 2' flue exstension and a quality draft inducing cap on that almost eliminates the effects of wind ...made a 100% improvement in draft. During start-up or loading the smoke now goes up in a tight column and never comes back in the house. Here's a file pic. of the cap I have.

 

[ziggo_2]

A lot of guys have that wire mesh load up with creosote and block off smoke causing a bad situation in the house . I would use the cap ( water running down your flue is very hard on anything steel) and remove any wire mesh .

funny you say that....the smoke (what little there is) hits that cap and condenses into water and drips into my chimney..

one year i had that wire mesh plug up with snow and ice, filled the house with smoke, had to climb the roof in a blizzard to clean it off...like i said..the cap causes more problems for me than it fixes

 

[ziggo_2]

It's brick with a clay flue.. could I just add some height to the flue? It is short ..probably level with the peak of the roof which is about 10 foot away. I'll get some pics.

i dont know if 'you' could but a 'mason' could....all it would cost is money

 

[tla100]

I hate those mesh caps ..they draft like crap , especially if they're level with the peak of the roof. How your house sits in relation to wind obstructions also has a lot to do with the smoke laying around.

We had the same problem with our metal chimney on my furnace..it was level with the peak and had a mesh rain cover and it had weak draft and the smoke actually rolled back down the roof and into the house if we opened any of the entry doors.

I put a 2' flue exstension and a quality draft inducing cap on that almost eliminates the effects of wind ...made a 100% improvement in draft. During start-up or loading the smoke now goes up in a tight column and never comes back in the house. Here's a file pic. of the cap I have.

View attachment 454435

Holy balls, $149.00 for a cap.....seems a little high. But, if it helps draft, worth it.

 

[Yoopermike]

I thought rule of thumb was:
The chimney must extend at least 3'
above the highest point where it
passes through the roof surface and at
least 2' higher than any part of the
building within a horizontal distance
of 10'.

 

[JeffHK454]

Holy balls, $149.00 for a cap.....seems a little high. But, if it helps draft, worth it.

I found it on eBay ..gave $60 shipped for it, the real pain was the ridiculously expensive 2' section of Metalbestos flue!

 

[Capetown]

Over here in the EU info on chimney proximity to roof Page 36. Pretty much what Yoopermike said! http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADJ_2010.pdf