Local chimney experts for Atlantic Beach repairs and sweeps

A damper is the plate that closes a fireplace flue when no fire is burning, and a stuck or rusted one can turn a quiet evening into a smoky room. Florida's residential code calls for a masonry fireplace to have a ferrous metal damper at least 8 inches above the top of the opening. That throat damper pivots on a frame, opened by a handle, lever or rotating control, and its plate rests on a seat when closed.

It fails in predictable ways, including rust that freezes the pivot, a plate that has warped and no longer seals, a handle that has broken off its linkage, or a plate that has dropped out of its frame altogether. To tell whether a damper is open, shine a flashlight up past the lintel with no fire burning, where an open damper shows the flue and a closed one shows metal, or hold a strip of tissue near the throat and watch for movement.

A sticky damper can sometimes be freed and adjusted. A damper that is rusted through or warped is replaced, either with a new throat damper sized to the opening or with a top-sealing damper, which is a gasketed plate at the top of the flue opened by a cable, and which doubles as a rain cover.

A vented gas log set brings its own rule, since its instructions require the damper to be held open, and any new damper has to allow that. The estimate states which type we recommend and why. When a damper plate has fallen, it can block the flue or sit on the smoke shelf, so the damper check comes before any fire.

A broken handle or chain is a small repair, while a frame rusted into the masonry is a larger one. Rust on a damper also points to water getting in. For owners in Atlantic Beach, the estimate lists each damper option, from freeing the pivot to a new top-sealing damper. Book your free inspection in Atlantic Beach at (904) 920-5495, or send the short form.