Our Process
Top damper installation in Longwood, in detail
Throat damper repair or a top damper
The throat damper sits just above the firebox, and heat, rust and age can warp its plate or seize its hinge. Some can be freed, adjusted or fitted with new parts. Others have rusted too far, or their frame has broken loose from the masonry, and repairing them means difficult work inside the smoke chamber.
When the throat damper in your Longwood fireplace can be repaired sensibly, our team says so and prices that repair. When it cannot, a top sealing damper is the usual alternative, and we explain what happens to the old throat damper. You see both options on the estimate.
Sizing the damper to the flue
Top dampers are made for specific flue sizes. The Lyemance range listed by Rockford Chimney Supply runs from 8 by 8 inch to 17 by 17 inch flues, with rectangular and round versions including a 12 inch round, and each frame is meant to sit on a flue of its own size.
The flue opening on your Longwood chimney is measured before ordering, including how far the tile stands above the crown. A damper chosen by guesswork can overhang the tile or leave gaps that the adhesive has to bridge, so the size goes on the estimate only after it has been measured.
Fireplaces with a decorative gas appliance
A vented decorative gas appliance placed in a wood-burning fireplace changes the rules for the damper. One such appliance manual, written to ANSI Z21.60, comes with a damper clamp that has to stay permanently in place, holding a minimum opening so the damper can never shut completely, and it says the chimney damper must be fully opened while the appliance runs.
A damper built to close tightly at the top works against that requirement, and the Lyemance listing warns against using its top damper with such appliances because a damper left closed could let carbon monoxide back up into the home. If your Longwood fireplace has one, our team explains the safe options before recommending any damper.
When the damper handle will not move
A stuck handle is a reason to stop, not to pull harder. Forcing the cable can bend the lid, snap the cable or pull the bracket out of the firebrick, and a damper that is stuck closed must never have a fire lit under it.
Leave the fireplace unused and call us. Our team checks the damper on your Longwood chimney from the top, frees or repairs the mechanism and confirms that it opens fully before the fireplace goes back into use.
