Chimney Care Company's Blog

What is a chimney damper?

Are you new to using a fireplace and wondering exactly how things work? Fortunately, fireplaces are fairly easy appliances to work. One thing you will need to learn about is your chimney damper.

What is a chimney damper?

A chimney damper is a small flap of metal at the base of your chimney flue. The flap sits within the seal. When the fireplace is in use, the damper is opened with a lever or chain to let smoke out. When the fireplace isn’t in use, the damper is closed to seal off the chimney opening.

Why are chimney dampers necessary?

Chimney dampers help your fireplace operate more efficiently. Without a chimney damper, the warm air from your home would flow freely up and out of your home through your chimney flue. Cold bursts of air also could blow down your chimney to chill your home. A chimney damper helps protect your home-heating bills by blocking off your chimney opening when your fireplace isn’t in use.

How do you use a chimney damper?

There’s not much to knowing how to use a chimney damper. Before you light a fire in your fireplace, open your chimney damper so that smoke can escape from your fireplace. After your fires have stopped burning, you will want to close your chimney damper to prevent air exchange through the chimney. Before closing your damper, you will want to be sure that your fire has completely stopped burning; if embers are still smoldering, your closed damper will prevent smoke and carbon monoxide from escaping your home. There are several different types of chimney dampers, and how you open and close your chimney damper will depend on your exact type of chimney damper. Some dampers are opened and closed by pulling a chain. Others have a lever or knob that is pushed and pulled to open and close.

How can you get more from your chimney damper?

Not all chimney dampers are created equally. When new fireplaces and chimneys are installed, they have a throat chimney damper. These dampers have a metal-on-metal closure that doesn’t form a tight seal. On top of that, they can rust or warp over time, making them difficult to open and close. While throat dampers are better than no dampers, they don’t completely prevent warm air from exiting your home or cold air from bursting down the chimney. So how can you get a better performance from your chimney damper? Have a top-sealing chimney damper installed. Top-sealing dampers are installed at the top of your chimney flue. They feature rubber gaskets to create a tight, complete seal when closed. Top-sealing dampers can help lower your home energy bills by preventing warm air from exiting your chimney.

If you are having problems with your chimney damper, call the Chimney Care Co. We can inspect your existing chimney damper, and if it’s due for replacement, we can outfit your chimney with a new, more efficient top-sealing chimney damper.

What does a chimney damper do?

Chimneys are relatively simple to use with a few working components. One exception is the chimney damper. Most homeowners are familiar with the routine of opening and closing the chimney damper before and after they use their fireplaces. But what exactly does a chimney damper do? What is the best way to operate your chimney damper?

What chimney dampers do?

Your chimney provides a portal to your home’s exterior so that smoke from your fireplace can safely exit. The damper sits just above the firebox at the base of the chimney. Most dampers are a simple metal flap that opens out of the way to let smoke exit your home when the fireplace is in use, and they closes to keep the warm air from exiting your home.

Without a damper, your chimney is an open window to the outside. Cold drafts can blow down your damper. Animals and debris can also find their way into your home without a barrier between your chimney and fireplace. When your fireplace isn’t in use, the warm air from your home rises up and out of the home. Without a chimney damper in place when your fireplace isn’t in use, you can dramatically lower your home’s efficiency and increase your wintertime home-heating costs.

How chimney dampers work?

While chimney dampers are simple to use, they do require proper operation to keep it working properly. Before you light a fire in your fireplace, you need to make sure your damper is completely opened. If your damper is closed, then smoke from your fireplace will come pouring back into your home. You do have to be sure that the damper is open. If a damper isn’t open entirely, it can cause your fire to burn less efficiently or extinguish entirely. In some cases, smoke from your chimney might find its way into your home. After a fire has extinguished completely, close the damper to be sure that you don’t lose heat from your home or suffer from cold drafts.

Dampers are very important, and they do eventually fail. Moisture and excessive heat can cause the metal components of the damper to rust or warp. This can prevent it from closing completely or cause it to get stuck in the open or closed position. If your damper is no longer operating effectively or easily, call the team at Chimney Care Co! We can find a chimney damper that works effectively for you home!