Dampers
Broken Damper Making Your Fireside Experience A Nightmare? We Repair & Replace Dampers Fast
Ah, time to light the fire, kick up your feet, and relax for the evening. You’ve been looking forward to this all day and you’ve already got a bottle of wine breathing on the kitchen counter. But when you light the fire, smoke starts pouring in, and your plans of relaxing in front of the warmth of a roaring fire quickly go out the window you’ve just opened. You made sure to warm up the flue and open the damper, so what’s the problem?
Unfortunately, this is an all-too-familiar tale and the most common culprit is a broken damper. This metal component closes off the chimney when it’s not in use to reduce the amount of outside air coming into the home and the amount of inside air going out of the home through the chimney. But when it comes time to enjoy the fire, the damper is opened to allow smoke and byproducts to exit the chimney and to help achieve proper draft. What tends to happen is that the metal erodes, rusts into place, experiences creosote buildup, or simply breaks, resulting in a damper that’s stuck in the open position or the closed position.
If you’ve ever experienced the smoky nightmare described above or you’ve shivered in front of your fireplace even when the damper is supposedly closed, there’s a good chance you need to have your damper repaired or replaced — and we can help.
Here at TN Fireplace and Chimney, we provide chimney inspections and can get a good look at your damper’s components and check for any damage. In some cases, you may simply be missing a small component that can easily be replaced, while in others, it may be necessary to replace the entire damper. Whichever the case may be, we can take care of it for you. We carry many common parts on our trucks and can make damper repairs quickly and easily.
If it’s time for something new, we can help with that too. We’ve helped many of our clients experience energy savings and cozier homes by replacing their old, rusted throat dampers with new energy-efficient top-sealing Lock-Top and Lyemance dampers. Both dampers have a conveniently located open and close handle, and both close off the flue at the top, instead of way down in the throat of the chimney. Why does this matter? By sealing off the flue at the top, they provide superior protection against moisture intrusion, animal intrusion, and conditioned air loss. These Lock-Top and Lyemance dampers provide an airtight seal (unlike the metal on metal seal of a throat damper) and the money you’ll save on utilities will likely pay for your investment within a year or two. And since the Lock-Top damper is made of stainless steel and the Lyemance damper is made of cast iron, you can expect them to last for years.
Request An Appointment Today
Ready to have your damper looked at? Call on the team of friendly professionals — the only Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)-certified team in Knoxville — at TN Fireplace and Chimney. Fill out our online appointment request form or call (865) 345-2797 to schedule your appointment today.
What in the world is smoke chamber parging and why would you need it? Ask our chimney repair and restoration specialists for more information today.
