South Jordan · Salt Lake County
Caps, Chase Covers and Dampers in South Jordan
On a masonry chimney the weather is stopped by a concrete crown. On the framed chases that top most South Jordan homes it is stopped by a sheet of metal, and sheet metal has a service life.
Two different products, often confused
A chimney cap is the small hood sitting directly over the flue opening. A chase cover is the large metal lid covering the entire top of a framed chimney enclosure, with a hole in it for the flue to pass through. Homeowners frequently ask for one and need the other. If your chimney is a boxed structure clad in siding, stucco or stone veneer, the part protecting you is the chase cover, and the cap is only the small hat above it.
Why flat lids fail on this side of the valley
Two things work against a chase cover here. The first is how they were originally built: galvanized steel, minimal slope, seams and fastener penetrations across the top surface. Water sits rather than running off, and standing water on galvanized steel finds the seams first. The second is exposure. South Jordan sits on open, flat valley ground with no ridge or canyon wall to break the weather, so a chase standing proud of the roofline takes wind-driven rain and blowing snow from any direction, and snow that lands on a flat lid stays there until it melts into the seams.
Replacement covers should be stainless steel, cross-broken so the surface has a genuine slope from the middle outward, with a drip edge that throws water clear of the chase walls instead of letting it run down the siding. That last detail is the difference between a cover that protects the structure and one that merely covers it.
Dampers and the summer draft
If you have a wood-burning flue you are not using, an open or badly sealing damper is costing you comfort year round: conditioned air leaves in summer and cold air arrives in winter. A top-sealing damper closes the flue at the top with a gasket, which stops that loss and keeps rain and animals out at the same time. On a factory-built unit the options depend on the model, so we check what is listed for it rather than fitting something generic. Anything fitted to a listed appliance has to be approved for it, and a cap or damper that is not can invalidate the whole installation.
Questions
Caps & Dampers in South Jordan — common questions
How do I tell whether I need a chase cover or just a cap?
Look at the shape of the chimney. If it is a boxed enclosure wider than the flue, clad in siding, stucco or veneer, it has a chase cover on top and that is usually the part that fails. A narrow masonry stack has a concrete crown instead. A photo from the ground is normally enough for us to tell you.
Our chase cover has standing water on it after a storm. Is that a fault?
It is a design problem rather than a defect in the strict sense, but it is the reason these covers fail. Water should run off within minutes. A replacement built with a cross-break and a drip edge drains properly and stops the seams from sitting wet for days at a time.
Will a new cap stop cold air coming down the chimney?
A cap alone will not. Cold air comes down because the flue is open at the top and the damper below is not sealing. A top-sealing damper closes the flue with a gasket at the top of the chimney, which does stop it, and it keeps water and animals out as a bonus.
Can we fit any cap we like to a factory-built fireplace?
No, and this matters. A listed appliance is approved as a complete system including its termination, and fitting a non-approved cap can restrict draft and void the listing. We use the component the manufacturer specifies for your model or an equivalent that is listed for it.
Also in South Jordan
Our other services here
Chimney Sweep Inspection Chimney Repair Fireplace Repair Installation Gas Fireplace Dryer Vents All South Jordan services
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