Installing the chimney pipe and rain cap

Adam Chimney Sweep installs new galvanized chimney pipe and a rain cap through a shingle roof.

Installing the chimney pipe and rain cap

With the opening cut and the flashing base set, the new galvanized chimney pipe drops in and the rain cap goes on top. The cap keeps rain, snow and animals out of the flue while still letting it draft freely. This is the finished, weather-tight result, the part of the job that protects everything below it for years.

What the cap actually does

A chimney cap is cheap insurance. It blocks rain and melting snow from running straight down the flue, keeps birds, squirrels and raccoons from nesting in it, and its mesh acts as a spark arrestor so embers stay inside the pipe instead of landing on the roof.

Why the pipe and cap must match

Caps are sized to the pipe, and the pipe is sized to the appliance it vents. An undersized or mismatched cap chokes the draft and can cause smoke-back or poor combustion. We install listed components that fit together as a system, torqued down to survive wind.

Built for Colorado weather

Front Range roofs take hail, heavy spring snow and chinook winds. Galvanized steel handles that abuse, and a properly fastened cap stays put in gusts that peel loose ones off. If your cap is missing or rattling, that is the moment to fix it, before water gets in.

See the full project: New Chimney Pipe, Flashing & Cap Through a Shingle Roof

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