Our Process

Top damper installation in Alderene Park, in detail

Screens that pair with a top damper

Some top dampers are paired with a screened cap. If that cap doubles as a spark arrestor on a masonry chimney, Florida's residential code, in R1003.9.2, sets its free area at four or more times the flue outlet and keeps any sphere over 1/2 inch from passing through the mesh.

A screen also keeps birds and larger debris out while the lid is open. Our team matches the screen and cap to the damper and the flue on your Alderene Park chimney, so the parts work together and the lid can still open fully.

Adjusting the cable for a tight seal

Once the bracket is fixed, the handle, chain and cable are threaded through it until the slack is out. The Lock-Top instructions then have the installer pull the cable to close the damper, set the adjustment clamp for the tightest seal, tighten it and cut off the excess cable.

That final adjustment decides whether the lid truly closes. Our installers close and open the damper on your Alderene Park chimney several times after adjusting, check the lid from the roof and leave the handle set so that locking it in the bracket means the damper is shut.

A clean hearth and a written record

Installing a top damper involves the roof, the flue and the firebox, with drilling in the firebrick and adhesive at the top. Our crew protects the hearth and the floor in front of the fireplace, cleans up the dust from drilling and hauls away the old parts and packaging.

You receive a written record of the work we did on your Alderene Park chimney, including the damper model, the flue size and the operating positions. Keep it with the damper's instructions, which we leave with you.

Damper findings on a home inspection

A rusted, stuck or missing damper may show up in a home inspection report, but the note seldom says whether the throat damper can be repaired or whether a top damper is the better route.

Share the report with us. Our local specialists will look at the fireplace in your Alderene Park home at no charge, explain the finding and give you a written price for the repair or the top damper, which you can use in the sale.