Local top sealing damper installation in Riverside

A handle in the firebox, a lid at the top: Riverside top dampers fitted, adjusted and explained by local pros.

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

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

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(904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Damper experts who measure before they order

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

Every top damper in Riverside is ordered from a measurement taken on the roof.

Free inspection and estimateYour flue tile in Riverside is measured and the crown checked on a free visit before any damper is ordered.
Upfront pricing, no hidden feesThe model, the handle position and any tile or crown work are priced in writing up front.
100% satisfaction guaranteedIf the lid does not seal or open the way we showed you, we return and adjust it.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

A lid bent after a storm

Once debris or wind has bent a damper lid, it no longer meets its gasket evenly, and the seal and the rain protection are both lost. A lid that cannot close fully also leaves an opening for animals. A bent lid can also rub against its frame and wear the hinge.

We straighten or replace bent lids on chimneys in Riverside with the maker's parts, check the frame's bond to the tile and adjust the cable so the lid seats evenly again.

Riverside is an inland community. Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens lies within Riverside.

What our crew fits and fixes at the flue top in Riverside

Flue tiles measured for the right damper size
Cracked tile rims repaired before fitting
Bent lids straightened or replaced
Every flue identified before any fitting

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How our crew fits a top damper in Riverside

Tile measured on the roof
The flue tile's outside size, height and rim are checked on a free visit, with the crown around it.
Model ordered to fit
The damper is chosen from the maker's size chart for your tile and approved on the estimate first.
Frame set, cable run
The frame is set in the maker's adhesive, the old plate made safe and the cable run to the handle.
Adjusted and demonstrated
The lid is adjusted to seal, and you try the handle before we leave, with the cure time written down.

Occasional fires inland in Riverside

For a fireplace in Riverside that is lit only now and then, the flue spends most of its life closed with a top damper, and that keeps the chimney drier and cleaner between fires.

Open it fully before each fire, and keep it open until nothing in the firebox is still warm.

10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection

Leaky throat damper? A top damper ordered within three days of the inspection is 10% off.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Setting the frame in its adhesive

Top damper frames are set on the tile in a high-temperature adhesive supplied with the damper. One maker's instructions call for a continuous 1/4 inch bead of the furnished adhesive and a 24 hour set before the damper is used.

We follow the instructions for the model we fit, clean the tile rim first and press the frame down evenly so the bead is continuous. The cure time goes on the ticket, and the fireplace stays unlit until it has passed. Adhesive squeezed out along the joint is tooled into a neat fillet so water runs off rather than sitting against the frame.

Mounting the handle bracket

Inside the firebox, the handle bracket goes on a side wall near the front where the brick allows. It is anchored into firebrick or masonry with fasteners suited to it, at a height you can reach without leaning into the firebox.

The bracket also carries the lock that holds the lid shut. We place it where it will not sit in the flames and where the chain or handle is easy to see before lighting. You approve the spot before we drill. The bracket is set level and square to the opening, so the handle hangs straight and is plain to see.

Flues that do not take a damper

A flue that vents a water heater or furnace has to stay open whenever the appliance can run. The fuel gas rules do not allow a manually operated damper in a gas appliance's vent, and the same caution applies to any appliance flue.

We identify every flue on the chimney before fitting a top damper and put the damper only on a fireplace flue. Appliance flues keep caps made for their venting, and the estimate names each flue. An appliance flue that has lost its cap gets a proper cap, not a damper, as part of the same visit.

What we check before fitting a top damper in Riverside

Frame set in the maker's adhesive, with the cure time written down
Cable routed clear of tile joints and old damper edges
Every flue identified, with the damper on a fireplace flue only
Round flue or liner top matched with the maker's adapter

Before the damper is ordered

What happens to my old damper?

It is removed or fixed fully open so it cannot close across the flue. The ticket records which.

Can a top damper go on any chimney?

It needs a masonry fireplace flue with a sound tile standing high enough above the crown. Flues for other appliances and listed metal chimneys are handled differently, and we tell you which applies.