Chimney caps keep out the rain, right? If this was the only reason for installing a cap it would be enough. I have seldom seen an uncapped chimney over five years old that was not suffering from some kind of water damage. Go over to your fireplace right now and look at the back firewall near the base. Take a screwdriver or coin and run it across the mortar between the bricks. Seem a little crumbly? Or maybe it's obvious just looking at it. Rain puddles up on the smoke shelf mixes with creosote in the chimney and turns into a highly corrosive acid which seeps down and attacks the mortar joints no the back wall of the fireplace.
Our chimney sweeping service is unique in that we don't just do a sweep and run. We go up top to inspect the bricks, crown, flue tiles, flashing, mortar, caps, etc. Then we go down into the basement to inspect foundation and appliance venting systems. As a part of our sweeping process, we will usually remove the damper and get out any debris from behind the rain shelf that other companies surely overlook! After the flue has been thoroughly swept, it will be video scanned to view the condition of tiles and joints between tiles for safety.
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