"LenS" wrote in message
...
We live in a ranch style house with a gas furnace and forced air
heating/cooling. When we had our fall furnace inspection the HVAC
fellow pronouced our furnace in fine shape (not surprising since it's
only 5 years old)

Good..you would be surprised at the number of units that are about shot at
5...thats a third of the way through the life of the typical unit
today...(no..not a sales technique, but simple facts..built in obsolecence)


but said that he found some suspicious debris in the
chimney. Might have been the remains of a bird, he said, and also some
stuff that looked to him like toasted pine needles.

Like an old birds nest perhaps...

Anyway, he suggested that the chimney cap might be gone; eroded
perhaps, and recommended getting a new one. His company doesn't do
chimney caps and he had no suggestions for someone to do it.



Or it might have been there from before the cap was placed on it...


We've only owned our house for a little over 5 years, and I'm a babe
in the woods at home owning and maintenance.

I looked at my chimney from the backyard but couldn't see anything.
Then I talked to a couple of my neighbors who told me that the cap was
a sort of screen-like cover over the top of the chimney and most of
the time wasn't even visible from the ground. They also said the HVAC
fellow might have been right, but the only way to find out would be to
have someone actually look at the chimney from the roof.


A CAP, is a CAP. Meaning, it seals off the flue completely.

What kind of companies do chimney caps? Roofers?

HVAC companines that are legit...since it is allowed by our licence, some
roofers, masons, and chimney sweeps...


Is this an expensive thing?

Depends...we just did a real cap, with a drop down chain and spring loaded
cap for about $375 installed, but the cap was the most expensive part.


What would happen if I did nothing? Is there some long-term damage
possible?

More than likely not.


Any suggestions, comments or opinions will be welcome.

Thanks,

-Len