Cowls and Caps are those cute little hats you will see on chimneys if you look up to most houses.

However, their use is much more than many people think. They are not just to keep the heat in, they have many more uses. And actually, a badly maintained cowl can be a bit of a menace.

Chimney cowls are one of the most safety led chimney accessories, and though not essential (although we think they should be), they are necessary for protecting your home and making the most of open fires and wood burners. From a cost perspective, they make your open fire or wood burner more efficient, and help maintain the heat inside the house.

They also maintain your chimney and chimney pot, and protect the chimney flu from air-born matter or birds coming down , which can then be a fire hazard when you light the flame!

Basically, cowls are metal ventilators on the top of the outside of a chimney pot - there are different cowls to choose from, and you can get creative with this depending upon your chimney, what you want to achieve and your own personal taste.

The right type can reduce downdraft that the heat has to fight again, stop drafts in your room, make it warmer and more comfortable. The downdrafts can also create smoke, which is billowed into the room, and cowls reduce the risk of this too. They can help reduce the odour of burning, keep the rain out of an otherwise wide open hole into your home, and of course, stop birds nesting on top of your chimney when they are seeking warmth.

It is important that cowls and caps are fitted by an expert who will make sure it is safe, not likely to be taken off in high winds and be a risk to people and property, and that it is positioned for maximum ventilation. A stainless steel spinning cowl is one of the most common kinds of cowls being fitted at the moment and will be fine for most chimneys. However, there is a widening choice and depending on the size of your chimney, you may prefer a directional wind cowl, updraft cowl, a capping cowl or a clamping chimney cowl. 

You should also keep a close eye on your current cowl if you have one. Recently we have heard a few nightmare near miss stories when old and worn cowls have been picked up off the chimney by the weather and nearly resulted in damaged conservatories, patios, cars and the worst, one near miss of a lady in her garden! Our customer, who we fitted anew one to replace the very old lost one, is still getting over that one!!

We are happy to do a free survey of your chimney, tell you if you actually have a cowl and if so, it's condition and recommend a type that we can fit for you, if you need one. Just give Jayne a ring to book us in on 0191 252 4308.