FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

General

1) Why Should I Buy From From Chimney King

With over 25 years of experience, Chimney King can offer you more than just a custom UL Listed & Labeled chimney cap. Built to last with high quality materials, 10 year warranty, and peace of mind. Be aware of imitators that would offer to make a similar design for less. It will be with cheaper material, with little or no warranty, and may not be safe.

Fireplace companies spend huge amounts of money on testing to ensure that each piece of the fireplace system - from the firebox itself to the termination cap above your chimney chase - all work together efficiently and safely. This testing is a long and costly process, but is essential to ensure the safety of the public. At Chimney King, we work hard to make sure our products undergo this testing in order to provide the best - and safest - chimney shroud available on the market today.

Because our products are UL Listed & Labeled, you have met the requirements for the 2000 International Codes – Mechanical - Residential - Fire - Fuel & Gas, as well as NFPA 211 and NFPA 54 for chimney shroud use. This keeps the UL Listing and factory warranty on your factory built (pre-fab) fireplace intact as well as your homes insurance policy!

2) What Information Do I Need to Have When I Call?

This part can be tough, but the more you know the more Chimney King is able to assist you.

Fireplace manufacturer, fireplace name and model number, pipe model number, and termination cap model and number.
Chase top dimensions, height of pipe/s, number of pipes, type of pipe/s, and the ID of the pipe/s. (the chase pan layout)
Order Form completed as best as you can.

With that information, we can get down to the details on your personalized custom chimney cap. We love to receive emails with pictures of your home and chimney, elevation sketches, blueprints, and CAD drawings.

3) What Are Chimney Crowns Made Of?

All of our chimney caps are made from at least 24 GA steel. We offer mill-finished aluminized steel, 92 colors of painted steel, stainless steel, 16oz & 20oz copper, lead-coated copper, patina'd (green) copper, and 'perfect' non-tarnishing copper. For those of you who prefer the look of stucco, we offer a "ready for stucco" option as well as our custom elastomeric stucco-paint finish (available in various colors).

4) I’ve Heard of Chimney Caps, but What Are Shrouds and Crowns?

The usage of these terms is interchangeable. Generally builders refer to them as shrouds, but they all mean the same thing: a decorative and functional top to a chimney.

5) What if I Have Multiple Termination Caps?

It depends on the manufacturer and whether it is a gas or wood-burning system. Usually the Open Top chimney caps will allow for multiple flues provided that divider plates are used. Mail box and House-Roofed styled caps generally do not allow for more than one unless the roof is vented.

6) Can Chimney Chase Framing Dimensions Effect the Type of Crown Used?

In terms of installing a crown it's all about the airflow. Ventilation needs to be sufficient for the super heated gas to escape safely from the crown. Because of this, the chase size has a direct impact on the type and size of the proposed crown in order to meet the UL airflow requirements.

7) Does a Chimney Cap Require Maintenance?

Because we use only high quality Kynar 500 paint finishes, stainless steel, aluminum, and copper, we are able to provide a ten year warranty and can ensure that no, you will not have to do anything to maintain your chimney cap for at least ten years.

8) Can Chimney Crowns Be Used to Hide Enervex / Exhausto Fans?

Yes! Chimney Crowns are a creative and beautiful way to conceal Enervex Fans, improve your roofline aesthetics and restore the appearance of the top of the chimney. Make sure to correctly match your fan and fireplace - www.chimneyfans.com - then size your chase to accommodate the fan and custom cap. Call for technical or drafting assistance. **The fan must be allowed to vent properly and multiple fans may require divider plates.**

UL and Codes

1) What Is a UL Listing?

The UL stands for "Underwriters Laboratory", which began as an Insurance Industry organization. Today, Underwriters Laboratories is an independent and non-profit tester of electrical components, fireplace equipment, and many other utilities sold in the US for potential hazards. When something is UL-listed, that means that the UL has tested the device, and it meets their requirements for safety - ie: fire or shock hazard.

The UL label does not have power of law in the U.S. but many building codes require the use of UL listed devices, including the 603.6.3 International Fire Code. Many insurance policies have clauses in them that will limit their liability in case of a claim made in response to the failure of a non-UL-listed device.

2) Why Is a UL Listing Important?

Most fireplaces consist of two things: the actual firebox (where the wood/gas burns), and the chimney. These are paired when purchased because they have been tested to work together safely. When a homeowner or builder introduces a component to that structure that has not been tested and certified by UL, it voids not only the warranty and UL listing of the fireplace, but puts it in violation of important safety building codes including the international mechanical, international residential, and international fire codes.

Our goal as a manufacturer of decorative chimney shrouds is to provide a handcrafted decorative crown for your chimney that is not only visually more pleasing than a simple metal pipe, but a safe and functional piece of equipment. Our UL listing can be seen here

3) Who Are You UL Listed With?

Our products have been tested and approved by UL for use with the following fireplace manufacturers products: Heatilator , Heat n Glo , Quadrafire , Metal-Fab , Selkirk / Metalbestos , Martin, ICC, Manessin, and Simpson Dura-Vent . We are working towards acquiring UL listings for Majestic , DESA , and Lennox.

4) Where Can I See Your UL Listing

Our UL listing can be seen here .

5) Are There Any Codes That Regulate Chimney Cap Use?

Both the International Mechanical Code and the International Residential Code currently prohibit the use of any chimney shroud which Does not carry an affixed UL label and matches the installation instructions. These codes can be seen here.

6) Where Can I See the Codes That Regulate Chimney Caps

The International Mechanical Code, The International Residential Code, and the International Fire codes can be seen here.

7) What if the Chimney Top Is Smaller Than Required by UL for Safe Airflow?

In many cases the UL requirement can be obtained by simply adding trim boards around the top of the chase, therefore creating the additional space required to meet the U/L spec's. We find that this ads a very nice architectural touch to the top of the chase as well.
Design a freeform style of crown that is mainly mesh (such as our mirage line) which does not inhibit airflow, but still helps to conceal the termination pipes.

8) My Fireplace And/or Chimney Pipe Brand Requires a Ventilated Chase Pan. What Is a Ventilated Chase Pan, How Does It Work, and How Does It Get Installed?

A Ventilated Chase Pan is a chase pan that is suspended between 1/2” to 1” above the chase top, and is held ½” to 1” away from the side edges of the chase. It is literally floating. To wit: if you were a bumblebee you could fly up under one edge – continue across the chase top - underneath the pan – and then fly down and out the other side. To accomplish this engineering marvel, we provide spacer channels that are screwed into the chase top. If a shroud is going on top of the pan, the spacer brackets must be strategically placed to both support the pan and to provide anchor points and support for the chimney shroud.

The steps are:

Install spacer channels per the diagram.
the chase pan on top of the spacer brackets.
Set the shroud on top of the chase pan.
Use 4” long SS screws and screw through the foot of the shroud, through the rubber gasket, through the chase pan, through the spacer bracket and on into framing.

Thus both the spacer bracket and the framing will be holding the 4” screw, and the spacer bracket will support both the pan and the shroud. Yes, bug mesh over those openings to keep bumblebees out of your chase top is a good idea.

We don’t know who came up with this idea or why, (they are probably in hiding) but apparently this keeps the inside of the chase cooler and safer. And it is required for the majority of non-gas chimney pipes these days and must be used if you wish to keep your fireplace, chimney and shroud warranty and UL listings valid.

Ordering

1) Do You Accept Credit Cards?

Yes, we accept all major credit cards.

2) How Soon Can I Have One Shipped, Delivered or Picked-Up?

Orders of less than five (5) chimney shrouds usually leave our shop within five to ten (5 - 10) business days. Ship times to your location vary but are generally less than four (4) days within the continental United States.

3) What Options Do I Have to Have My Chimney Cap Shipped to Me?

We can send the chimney caps to you fully assembled via a selected freight carrier.
We can leave them in pre-assembly form (disassembled) and shipped via UPS (Important! Not all chimney caps will be small enough to ship this way).

4) What Kind of Warranty Do You Offer?

Chimney King guarantees to the original purchaser or subsequent owner that our Chimney Crowns will meet original contract specs, and be free of defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of Ten Years. For full terms and conditions, please see this page.