Chimney Cowls: Which One Fixes Which Problem
A chimney cowl supplied and fitted costs €100 to €450 in Ireland. A cowl sits on the pot and does one of four jobs: it stops wind blowing smoke back down, keeps rain out, keeps birds out, or helps a weak flue draw. Pick it by the problem. A cowl will not cure a flue that is blocked, cracked or too wide for the stove under it.
Match the cowl to the fault, and know when the fault is somewhere else.
Free, no obligation. One local company prices it, not five.
- €100 to €450supplied and fitted
- 4 jobswind, rain, birds, draw
- €150 to €500if the pot needs replacing too
Problem, cause, cowl
| What happens | Why | The cowl |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke blows back into the room in wind | Downdraught | An anti-downdraught cowl |
| Rain comes down the flue | An open pot | A rain cap or hood |
| Birds nesting, twigs in the grate | An open pot | A bird guard, or a cowl with mesh |
| A weak draw on a short or sheltered stack | Low pull | A spinning cowl, or a taller pot |
| A stove with a steel liner | The liner needs closing at the top | A liner cowl with a plate and clamp |
| A flue not in use | Rain and birds, no fire | A capping cowl with a vent |
When a cowl won't fix it
- Smoke in the room in calm weather. The flue is blocked, too cold or too wide. Sweep it, then look at lining.
- Smoke when another fire or an extractor is on. The room is short of air. It needs a vent, not a cowl.
- Tar stains on the chimney breast. That is the flue wall, not the top.
- A stack lower than the ridge beside it. Wind rolls over the ridge and down the flue. A cowl helps; raising the stack cures it.
Fitting it so it stays
A cowl is either strapped to the pot, bolted inside it, or bedded in the flaunching. On an exposed stack it is the bedding and fixings that matter: a cowl that lifts in the first gale takes the pot with it. Ask for stainless fixings, and for the flaunching to be checked while the fitter is up there.
Cowls and pots, priced
| Job | Typical cost | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| A cowl supplied and fitted | €100 to €450 | The type of cowl and how it's reached |
| A chimney pot replaced | €150 to €500 | Matching an old clay pot costs more |
| Flaunching renewed, pots re-bedded | €200 to €1,200 | How many pots, and whether any are cracked |
| An unused chimney capped, with a vent | €300 to €900 | A cap on the pot, or the pot off and a slab on |
Repair work on a house is at the reduced 13.5% VAT rate. Ask for a written price that includes it, and says whether scaffolding is in it.
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More on chimney repairs
Costs, leaks, mortar, flues and rebuilds.
What chimney repairs costEvery job, priced. Repointing is €300 to €1,500.A leaking chimneyWhere the damp shows tells you where the water gets in.
Repointing a stackWhen new mortar is enough, and when it isn't.
Lining a flueFor stoves, tar and cracked flues. €800 to €2,500 fitted.
Rebuilding a stackA lean, bulging or loose bricks. €800 to €2,000 above the roofline.
Capping and cowlsAn unused flue capped with a vent is €300 to €900.Chimney repair in every county
- Carlow3,372 homes built before 1946
- Cavan4,152 homes built before 1946
- Clare6,309 homes built before 1946
- Cork37,465 homes built before 1946
- Donegal6,974 homes built before 1946
- Dublin79,150 homes built before 1946
- Galway10,117 homes built before 1946
- Kerry7,666 homes built before 1946
- Kildare5,606 homes built before 1946
- Kilkenny6,287 homes built before 1946
- Laois4,323 homes built before 1946
- Leitrim2,466 homes built before 1946
- Limerick11,830 homes built before 1946
- Longford2,224 homes built before 1946
- Louth6,764 homes built before 1946
- Mayo7,592 homes built before 1946
- Meath6,839 homes built before 1946
- Monaghan3,868 homes built before 1946
- Offaly4,608 homes built before 1946
- Roscommon4,227 homes built before 1946
- Sligo4,130 homes built before 1946
- Tipperary12,246 homes built before 1946
- Waterford7,755 homes built before 1946
- Westmeath4,684 homes built before 1946
- Wexford8,936 homes built before 1946
- Wicklow8,488 homes built before 1946
Check your chimney
Four taps: what's wrong, the height of the house, what the stack is built of and what it's used for. You see the likely job and our price for it. Your number is only asked for at the end, if you want one chimney repair company that covers your county to ring you.
Questions people ask
Can I fit a cowl myself?
On a bungalow with safe access, a strap-on cowl is a simple job. Not from a ladder on a two-storey roof.
Do cowls stop rain completely?
A rain cap stops nearly all of it. Driven rain in a gale can still get a little past any cowl.
Will a spinning cowl seize?
Cheap ones do, with soot and salt. Ask for a stainless one with a sealed bearing, and have it checked when the chimney is swept.
Does a cowl affect sweeping?
Some need to come off or be swept from above. Tell the sweep what's fitted.
Which cowl for a stove?
The one made for the liner, with a top plate and clamp. It is usually priced with the liner.
Get a price for your chimney repair
One chimney repair company that covers your county. Free, no obligation. Nothing is booked until you say yes.