NEW CAP - BETTER DRAFT?

[JotulOwner]

Last weekend I finally got tired of birds flying down the chimney and into the stove (when it wasn't in use, of course). This happend before, but usually in the Spring. Anyway, I replaced my Metalbestos cap with a 3/4 inch mesh screen Homesaver brand stainless cap. I didn't want to go with a screened cap because of concerns about creosote buildup. As it turns out, it seems like my draft improved because (I'm guessing) the new cap (which is larger and doesn't have a metal band blocking part of the opening) allows more air to flow over the chimney pipe and helps draw air/smoke out. That, or it lets smoke out faster. Or, maybe, it's just my imagination and I just want to believe that I got something extra for $130.

 

[Fsappo]

Mommy, $130 for a cap? At that price you 100% are sure the stove is working MUCH better. I know I am

 

[LLigetfa]

$30 cap and $100 for a sweep to install?

 

[JotulOwner]

Mommy, $130 for a cap? At that price you 100% are sure the stove is working MUCH better. I know I am

Yeah, this one:

http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Chimn...dian-304-Stainless-Steel-3-4-Mesh-Chimney-Cap

I bought it locally and paid a little bit more plus tax (at least I avoided shipping cost and time). I couldn't be bothered wasting more time waiting and chasing birds or shopping for caps.

I have money to burn anyway.... in fact, when I run out of seasoned wood, I just load the stove with currency :lol:

 

[LLigetfa]

Ja, at that price it not only burns better but also reduces male pattern baldness.

 

[BrotherBart]

I replace both of my caps with the hinged terra cotta termination caps with built in top plate and 3/4" mesh this year and I love'em. Expensive but after three and a half cords I just looked up with binoculars and the one doing the heavy burning shows no sign of clogging and draft is great. I had never used caps with screens before so I was apprehensive. I won't know what the inside of the pipe looks like until next week because of snow on the roof but at mid-season it was fine.

 

[JotulOwner]

$30 cap and $100 for a sweep to install?

I installed it myself. I guess my mechanical skills are better than my shopping skills :cheese:

 

[LLigetfa]

Last cap I bought was 12 years ago. Sometimes when I see today's prices I feel like I just stepped out of a time capsule.

 

[BrotherBart]

$30 cap and $100 for a sweep to install?

I installed it myself. I guess my mechanical skills are better than my shopping skills :cheese:

Mine were $120 each and I considered that a deal since I had looked around for a year and the best I had found was a hundred and sixty apiece. Woodland included shipping too.

 

[drewsome]

Last weekend I finally got tired of birds flying down the chimney and into the stove (when it wasn't in use, of course). This happend before, but usually in the Spring. Anyway, I replaced my Metalbestos cap with a 3/4 inch mesh screen Homesaver brand stainless cap. I didn't want to go with a screened cap because of concerns about creosote buildup. As it turns out, it seems like my draft improved because (I'm guessing) the new cap (which is larger and doesn't have a metal band blocking part of the opening) allows more air to flow over the chimney pipe and helps draw air/smoke out. That, or it lets smoke out faster. Or, maybe, it's just my imagination and I just want to believe that I got something extra for $130.

Hope you don't get put off by all the comments about how expensive the cap is. I think it's just the nature of many wood burners -- they don't like to spend much money.

I rec'd similar comments when asking for advice about firewood racks. Some thought I was crazy for not just chucking wood on the ground and waiting a few years for it to season, while others said I should scrounge for abandoned pallets. I too live on LI, and don't have a huge lot of land. I've got neighbors close by, so I need a neat solution for a confined space.

In any event, from one LI-based Jotul owner to another, best of luck with your new cap.

 

[ansehnlich1]

I have money to burn anyway.... in fact, when I run out of seasoned wood, I just load the stove with currency :lol:

Ha, YEAH ME TOO

Heck a hundred bucks ain't one nights beer money ;-P

Indeed, my bet would be you could notice a draft improvement, I got a couple guys here that been sweeps for a lifetime, they say throw the cap away.

I keep mine on there though, to keep the birdies and the water out

 

[firefighterjake]

HehHeh . . . wood burners and money. We're a funny lot. The idea of writing a check for heating oil or gas makes us blanch . . . but the idea of buying a second chainsaw, hydraulic splitter or some other needed tool to help us "save" money and many of us can't wait to dig out our checkbook . . . it's an addiction I know. I keep thinking that I will have paid off my stove purchase in X number of years . . . but then I end up buying some new "toy" and that pay off date just keeps moving further away . . . the good news . . . I'm getting outside, getting some exercise and having fun . . . and of course not supporting dictators, despots and using a renewable energy source and blah blah blah blah . . . so much for my original idea of saving money.