A Chase Pan is like a shallow cookie pan installed up-si-down over the top of your chimney. It’s sole purpose is to keep damaging rain water from entering. A properly installed Chase Pan Cover has a downward slope so as to encourage rainwater be shed quickly. Sometimes, a chase pan cannot not shed water because it was dented or was not given proper support so as to keep it from sagging. If your chase pan is allowing water to “pond” or “puddle” on top of your chimney, it needs to be fixed. If this problem is ignored, stagnant water will cause your chase pan to rust , and will eventually require the chase pan cover to have to be replaced…an expense that is completely avoidable! In addition, unsightly rust stains streaming down the sides of your chimney are a common complaint associated with a rusting chase pan. An ounce of prevention is far cheaper than a pound of cure. Let A to Z fix your chase pan cover so it can do the job it was designed to do!

A Chase Pan is like a shallow cookie pan installed up-si-down over the top of your chimney. It’s sole purpose is to keep damaging rain water from entering. Sometimes these Chase Pan Covers allow water to leak into the chimney because they are made and installed improperly, or they become rusted. If this is the case with your Chase Pan Cover, it should be replaced before continued water intrusion is allowed to further damage your fireplace, walls, or chimney chase. We have seen many cases where a neglected water leak has caused the fireplace to become rusted through, wood siding and 2X4’s become dry rotted, and walls and ceilings need to be replaced. Paying a little now to have a new, properly fitted chase pan cover installed will save lots of money and headaches in the long run.

Did you know that “Decorative Shrouds” which are illegally installed on the top of some factory built chimneys can be a potential hazard to you and your family? Often installed as an afterthought by a homebuilder, a decorative shroud is a sheet metal decoration on top of the chimney intended to increase a home’s curb appeal by hiding the round, plain looking chimney cap that the chimney comes with. Unfortunately, it has been discovered by sad experience that these illegally installed afterthoughts can be very dangerous! Normally as you burn fires, the hot gasses rise up through the chimney and escape safely through the chimney cap into the outer atmosphere. For Safety purposes, the manufacturer’s instructions on how their chimney is to be installed are very specific, and allow little leeway for variance. These instructions also specify the closest allowable distance the cap can be to the chase pan cover. If the cap is installed too close to the chase pan cover, the combustible 2X4’s directly beneath it can overheat and catch fire. The instructions also prohibit any add – on products on the top of the chimney (such as decorative shrouds) for this same purpose. In addition, these covers can also inhibit your chimney’s ability to draft or draw properly, thus inhibiting it’s performance. In many cases, fire investigators have discovered that these illegally installed decorative shrouds kept heat from spilling harmlessly into the atmosphere and created a bridge on which to transfer itself to the wood members of the chase, or even overheat the factory built chimney pipe, itself! The resulting house fires are a warning to all who have an illegal decorative shroud on top of their chimney. If your chimney has an add-on decorative shroud which was not Tested (UL listed) for use with your chimney, we recommend that you have it removed immediately. Adding accessories which are not original factory parts is not only illegal, but potentially very dangerous!