Situation:
- Western New York house built in 1956. - 7" OD Type "B" Unlined Flue - Flue originally for gas furnace and hot water heater, now just used for hot water heater. - Flue goes straight down into concrete slab basement floor.
Problem:
- Last night the high winds blew the cone shaped cap off the top of the flue.
Questions:
- Do I need to replace it? - Will any water or snow that gets in the flue cause a problem?
Thanks!
Just about every chimney needs a squirrel cage with rainproof cap. Small animals that enter via a cold chimney (squirrels, bats, mice) create noise and perhaps smell if they die there. Rain and winter ice can crack open masonry chimneys.
IMHO: Flues are designed to give a path for exhaust gases out of a building. So they are not designed for rain/snow intake, or animals nesting. A cap would make sense. :D
later,
tom @
For 20 years we had no cap. Then a larger bird set up housekeeping in the flu and thouroughly plugged it. Fortunately, it was summer and ther was no need for the flu but as soon as those buggers were gone I cleaned it out and capped it. It sure would have been easier to have capped before the whole ordeal.
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