At a scientific meeting, one seldom expects to hear mention of the word cowl. Chimney facts rarely get discussed during any scientific convention. Yet, “fires in the fireplace” were once the subject of discussion, during one meeting of geneticists.

About thirty five years ago, at a meeting in Miami, Florida, a group of geneticists reported their findings, in relation to cancer causing genetic changes. During one of the scheduled breaks, a husband and wife team talked with other scientists about their decision to avoid using their fireplace. They did not want any chemical laden smoke to make its way into their home.

Now, at that time, those scientists had little reason to consider the use of a chimney cowl. At that time, society in general did not know much about chimney cowls. At that time no one had any idea that an invention known as the Internet would one day give almost everyone ready access to information about chimney pot cowls.

In fact, today an online shopper should not expect to get the facts about just one type of chimney pot cowl. That online shopper can anticipate reading about several different chimney pots’ cowls. That online shopper can study information about both the colt chimney cowl and the stainless steel chimney cowl.

What is a cowl? It is a hood shaped cover, one that home builders can elect to place into a chimney pot. A chimney pot is the part of a chimney that extends through the roof. Smoke from a fire in a fireplace flows up through the flue in a chimney, and can thus flow into a cowl.

Now, that is what happens on a fair and windless day. On a windy day, a cowl keeps the wind from forcing smoke back down into the flue. On a windy day, a lack of familiarity with chimney cowlings can cause a homeowner to sit in a smoke filled room.

The homeowner that fails to recognize the benefits of chimney cowling might also encounter other problems. For example, that homeowner might discover that rain sometimes falls through the chimney, and splashes on the fireplace floor. Furthermore, a homeowner that has never heard of a chimney cowl might well overlook the fireproofing characteristics of a cowl that has been equipped with a metal wire mesh.

A California homeowner should know this about the monk shaped cowl: Chimney and cowl problems can arise following an earthquake.