Does A Chimney Cap Reduce Draft

Help increase draft when the weather in windy.

Does a chimney cap reduce draft.

Although replacing chimney caps in general helps reduce drafts in your home some are better at it than others. After installing a chimney cap check it at least once a year to make sure the screen is not clogged. Draft is the force behind flow while capacity is the capability to handle flow. Downdrafts can cause your home to fill with smoke.

Often times the screen on your cap can become clogged with chimney byproducts further decreasing the draft of the chimney. You can test the effect of this by raising the fireplace grate or the fire basket with stones. Especially in windy areas a chimney cap can be extremely beneficial in helping to make the home more energy efficient. Some caps may even worsen the draft problem in your house.

In high winds caps can potentially blow off so make sure that the cap is fastened securely to the chimney. There are specially designed chimney caps that reduce draft problems or correct existing ones. A chimney cap can stop downdrafts from entering the home. Cold blasts of air are prevented from entering into homes equipped with a chimney cap.

Draft inducing caps will not correct a downdraft caused by increased air density at the top of the chimney due to air inversion or the type of chimney top pressurization which can occur when the wind blows across the top of a cylinder formed by nearby tall trees hills or buildings that extend above and totally surround the chimney. The reason that a taller chimney creates a better draft is really rather simple as the higher up in the atmosphere the chimney reaches the greater the differential pressure. By increasing the height of the fire grate the fire is closer to the chimney channel as a result of which the chimney flue becomes warmer and the draft will improve immediately. More than just creating draft.

Draft increasing chimney cap the draft increasing chimney cap uses the wind to create stronger updrafts. Expert masons will tell you it s much easier to decrease a draft that is too strong than it is to improve the draft on an inadequate flue. Before you buy a chimney cap take a look at your home situation and decide how much protection you need.