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In a Kew house with several fireplaces and one in use, the open pots on the idle flues are where the rain and the birds get in. FreshDuct caps the flues you use, seals the ones you do not, and fits everything from staging rather than the slate.
Open pots on a disused Kew flue? A vented cap keeps rain and nests out while letting the flue breathe.
The typical Kew stack carries a row of clay pots, and most of them sit over flues that have not seen a fire in decades. An open pot takes every shower that passes over, so the brick inside the flue stays damp, the mortar softens from the inside and whatever a bird carries in stays there. It is these idle flues, not the one you light, that cause most of the trouble in a large period house.
The answer is different for each pot. The working flue gets a rain cap with a bird guard, or an anti-downdraught cowl if the fire smokes back on a windy night; the idle flues get a vented cap that keeps water and birds out while still letting air move, so the flue dries rather than sweating behind the plaster. We identify which pot belongs to which fireplace before anything is fitted.
Fitting is planned around the slate. The stack is surveyed by drone to size the pots and check the crown, then the caps go on from staging or a platform, secured with fixings chosen so they do not react with the lead and copper already on the roof. A photo of every capped pot comes with the job, so you can see the whole row without anyone going near the roof again.
Rain caps, vented caps for idle flues and anti-downdraught cowls for tall multi-pot Kew stacks, fitted from staging with the slate untouched.
A pot that has been open for decades is usually part-filled with twigs and feathers. We clear what has built up above the damper before the cap goes on, because sealing a nest into a flue traps damp and smell in the wall behind it.
A disused flue that is sealed airtight sweats and stains the chimney breast. The right cap for an idle Kew flue keeps rain and birds out but lets air through, so the brick dries and the room stays free of that cold, damp smell.
Caps are fixed from a platform or staging rather than by walking the slate, and the fixings are chosen to sit beside lead flashing and copper without setting up corrosion. Each pot is photographed once it is capped.
Real photos from Melbourne jobs — not stock, not staged.
We go through the stack pot by pot: which serves the fireplace you light, which are idle, and which have something growing or nesting in them. Then each gets the cap that suits it, sized to the pot after the drone survey.
If a fire in a Kew room smokes back when the wind gets up, the cowl on that pot is tested with the fire lit before we call it fixed. The finished row is photographed from above so you have a record of the lot.
Documented end to end — every job, every suburb.
Flue size, terminal type and roof access checked.
The right cap or cowl for the appliance and the problem.
Firm price before any work.
Fixed and sealed from the roof, safely.
Draw checked with the cap on.
A photo of the finished cap from the roof.
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The same local team covers the suburbs around Kew. Explore nearby areas and related FreshDuct chimney services.
Capped with a vented cap, not sealed airtight. A fully sealed flue cannot dry out and ends up staining the chimney breast, whereas a vented cap keeps rain and birds out while letting the flue breathe. We fit them pot by pot after clearing any nesting material.
From staging or a platform, never by walking on the slate. The stack is surveyed by drone first to size each pot, the caps are fixed with fixings that suit the lead and copper on the roof, and every capped pot is photographed for you.
An open flue lets rain, leaves and birds straight in. A cap keeps the flue dry, keeps nests out and, on a wood heater, a spark arrestor stops embers leaving the flue.
Usually a downdraught — wind pushing back down the flue. An anti-downdraught cowl is the normal fix; we confirm the draw with a test before and after.
Yes. If we are on the roof for a sweep and the flue needs a cap, we can quote it on the spot and fit it the same visit where we have the right size.
Send your details and the office confirms a window for Kew. No call-out fee, before and after photos, and honest advice on what your chimney needs and what it does not.
