Chimney Cap Vs Damper

A rain cap a chimney cover or an animal guard is something that mounts over the top of the flue.

Chimney cap vs damper.

Top dampers with chimney caps whenever your top damper is open rain or unwelcome visitors like birds squirrels bats or rats can enter. Mostly all fireplaces aside from gas will have a damper somewhere in their chimney system. They also keep rain out pretty well though not as well as a chimney cap explained later and will keep larger animals out even when open. With the ability to also serve as a chimney cap a top end damper can do a much better job than a traditional throat damper of keeping heated and cooled air inside your home.

A damper is a device which slows down the flow of smoke. The payback period is different for different people but top sealing dampers pay for themselves over time. This is the main purpose of a fireplace damper. We would like to tell you more about the functions of chimney caps and dampers and how a top end damper works.

Fireplace and chimney authority offers a wide variety of chimney caps from stainless steel copper and galvanized metal. If you have neither a chimney cap nor a top damper the best solution is to install a combination chimney cap damper. The inability for a chimney cover to close does work for gas fireplaces however since gas logs produce carbon monoxide all gas fireplaces must be open at all times. Chimney caps provide protection against natural hazards and debris while chimney dampers essentially act as a seal and are able to prevent air loss and down drafts.

If you are dealing with chimney swifts chimney caps are your friend. The options for dampers vary with where the damper is installed. Chimney dampers the fundamental difference between chimney caps and dampers is that dampers shut off the flue restricting airflow. Throat chimney dampers unlike the top mounted damper which is obviously located on the upper end of the chimney the throat damper is located more towards the fireplace.

Some have a spark arrestor screen and some are constructed like a standard chimney cap and will keep the rain out even when open.