Throat damper replacement in Murray Hill

Cooled air escaping up the flue in Murray Hill? We get the plate seating tight again, backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Fully licensed and insured
Locally owned
Family owned and operated
Same-day service

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

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Get a quote for chimney and fireplace repair and installation in Jacksonville.

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Call our chimney crew

(904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Damper specialists who find the failed part first

Locally owned in Jacksonville
Family owned and operated
100% satisfaction guaranteed
Free inspection and estimate
Same-day service available
10% off any service

A cap goes on the estimate when rain is what rusted the damper in the first place.

Free inspection and estimateYour Murray Hill damper is run through its full travel and checked with a light at no charge.
100% satisfaction guaranteedIf the repaired damper does not open fully and close flat, we come back and make it right.
Family owned and operatedA family business does the diagnosis and the repair, so the person who quoted it answers for it.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Daylight around a closed damper

Switch off the room lights on a bright afternoon, close the damper and look up. A thin crescent of daylight at one edge means the plate no longer sits flat on its frame. Heat from years of fires can bow a plate, and rust can build a ridge on the seat so the plate rocks on it.

Either way the gap lets room air slip up the flue between fires. The fix depends on which one you have: a seat cleaned back to metal, or a replacement plate cut to the frame. Seeing light past your closed damper in Murray Hill? Phone (904) 920-5495 for a free damper inspection.

Murray Hill is in Duval County. Murray Hill is an inland community.

Damper repairs we handle in Murray Hill

Poker rods and notch brackets renewed
New damper set at the height the code asks for
Handle placed where it can be worked from the room
Written options for your Murray Hill fireplace before any part is ordered

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

How chimney damper replacement runs

Handle and plate tested
With the fireplace cold, the control is worked through its travel and the plate checked from below with a light.
Failed part named
Pivots, plate, frame or control, the part that failed is written down with the repair options and prices.
Freed, rehung or replaced
Sound parts are cleaned and freed, a plate is matched to its frame, or a new damper is set at code height.
Travel and seal confirmed
The plate must open fully and close flat under the light before the job is done.

What wears out dampers in Murray Hill

Murray Hill is far enough inland that salt plays little part in damper wear. Heat and water do most of it: plates bowed by hot fires and seats rusted by rain falling down an uncapped flue.

Both show up on a simple light test, and both have fixes smaller than a new damper when caught early.

10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection

Damper stuck or leaking air? Book the fix up to 72 hours after the inspection and save 10%.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

How a poker damper holds its position

A poker damper uses a straight rod fastened to the plate and hanging down in front of the firebox. Notches along the rod catch on a bracket or on the lintel, and each notch holds the plate at one opening. Lifting the rod off the notch lets the plate swing on its pivots.

The wear points are the notches, the rivet or pin that joins the rod to the plate, and the rod itself where heat has bent it. A rod with rounded notches can drop the plate shut during a fire. We replace the rod or the pin where the plate lug is sound, and write down when the lug has worn too.

Inside a rotary damper control

A rotary control runs a crank through the fireplace face to a gear box or threaded rod mounted at the damper. Turning the crank moves the plate in small steps, which is why these controls can hold any position in between fully open and closed.

They fail at the gear teeth, at the coupling where the crank meets the drive, and at the rod where rust has seized it. Replacement assemblies are sized to the frame, so we measure the frame width, the crank's exit point in the fireplace face and the plate's swing before ordering. Where no matching assembly is made, a new damper with its own control is the fallback.

What an open throat lets us see

With the damper plate open or removed, the throat becomes a window into the lower chimney. The smoke chamber walls, the smoke shelf and the bottom of the flue liner can be seen with a light from the firebox.

We use that view on every damper job. Cracks in the smoke chamber, gaps in its walls or a flue tile that has slipped are noted with their location, even though they are separate repairs with their own estimates. That way a damper replacement is never priced blind to what sits right above it. You also learn whether the flue above the throat needs attention before the new damper goes in.

What we measure on dampers in Murray Hill

Damper type identified: throat damper, top seal or factory-built unit
Seat cleaned back to metal and the seal checked under a light
Frame replacement scope: firebrick disturbed and refractory mortar used
Any damper clamp for a decorative appliance recorded and left in place

Before a damper part is ordered

Can I still use my fireplace with a broken damper?

Only if the plate is secured fully open. A plate stuck closed or partly closed can push smoke back at you, so leave the fireplace cold until it is fixed.

Does a repaired throat damper seal like a top damper?

Not quite. A throat damper closes metal on metal, while many top dampers close on a gasket. A repaired throat damper still stops the steady draw of an open flue, and we price both when both would work.