What's Included
How a top damper is installed in Wagner
How a top sealing damper works
A top sealing damper is a lid that sits on the top of the flue, lined with a gasket and held open by a spring or lever. A stainless cable runs down the inside of the flue to the firebox. Pulling the cable closes the lid against the flue, and releasing it lets the damper open again.
Rockford Chimney Supply's listing for the Lyemance damper describes this layout, with a silicone gasket on the flap and a locking bracket inside the fireplace for the chain handle. On your Wagner chimney our team explains which model we propose and how its lid, spring and cable work before it is installed.
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 Wagner 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.
Factory-built chimneys and top dampers
A factory-built fireplace and its chimney are tested and listed together, and the parts at the top belong to that listing. Section R1005.2 of Florida's residential code bars decorative shrouds from factory-built chimneys unless the shroud carries a listing and label for that exact chimney system.
We apply the same caution to anything else added at the top. If your Wagner home has a factory-built fireplace, our team checks the maker's documentation for approved top dampers before recommending one, and if none is approved, we say so and suggest another route.
Chimney cleaning with a top damper in place
A top damper sits right where a sweep's brush comes out of the flue, and the cable hangs down the inside of it. Anyone who cleans the chimney needs to know the damper is there, open it fully and work around the cable instead of through it.
When we clean or inspect a chimney with a top damper in Wagner, our team works with the mechanism in mind. After your installation, the written record names the damper, so any future service visit starts with that information.
