Chimney cowls keep the rodents at bay
Chimney cowls make life more comfortable, easier, and less stressful. Best of all, this wonderful invention eliminates a whole pile of uncomfortable honeydew chores. Chimney cowls keep the smoke from the fire rising, keep rain out of the stovepipes and keep birds, rodents and other pests from coming to visit or nest. How do they do this? A chimney cowl is a cap on the chimney that allows the smoke to rise, while keeping debris and rodents out. These come in a variety of styles and shapes and are made from different materials. Their purpose is to protect the integrity of the stovepipe by letting the smoke out and nothing else in.
Smoke is a by-product of a hot fire and automatically rises up like hot air does. It travels up the chimney flue and dissipates above this rooftop, allowing the heat from the fire to warm the room. When the wind blows, the wind forces the air and smoke back down the chimney and into the room. This is called a downdraft. The stove or fireplace continues to burn, to create more smoke, that smoke enters the room also, the room becomes uncomfortably polluted with thick, dark, smelly smoke. This causes eyes to itch and throats to burn. The special designs of chimney caps stop this downdraft.
Chimney cowls
These wonderful inventions that cover the end of the stovepipe like a top hat stop the rain and snow from entering the pipe. Soot, another byproduct of fire, builds up inside the pipe as a black powdery material. When mixed with water, this becomes thick and tar-like. It stains the inside of the stovepipe, leaks through the joints and runs down the outside. The worst part is the smell. The smell is a very thick smell of wet smoke and is hard to remove from a room or home. Chimney cowls are specially designed to eliminate this problem.
During the seasons the chimney is not used, it is a magnet for rodents and birds. This space provides a safe haven from hawks, neighborhood cats and bigger rodents and birds. These use the empty chimney as a playground; the noise is amplified by the metal stovepipe and irritates people in the home. The worst part is when these unruly intruders decide to store supplies like nuts in the stove, stovepipe or fireplace or build a nest on the ledges or damper inside. The stovepipe can become blocked. If the homeowner does not notice the problem and builds a fire, the smoke cannot rise and will filter back into the house. It will take hours to rectify the problem, i.e. let the fire burn out and hours longer of opening the doors and windows to remove the smoke. The lingering odor will visit for quite a while.
You may also want to consider the addition of a chimney liner to also help protect the inner sanctum of your smokestack. Chimney liners are a great way to keep soot and debris from building up in the cracks and crevices of your chimney, which will in turn keep the fire hazard levels to a minimum.
Chimney cowls make life easy by avoiding problems. These are easy to install and easy to remove for the annual or semi-annual chimney cleaning. The stove or fireplace will be ready to use whenever the homeowner wants without any concern about windy conditions, rain or snow or uninvited nuisances.
A chimney cap is a great way to protect your chimney. For other great outdoor home furnishing ideas, visit our Rival crock pot home page and see how others are learning to live the slow-cookin’ lifestyle…
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