5 Strategies for Effective Use of US Fireplace Dampers

Are you in the middle of a fireplace renovation  Or have you been considering remodeling your fireplace for better function and form  If you answered ‘YES” to either of these two questions than I highly suggest you to also consider adding a functional fireplace damper to your master plan.  If you are like me when I began the renovation process, you may be a little clueless on what a fireplace damper is and how it can help in the overall design and utility of the fireplace area.  During my remodel, I set aside time to learn more about the damper and realized what a helpful piece of equipment it can be.

Sharing these findings with my readers, I have listed below five strategies for the effective utilization of US fireplace dampers-

Get the Damper Checked – To keep the dampers in working order, homeowners will want to ensure their damper is inspected on a regular basis.  Along with a fireplace sweep and check, a professional should also be hired to provide an inspection of the damper that is in place as well.  During this check, they will be on the lookout for leaks between the fireplace and damper.  They will also investigate the area looking for signs of deterioration within the unit itself.  When needed, a professional sweep can also perform a replacement of the fireplace damper.

Keep Fireplace Dampers Clean – Keeping the fireplace damper and its surrounding areas clean is important for its overall function.  Homeowners should be dusting the area regularly while in the process removing buildup and debris.  This buildup can greatly reduce the overall efficiency of the damper not allowing it to function at its top performance level.

Install Right – When putting in fireplace dampers, homeowners should make sure to follow all manufacturer guidelines on installation carefully.  For the most part, dampers are typically installed at the base or top of the fireplace.  Important for keeping moisture out, the units should be tight fitting and sealed properly. 

Using Woods Logs – When utilizing wood logs, you will want to keep the damper open until all logs are completely burnt out.  Creating pollutants within the home, a closed damper can create unhealthy air quality. By keeping the damper open, you allow these pollutants to safely exit the home keeping you air clean and easy to breathe in.

Using Gas Logs – If you will be using gas logs in your fireplace remodel, ensure that the fireplace damper is kept open when the unit is running.  By leaving the damper open, fumes are able to disperse outside of the home protecting your family from deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.

Follow these strategies for the successful implementation of US fireplace dampers in the home fireplace’s overall schematic. A damper has a lot of benefits all just waiting for you and your home to enjoy.  Before you begin your fireplace remodel or renovation, you will want to carefully consider all the ways in which a fireplace damper can help your fireplace with both efficiency and function.

Enhance Energy Savings with US Fireplace Dampers

We all want to save money on home energy expenses. It might have occurred to you that some of your heating dollars are lost up the chimney, particularly if you don't use your woodstove or fireplace as a primary source of home heating. What you might not realize is that some of your home cooling dollars are going straight up the chimney and evaporating in the atmosphere, as well. Adding simple fireplace insulation material and modern fireplace dampers can help you to save money on both heating and cooling costs. Let's take a look at some of the most popular items available, and discuss ways they can help save you money on energy.

US Fireplace Dampers

The damper in a fireplace or wood stove is designed to modulate the flow of air that goes up the chimney while a fire is burning. Opening a fireplace damper increases air flow and allows fires to start faster, while closing the damper part way or most of the way slows down the combustion process, adding to fuel efficiency while the stove is in use. 

Old-fashioned fireplace dampers sit inside the chimney itself; they look a bit like a flat panel with a connecting rod that ties in to the handle that is located at the front or side of your fireplace or woodstove chimney. Rotating the handle causes the damper to swing back and forth, either increasing or decreasing the amount of air that flows through the firebox.  

The newest US fireplace dampers are capable of creating a complete seal on top of the chimney, so that when the fireplace or woodstove is not in use, it can be closed off completely. This prevents heated or cooled air from inside the home from escaping up the chimney, and it saves heating and cooling appliances from working overtime to help maintain temperatures. Installing a damper like this saves homeowners plenty of money, plus it doubles as a chimney cover, keeping birds, animals, and debris such as dry leaves out of the chimney flue.

Fireplace Insulation Material

Insulating any empty spaces within a home environment helps to keep interior temperatures stable; fireplace insulation material goes one step further by helping your fireplace to heat your home more efficiently. In addition, it can help keep hot air from outside or cool air from inside your home from transferring on hot summer days when staying warm is the furthest thing from your mind. 

Fireplace insulation material is designed to work with a number of different fireplace liners. Some is designed to be mixed and poured down a masonry chimney into the empty space between the chimney and liner; other types wrap around the chimney liner to keep it from passing excess heat from the interior to the exterior. Another type of fireplace insulation material is designed to be packed into empty spaces around fireboxes, keeping heat where it belongs. Insulation wrapping and packing material is made from a combination of ceramic fibers and metal. Unlike other home insulation products, fireplace insulation material is not combustible. Talk to your fireplace professional about which type will work best for you, and watch your energy savings grow.

Enhance Looks and Performance with Chimney Covers and Chimney Surrounds

The way a chimney looks and the way it performs are both important aspects of maintaining a home's value, and chimney performance affects not only safety but efficiency and cost. Using chimney covers and chimney surrounds to enhance looks and performance is an excellent way to invest in a home's overall appeal.
Chimney Covers

Chimney covers keep water, leaves, and other materials out of your chimney, plus they prevent birds and animals from entering and building nests or becoming trapped and dying inside your chimney, woodstove, or fireplace. Here are some helpful details about some of the most popular chimney covers on the market.

Hy-C chimney caps and chimney covers are available in a number of configurations, including double or single flue, multi-flue, animal screened, and custom, to name just a few. These attach to decorative stone and concrete outer chimney covers and are available in either stainless steel or black-painted galvanized steel for corrosion resistance. Vent covers from Hy-C are also available; these prevent birds from nesting in kitchen or bathroom vents, and they also keep birds from building nests in roof fans.

Gelco Chimney Covers or chimney caps also come in a number of different configurations, and chimney professionals love the fact they can save money on shipping by purchasing multiple packs to pass the savings on to clients. Like other brands, these attach to decorative chimney covers.

Specialty chimney caps and chimney covers like those from Vacu-Stack can help to counteract wind-related back puffing problems that cause habitual fireplace smoking. They limit downdrafts and help to increase draw for better fire efficiency. Weathershield chimney covers and Mark B Weathershield chimney caps are available in a number of configurations and are ideal for retrofits. These come complete with screens to keep birds, animals, and leaves out of the chimney.

Direct-Vent gas chimney covers come in a number of decorative styles and are designed to look great along any roofline. These are designed specifically for use with gas fireplaces and feature hidden wind protection. 

Decorative Chimney Surrounds
One of the best ways to add visual appeal to a home's existing roofline is to cover up an ugly, plain chimney stovepipe with a beautiful decorative chimney surround that looks as if it's been there ever since the home was built. Chimney surrounds are made to look just like real brick masonry, and are designed to be installed and secured in place over an existing stovepipe. Quick and easy for fireplace and chimney professionals to set in place, they cover up unsightly class-A chimneys, and they can be installed over ugly PVC plastic vents and other vents that protrude above rooflines, as well. From the ground, these decorative chimney surrounds look exactly as though they are real brick chimneys, and they blend in well with the look of any home's exterior. Accessories like rectangular caps and trim kits that further enhance the decorative appeal of these chimney surrounds are available and are sold separately.

Enhance Chimney Performance with Chimney Exhaust Fans

Chimney fans, often referred to as chimney exhaust fans, can help to improve chimney performance and keep harmful combustion byproducts from entering the home environment. 

How Chimney Fans Work

If you have ever seen large fans atop restaurants and other large buildings, then you might already have some idea about how chimney exhaust fans work. Residential chimney fans are typically top mounted, and are meant to be used in conjunction with a number of different heating applications, including wood fireplaces and stoves, gas stoves and fireplaces, and oil or coal fired appliances. These fans can also be used with fireplace inserts, ovens, furnaces, small boilers, and other items that can cause an accumulation of any kind of fumes.

Chimney exhaust fans come in several sizes and configurations to fit a number of different types of chimneys; they are mounted on top the chimney and when activated, they literally suck smoke and other combustion byproducts up and out of the flue. Whether the chimney in question is fabricated of steel, masonry of any type, or cast material, there is a chimney fan available to get the job done right. Some types of chimneys, such as pre-fabricated chimneys and decorative chimney covers, may need to be fitted with special adaptors in order to achieve a perfect fit. 

Chimney Exhaust Fan

 Most modern chimney fans are equipped with variable speed motors that assure the chimney fan won't over draft the heating appliance and cause overheating or costly excess fuel consumption. Chimney fans can be hard-wired into a home's electrical system so that residents can operate it with a user-friendly control system that works just the same way as control systems on other electrical appliances. With just a little practice, users learn how to operate their chimney exhaust fans to provide optimal draft for ideal fuel efficiency and better cost savings.

While we're on the subject of cost savings, it should be mentioned that a chimney exhaust fan uses about the same amount of energy as an electric light bulb while it is operating; it does not contribute significantly to energy costs. Most of these chimney fans are equipped with a 5-amp controller and take just a short amount of time to install. Once in operation, they are surprisingly quiet; most people have a hard time hearing them even when other noises in the home are at a minimum.

When chimney professionals install chimney fans, many customers wonder how the fans will affect future chimney cleaning and service. Most of these fans are equipped with top hinges, so they can simply be opened up for maintenance access.

Homeowners should be aware that chimney exhaust fans could also be used as a method for enhancing air circulation within the home. If you've burned something you are cooking or baking, or if you have a problem with an odor or just want to freshen the air, all you need to do is activate the chimney exhaust fan to freshen and deodorize, naturally.

Anatomy of a Chimney Brush

While the chimney brush may bring a picture of Mary Poppins and Bert singing a cheery chimney song with their brushes as the perfect prop, this brush is so much more.  Not just a pretty face, the chimney brush is a tool designed for both utility and purpose.  You may think that all chimney cleaning brushes are created equal.  This is NOT the case.  There are more differences in models than you may think.  Which one is right for you will be determined by a number of factors including the length of your flue, its shape, the material it is constructed of, and even the type of creosote buildup you are experiencing.

In the article below I dissect the anatomy of one of the modern world’s most basic tools chimney cleaning brushes.

Stiff Bristles – Most standard cleaning brushes will feature an abundance of stiff bristles.  Just like tooth brushes, chimney brushes come in different levels of stiffness from soft to medium all the way up to extra stiff bristles.  Harder bristles are perfect for thicker layers of buildup on the flue and the softer bristles help with dusty, easy-to-remove creosote.

Chimney Cleaning Brush

Varying Lengths – Chimney cleaning brushes also come in a variety of lengths for differing flues.  First, the bristles can vary in length.  Homeowner grade brushes are found in ¼” length while professional chimney sweep grade can come in ¾” length. The brush itself can vary in width from 5 inches to 12 inches round.   Rods for the chimney come in lengths of four and five feet.  The length of your flue will determine how many rods you need to use at any given time.

Poly, Wire, or Both – The bristles of chimney cleaning brushes can come in a number of differing materials or a combination of them as well.  Polypropylene and wire are both standard materials that the brush head can be constructed of.  Poly brushes are very stiff and work well in metal flues.  Plastic brushes are ideal for masonry work along with those chimneys featuring flue tiles. You can also find a combination of both polypropylene and wire brush heads to help clean your flue.

 Brush Shape – Who knew that brushes can not only come in varying lengths and be made of different materials but also can have a brush bristle head in different shapes  Round, rectangle, and square are all options in brush shapes.  A round shape is perfect for square and rectangular flues allowing it to stretch reaching those tough corners. 

Now that you have learned the anatomy of the varying models of brushes, you are ready to make a well-informed decision ensuring you select the perfect brush for your home and flue.  Keep in mind you may need to get more than one to handle all the environments within your flue.  Are you still unsure on how to clean your chimney  When in doubt, a reputable chimney sweep can clean your flue using the latest in chimney supplies all designed to get your home ready for the heating season.

Quality chimney cleaning brushes can be found at many local retailers as well as online and from reputable chimney supply companies. Lindemann-Chimney-Supply offers a variety of chimney cleaning brushes for cleaned out your chimney flue.