# Do you bag your chimney cap?



## Trktrd (Jun 2, 2011)

I have seen quite a few folks in my area tie a garbage bag or some other type of plastic over their chimney caps during the off season. What's the point? I just close the dampers and call it good. Never had anything move into my chimney for the summer.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jun 2, 2011)

Maybe they have problems with birds or bees getting into the chimney. As for us, we have never had a problem and have never covered.


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## woodchip (Jun 2, 2011)

I'd be tempted to bag if it were likely to be a wet summer. 

I would be disinclined to leave the dampers closed and the chimney top open as any dampness coming down the flue would have no obvious way of drying out.

Just my thoughts......


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## cptoneleg (Jun 2, 2011)

Well now that you mention it, I put one on mine because during a hard rain I noticed water on my stove.  Well that stopped the water, and am relieved that it wasn't a leak somewhere else.  I haven't given it much thought lately its 90*, but plan on looking into it.  Water would run down the inside.


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## Highbeam (Jun 2, 2011)

On modern stoves, especially non-cats, there is no way to shut off the air flow to and through the stove. That cold stove will be drafting all the time keeping the air in the chimney fresh.  I would much rather allow this to happen than to trap the nasty and possibly moist air in the flue and allow it to cause corrosion and funk. 

So no, no reason to bag the cap. If you have water leaking into your flue from rain then you need to fix your faulty chimney. It will also be leaking in the winter.


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## cptoneleg (Jun 2, 2011)

Wont leak much burning 7 24s , I have inspected it I guess I need a different cap, eventhough the one on there came with the kit that runs through the roof and less than a year old.


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## Highbeam (Jun 2, 2011)

Sure it will. Burning a fire can only do so much to evaporate the leaked water. When enough water comes in you will see the damage.


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## DexterDay (Jun 3, 2011)

With pellet stoves, I have always "Plugged my Flue and my OAK's. To keep the humidity coming in from outside. I use old rags, followed by a bag or plastic of some sort. Follow by some tape, that is tightly wrapped around it. I then put a desiccant in the hopper and in my ash pan. That sucks all the moisture out, that may want to get in there. The one upstairs is in the Central Air Conditioning. The Fahrenheit and the Englander 30 are in the basement. Basement I run a Dehumidifier and have Desiccants down there also. The desiccants I use are called "Damp-Rid" they are pretty big and can handle all the moisture a stove will dish out. Don't know if anyone has put one in there woodstove before. But I use them in my pellet stoves and will continue to use them in the woodstove also.


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## leeave96 (Jun 3, 2011)

I would think that if you have a straight shot up from your stove through the roof, a bag over the chimney might not be a bad idea - just to keep rain out of the firebox.

Bill


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## Fsappo (Jun 3, 2011)

Never bagged a chimney, but I did bag a few GFs when there wasnt enough beer.


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## egclassic (Jun 3, 2011)

Highbeam said:
			
		

> Sure it will. Burning a fire can only do so much to evaporate the leaked water. When enough water comes in you will see the damage.


True. I had a couple of mortar joints on my brick fireplace have water leak through with the insert burning full blast.
This spring, between storms, I climbed up and found some cracking in my crown.


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## DAKSY (Jun 3, 2011)

I vote NO on the chimney bagging... 
I hadda go perform a service call on an old VC Defiant where 
the homeowner had some squirrels in the stove & nested for the winter. 
He had been south & returned for Christmas with the family.
He got the squirrels out & then bagged the top, & headed back south. 
We were called in mid-May & I hadda replace the refractory that 
the squirrels had damaged & also brush the chimney...
I got onto the roof & grabbed the duct tape & yanked it & 
LO & BEHOLD! About 500 totally pissed off yellow jackets 
came streaming out from under the bag. I took three giant steps towards
the edge & jumped off the roof. Did a shoulder roll & ran for the 
safety of my service van. Bee spray would've been in my hand if I'd
thought about it, but I figured the chimney was sealed tight - MY BAD.
The boss couldn't understand how I could go on a chimney cleaning
job & come back covered in grass stains.
I vote NO...


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## woodchip (Jun 3, 2011)

DAKSY said:
			
		

> I vote NO...



Yup, I can understand your reasoning there  ;-)


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## Backwoods Savage (Jun 3, 2011)

DAKSY said:
			
		

> I vote NO on the chimney bagging...
> I hadda go perform a service call on an old VC Defiant where
> the homeowner had some squirrels in the stove & nested for the winter.
> He had been south & returned for Christmas with the family.
> ...



 :lol: That is why we usually have the hornet spray handy when checking the chimney in spring or fall. Don't know why but the seem to be drawn to the chimneys.


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## Fsappo (Jun 3, 2011)

DAKSY said:
			
		

> I vote NO on the chimney bagging...
> I hadda go perform a service call on an old VC Defiant where
> the homeowner had some squirrels in the stove & nested for the winter.
> He had been south & returned for Christmas with the family.
> ...



I'm guessin/hopin this was a ranch style house.  If you jumped more than 12 feet or so and got up runnin, then your like spiderman.  Or bee man..


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## wendell (Jun 3, 2011)

I'm hoping to find some kind of screen to keep the birds out. Already have had one this spring.


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## cptoneleg (Jun 4, 2011)

wendell said:
			
		

> I'm hoping to find some kind of screen to keep the birds out. Already have had one this spring.




I'm hoping to find one to keep the rain out I'm gonna get up there and take a picture see if I can get some suggestions.


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## lilolme (Apr 30, 2013)

okay guys so i have the same problem as cptoneleg - when it rains sideways my firebox gets flooded. most of the time it's dry. called my installer but not hopeful to get a remedy from them. can i add some kind of rain bonnet on top of the cap??


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## westkywood (May 1, 2013)

Me and a friend of mine have both had Starlings in our chimneys. Year before last I heard something banging around and finally realized it was a bird in my flue. I took the pipe apart and out it flew, into my house of course.  The upside, he did a pretty good job on cleaning my flue....... I put wire mesh over the top after burning season.


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## oldspark (May 1, 2013)

Never had mine leak even is a bad storm, I guess it depends on your conditions, I have trees around my house and maybe that keeps it from getting a direct shot from sideways rain.


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## xman23 (May 3, 2013)

I never have. But I have gotten blue birds stuck in the stove, and the summer rain storms blow in some rain water. The stove is damp after a storm. I have no screen and a 9 inch dome that stands up 4 inches.   I would cover it if it wasn't so hard to do. Cleaning once a year from the top down is a big enough project. Another way maybe lower an exact size bucket over it. After the season I might get up there with a long pole and try that.

Still burning, for another month or so.


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