Our Process
Top damper installation in Astor Farms, in detail
Anchoring the handle bracket in the firebox
The handle has to lock somewhere solid. The Lock-Top instructions mount the bracket on the firebrick toward the fireplace front, about 20 inches above the floor of the firebox, using two nail anchors in drilled holes, with the bracket squared before the second hole is drilled.
In your Astor Farms fireplace we place the bracket where the maker's instructions call for it and where the handle is easy to reach without leaning into the firebox. The anchors go into sound firebrick, and a cracked brick in that spot is pointed out before we drill.
Opening the damper with the spring
Top dampers are held open by a spring or lever under the lid. The Lyemance listing describes releasing the chain handle from the fireplace bracket to open the damper, with a lever assist under the lid, so opening it takes no pulling at all.
For you that means the damper opens whenever the handle is released. Our team shows you in your Astor Farms fireplace what open and closed look like, and why the handle should come out of the bracket before any fire is lit.
Servicing an existing top damper
Top dampers have parts that wear. Gaskets harden or tear, cables fray or stretch, springs weaken, and a lid can bend in a storm or when someone forces the handle. The damper may then leave a gap, refuse to open fully or stay shut.
Our team inspects the existing top damper on your Astor Farms chimney from the roof and from the firebox. We tell you whether a part replacement is possible for that model or whether a new damper makes more sense, and we price the option you choose before any work starts.
Knowing open from closed
With a throat damper, the lever near the opening usually shows whether it is open. With a top damper the lid is out of sight, so the handle and chain do that job. On the Lyemance design, the handle locked in its bracket holds the damper closed, and releasing it lets the lid open.
Our team walks you through the positions on the damper fitted in your Astor Farms fireplace and writes them into the record of the work, so anyone using the fireplace can check before lighting it.
