Chimney caps come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and designs. Browsing through all the options can be baffling, so we’ve come up with some resources to help you. Here are step by step directions for choosing the right chimney cap.
The first step in choosing the right chimney cap is to determine what kind of flue or flues you have. The flue is the center pipe inside your chimney. Most flues are round, rectangular, or oval. Click on the description below that best matches your situation.
For multiple flue chimneys, you have a couple options- outside mount or top mount. Top mounts attach to the top of the crown, while outside mounts attach to the sides of the chimney, slipping over the top like the lid of a shoebox. Outside mount caps provide the most protection for your chimney, but are more expensive than top mount caps.
California residents and others in fire-prone areas: California regulations require the mesh on chimney caps to be 5/8 inch, compared to the national 3/4 inch standard.
Tom has been writing for the FireplaceMall.com blog since 2011 and has loved sitting in front of the fireplace since he was an itty-bitty boy.
Great post. Also interesting to learn that the California regulation for chimney cap mesh differs from all the other states.
Thanks!