Class A chimney caps?

I would recommend the diamond mesh. I've never seen this style of mesh clog up.

Knots said:

I worry about birds and what-not. Thinking about a diamond-screen:

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I have an open cap. I have heard strange sounds in the house and thought WTH? 2 times, it has been a blackbird looking at me through the stove glass. Rather easy exfiltration with front door open, all blinds closed and broom to guide bird to see the light. But you'd rather not hafta. Go diamond.

I have two of the last option, semi closed. Simpson made both of mine and the same cap is available with a mesh if filtering your smoke is your thing.

I have never had a bird fly down either chimney and I live in a huge field full of tweety birds.

Ive always done diamond mesh with EPA stoves, if run right clogging was rarely an issue. At my own house I would just nail it with a pellet rifle if it looked questionable. Old wood hogs I would recommend a cap with a simple spark arrestor ring.

I have a Selkirk delux cap no mesh, pretty open when holding hand -looks all closed up when installed- never any critter problem, except for the yellow jackets that built a nest under the rain flashing one time.

I have one of the diamond mesh caps and I'm thinking of replacing it with something less restrictive, as I do have clogging issues with it, despite burning sub 18% MC wood and keeping my flue temps in the 500-800 degree range for much of the burn. My stove pipe and liner are as clean as they were after the sweep left, but a month of shoulder season burning has started to restrict my cap a bit. I should get another 2-3 weeks of burning before it needs to be cleaned off, but it is something I have to do multiple times a winter, even with well seasoned wood and a clean burning stove.

BCC_Burner said:

I have one of the diamond mesh caps and I'm thinking of replacing it with something less restrictive, as I do have clogging issues with it, despite burning sub 18% MC wood and keeping my flue temps in the 500-800 degree range for much of the burn. My stove pipe and liner are as clean as they were after the sweep left, but a month of shoulder season burning has started to restrict my cap a bit. I should get another 2-3 weeks of burning before it needs to be cleaned off, but it is something I have to do multiple times a winter, even with well seasoned wood and a clean burning stove.

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That was my experience with the simpson square mesh screen as well. Crap filled cap, clean chimney. I decided it was unnecessary to filter the exhaust from my stove.

Both my flues have caps fitted with ½" square mesh screen.Never any problems with them clogging up, nor any problems with birds or other animals. I don't even bother to go up and clean them, the soot eater from the bottom up rattles around a bit up in there and does whatever's needed. Where I live, screens are required because of the ever-present danger of wild fires, but I really think I'd have them anyway just to keep out curious critters. Rick

bholler said:

If you are burning a new stove right the 3/4" diamond mesh wont clog. I have seen plenty clogged ones but it wasn't the caps fault

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Whatever you say, buddy. Must have been those mushrooms I ate an hour or two before I looked at the cap.

I was frustrated by it happening last year, but I didn't have very good wood. This year my entire supply is in the 14-18% MC range, I upgraded to double wall interior pipe to keep the gasses hotter and installed a probe thermo so I could gather more data. I can close the primary air down about 90% of the way and have great secondary combustion, no or minimal visible smoke at the cap, and good flue temps throughout the burn. I also have clean stove pipe and a clean liner. My chimney cap doesn't create matter, but is is hundreds of degrees cooler than any other part of the system, leading to condensation.