Chimney cap / flue questions

[wysocki]

I have a brick chimney on my house with 4 flues in it, each one going to a gas fireplace (all rarely used). I have a couple of questions about it.

):

1. It has no cap. Although I have screens to keep the vermin out, rain comes in easily. Given that I live in Southern California (dry), do I need to get some sort of cap over these? Which kind?

2. Today is cold (50f) and I feel a lot of heat coming out of the top of the stacks from the rooms below. The gas log hearths all have a screw blocking the flue panels from completely closing so what's the best approach to cut the heat loss?

3. Two of the flues have tile extending about 9" above the 2 others which are flush with the bricks.. Any reason I should not cut these off to match the other two flush ones? (would make getting an all-encompasing cap easier to find and fit),

Thanks for any advice!

 

[wooduser]

<<2. Today is cold (50f) and I feel a lot of heat coming out of the top of the stacks from the rooms below. The gas log hearths all have a screw blocking the flue panels from completely closing so what's the best approach to cut the heat loss?


If a wood fireplace quits venting, you will get loads of smoke in the house ----something you can't ignore.

If a fireplace with gas logs in it quits venting, you wont have much or any smoke in the house to alert you to the danger. For that reason, codes require that gas log sets all have the damper permanently wired open. This results in the 24/7 loss of heated room air up the chimney that you noticed.

The only thing you can do about that with gas logs is to install glass doors on the front of the fireplace, which will reduce that heat loss.

Think this isn't a haard? More than likely you will see soot accumulating around the gas log set. Where there is soot, there's carbon monoxide.

Gas log set are "yellow flame" burners and are thus prone to making soot and carbon monoxide.

 

[Millbilly]

<<2. Today is cold (50f) and I feel a lot of heat coming out of the top of the stacks from the rooms below. The gas log hearths all have a screw blocking the flue panels from completely closing so what's the best approach to cut the heat loss?


If a wood fireplace quits venting, you will get loads of smoke in the house ----something you can't ignore.

If a fireplace with gas logs in it quits venting, you wont have much or any smoke in the house to alert you to the danger. For that reason, codes require that gas log sets all have the damper permanently wired open. This results in the 24/7 loss of heated room air up the chimney that you noticed.

The only thing you can do about that with gas logs is to install glass doors on the front of the fireplace, which will reduce that heat loss.

Think this isn't a haard? More than likely you will see soot accumulating around the gas log set. Where there is soot, there's carbon monoxide.

Gas log set are "yellow flame" burners and are thus prone to making soot and carbon monoxide.

LOL'D @ its 50 and cold