Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap: An Honest Review

Finding the right chimney cap isn’t something you want to get wrong. If you make the right choice, your cap can last for 50 years or more. That’s why it’s vital to get it right the first time.

The problem, though, is that there are so many choices out there. It can be hard to find the right chimney cap. Do you need a 9” x 9” or a 13” x 13”? Should you get stainless steel or galvanized steel? Which mesh size should you get — ¾” or ⅝”?

We know it can all be very overwhelming. At HY-C, we manufacture approximately 85% of the chimney caps sold in the United States. We make dozens and dozens of stock cap sizes, and we even make custom chimney caps (should you need one).

To help you narrow your focus and find the right chimney cap for your home, in this guide, we’re going to take a close look at one of our top-selling styles: the Draft King Black Galvanized Steel Single Flue Chimney Cap.

We’ll lay out its available sizes, the price of each size, and its available mesh sizes. We’ll also cover the environments in which it does (and doesn’t) work well, and even how the cap is installed on a flue.

By the time you’re finished here, you’ll have all the information you need to decide whether or not a Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap is right for you.

Table of contents (click a link to jump to a section):

• Sizes
• Prices
• Mesh sizes
• Durability
• Installation

Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap Product Page

Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap Sizes

The chimney cap size you need wholly depends on the dimensions of your flue, the clay tile that sticks out of your cement chimney crown. Flue tiles come in a few different shapes:

• Rectangular
• Square
• Round
• Oval

The Draft King Galvanized Steel Cap is made only for rectangular and square flues. If you have a round chimney flue, this cap isn’t for you. You’ll need to take a look at some round chimney caps instead.

Available in 11 different sizes, each galvanized steel cap can fit a range of chimney flue sizes. The table below contains the model number for all eleven sizes and the minimum and maximum flue pipe dimensions each cap can fit:

Model Number	Minimum Flue Tile Size	Maximum Flue Tile Size
CBO59	3½” x 7½”	5½” x 9½”
CBO99	7½” x 7½”	9½” x 9½”
CBO913	7½” x 11½”	9½” x 13½”
CBO918	7½” x 16½”	9½” x 18½”
CBO1111	9¾” x 9¾”	11½” x 11½”
CBO1216	10" x 14"	12½” x 16½”
CBO1313	11½” x 11½”	13½” x 13½”
CBO1318	11½” x 16½”	13½” x 18½”
CBO1515	13¾” x 13¾”	15½” x 15½”
CBO1818	16½” x 16½”	18½” x 18½”
CBO2020	18½” x 18½”	20½” x 20½”

In order to find the right size for your flue, first you’ll have to measure your chimney flue. After you find your flue tile dimensions, just match it to the correct model number in the table.

If your flue is too big or too small to match any size in this table, this cap won’t work on your flue. You’ll have to check out some additional chimney caps with different sizes.

Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap Prices

So, you know what size you need. But how much is the cap going to cost?

The price of a chimney cap increases with size. After all, the bigger the cap, the more material needed to make it. A 5” x 9” cap will cost quite a bit less than, say, a 20” x 20” cap.

The following table contains the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for each Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap model (note that prices may change a bit from retailer to retailer):

Model Number	MSRP
CBO59	$78.29
CBO99	$80.99
CBO913	$83.69
CBO918	$89.09
CBO1111	$86.39
CBO1216	$98.99
CBO1313	$90.89
CBO1318	$115.19
CBO1515	$107.09
CBO1818	$123.29
CBO2020	$131.39

To provide a frame of reference, galvanized steel is one of the most economical, cost-effective chimney cap materials. Chimney caps made from stainless steel tend to be more expensive than galvanized steel caps, and copper chimney caps are by far the most expensive you’ll find.

Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap Mesh Sizes

The mesh is the diamond-shaped metal that makes up the body of the chimney cap. It’s what keeps animals from getting in your chimney while still allowing smoke and other combustion byproducts to draft out. All 11 Draft King Galvanized Steel Cap sizes are available either with ¾” mesh or ⅝” mesh.

But which mesh size should you get?

We’ve covered this at length in our guide to chimney cap mesh sizes, but basically, you should get the ¾” mesh style unless you live in California or Oregon.

The tighter ⅝” mesh is better for catching stray sparks that may float up your chimney flue. Because California and Oregon are dry states prone to forest fires, many areas of those states require this tighter mesh by law. Tighter mesh doesn’t allow for as strong of a chimney draft, though, so unless you’re required to by law, you should use the wider ¾” mesh instead.

Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap Durability

As a chimney cap material, galvanized steel holds up pretty well. It’s harder than aluminum, which is vulnerable to chewing and tampering by nuisance wildlife. All Draft King Galvanized Steel Caps are treated with a black powder coat of paint to add some additional protection, too.

One place where galvanized steel chimney caps are lacking, though, is near saltwater. Galvanized steel simply doesn’t hold up to wet, briny environments very well over an extended period. It will eventually succumb to corrosion, rusting away right off your chimney flue.

If you are within 25 miles of a saltwater coast, you should avoid a galvanized steel chimney cap and opt for a stainless steel option instead. Stainless steel caps are undoubtedly more expensive, but they can handle the saltwater for decades at a time.

Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap Installation

Featuring a bolt-on installation method, Draft King Galvanized Steel Caps are very easy to install. Their proprietary corner-secure mounting system allows for an ultra-firm installation without damaging the integrity of your flue tile. They even come with a protective metal mounting strip to prevent the bolts from damaging your flue.

For flue tiles that don’t protrude high enough from the chimney crown to allow for bolt-on installation, these caps are compatible with Draft King’s stainless steel leg kit. This kit converts any Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap from a bolt-on to a slip-in installation style.

And while a slip-in-style cap isn’t quite as secure on a flue as a bolt-on cap, it’s still much better than having no chimney cap at all.

Should You Get a Draft King Galvanized Steel Chimney Cap?

From sizes and prices to mesh sizes and installation capabilities, you now know just about all there is to know about our Draft King line of galvanized steel chimney caps.

You may still be wondering, though, whether or not you should get one for yourself.

There are two things that will disqualify you immediately from choosing one of these caps:

1. Your flue is too big or too small for any one of the 11 sizes
2. You live within 25 miles of a saltwater coast

If you meet those two qualifications, though, the rest simply comes down to personal preference.

Galvanized steel caps are the most economical available while still offering above-average protection. If you’re willing to pay a bit extra for more protection, opt for a stainless model. If you want something a bit more eye-catching and have lots of money to spare, get a copper cap.

Of all the chimney caps we sell at HY-C, about 77% of them are made from galvanized steel. They’re available in plenty of sizes, they offer a great level of protection, and they’ll stay firmly installed on your flue for years at a time.

After you buy your new cap, you’re going to need to know how to install it. Our chimney cap installation guide covers 7 different chimney cap styles, including the bolt-on and slip-in styles of the Draft King Galvanized Steel collection. Be sure to read up so you’re ready to install your new cap!