How to Keep Snow Out of Your Chimney This Winter
Freezing weather can wreak havoc on chimneys. Preparation can help, and one thing it’s advisable to know is how to keep snow out of your chimney in winter. Steps in prevention provide the best defenses against potential damage caused by snow. Besides learning how to keep snow out of your chimney, Dubuque Fireplace and Patio breaks down the kinds of damage that can be avoided by staying on top of chimney maintenance, as follows.
4 Ways to Keep Snow Out of Your Chimney
Snowy conditions are tough on chimneys. To get straight to the crux of the matter, there are four ways to keep snow out of your chimney this winter. Read on for specifics.
1-Install a Chimney Cap
Chimney caps provide a frontline defense against snow and all forms of precipitation. As necessary as chimney caps are for the protection of chimney masonry, it’s strange that they are considered mere accessories. Without a chimney cap, every type of moisture that pours out of the sky falls directly into the chimney flue, potentially resulting in all sorts of damage. Chimney caps have multiple benefits that include keeping animals out and acting as a spark guard to prevent roof fires.
The chimney caps most recommended by chimney sweep experts are outside-mount chimney caps. Unlike economical flue tops, outside-mount chimney caps provide protection of the damage-prone chimney crown while also keeping out snow, rain, hail, and debris. As an added bonus, outside-mount chimney caps add to the aesthetics of chimneys.
2-Install a Cricket
Trouble for chimneys sometimes comes in the form of melting snow and ice that create a deluge of moisture against the chimney stack. Installation of a cricket can provide the needed protection. A cricket is a ridge structure, and its function is to divert water away from the chimney.
3-Waterproof the Chimney
Certain materials can be applied to a masonry chimney to help prevent moisture from being absorbed into the bricks. To ensure effectiveness, it is important to rely on a chimney professional for the application of waterproofing. Professional chimney sweeps will only use waterproofing products that allow bricks to continue to breathe while still being protected against water intrusion.
4-Keep Up with Chimney Maintenance
Keeping moisture out of a chimney system requires diligent monitoring. Fire safety experts recommend annual chimney inspections. No one knows better than chimney sweep experts that inspections are essential because chimney damage is rarely easy to identify in the early stages. With the help of an expert eye, you can get a jump on the wintry weather and save money by preventing chimney masonry damage.
What Chimney Damage can be Caused by Snow?
Snowy, wintry weather can cause the following kinds of damage, all of which are 100% preventable:
- Deterioration of the mortar between bricks can accelerate;
- Spalling masonry, which is the crumbling and flaking of masonry resulting from the freezing and thawing of water that has already seeped into bricks;
- Chimney crowns crack, resulting in a chimney leak;
- Chimney caps are dislodged; and
- Metal flashing is damaged.
Contact Dubuque Fireplace & Patio Today
Enjoy peace of mind this winter, even with snow pouring down on your rooftop. Trust the chimney sweep experts at Dubuque Fireplace & Patio to provide ongoing maintenance and needed chimney repairs.
Call us at (563) 582-5156 today!
