Serving Minneapolis, St. Paul and the Surrounding Communities
Perhaps you haven’t thought too much about the different parts of your chimney before now. We get that you may just expect that this part of your home should operate without much worry and you’d be right…to a point.
Even within your chimney, there are parts that require care and your chimney damper is one of them. But do you really need to consider the condition of your chimney damper in the summertime?
The answer is yes. And we’ll explain why.
Fireplace safety is always our #1 concern at 2nd Generation Chimneys, Inc. Before we help you upgrade your fireplace, we always advise you of any safety issues we see first and foremost, as all of our chimney sweeps are trained to do. We can detect hard-to-spot concerns such as a buildup of creosote, issues with the masonry, or signs of a previous fire that put you at a greater risk.
That said, there is one safety concern that you can likely catch on your own. If the fireplace damper is sealed shut, smoke can quickly back up into your home. The fireplace damper is meant to be opened before you use your fireplace each time, and closed shortly afterwards. However, some people still feel that there is time to wait to call for a chimney technician’s services to if they notice a fireplace damper is broken.
Relaxing by a fireplace is an excellent way to unwind at the end of a long day. But you certainly don’t need your fireplace to heat you up at all times of the day. When you turn on your whole-home heating system to an ideal temperature during the daytime, you don’t have to keep the fireplace going. In fact, you need the fireplace to be well-sealed if you want to prevent heat from escaping out the chimney.
With temperatures outside lingering in the 70s and 80s, you’re probably not thinking much about your chimney right now. We don’t blame you; we want to soak up the sunshine as much as you do. However, as chimney professionals, we feel it is our duty to let you know that putting a little time into your chimney today can save you a lot of hassle and worry later on. Here are 3 things you can do today to ensure safety, efficiency, and the proper operation of your chimney and fireplace in the wintertime.
When you’re getting ready to start a fire in your home’s hearth, what is one of the first things you should always check? You should see that the damper is open so the exhaust fumes from the fire will escape up through the flue and out of your home. (The damper is sometimes erroneously referred to as “the flue”; the flue is actually the opening that allows exhaust to escape, and the damper is what controls whether the flue is open or closed.)
The damper is an essential part of the efficient and safe operation of your home’s chimney. To make sure it continues to work well, you will occasionally need repairs and even a new chimney damper installation in St. Paul, MN. Technicians will locate damper problems during regular inspections, and should you encounter trouble with venting from the chimney or notice that the damper is failing to fully close or is stuck open, you must contact experts like those at 2nd Generation Chimneys, Inc. right away. We offer many services to protect your chimney venting and interior, including cleaning, chimney liners, and services for the damper.
There are several kinds of chimney dampers. The primary damper is the one located near the hearth which you can manipulate by hand. This damper is important during cold weather since it blocks warm air from escaping up the chimney when there is no fire in the hearth. Heat rises, making the chimney one of the easiest places for heat to escape from a home during the winter. The damper keeps your home energy-efficient, and only needs to open when you have a fire in the fireplace.
The damper is also important for keeping out musty smells and moisture from your home. A top-sealing damper is also helpful for this job. In addition to aiding the control moisture, a top-sealing damper will help trap heat in your home and keep out rain and animals that sometimes try to nest inside chimneys. A qualified technician can install a top-sealing damper (which you can then operate easily from a handle placed down near the hearth).
Aside from chimney damper installation in St. Paul, MN and the surrounding areas, we also install chimney caps, screens, vent covers, and single flue rain covers to help keep your chimney protected and your home energy efficient.
If you need a new damper or repairs for your current one, make sure to call on 2nd Generation Chimneys, Inc. for the work. Call Us Today! 612.922.9600 or 1-888-PIXLEYS
The damper is a key part of your fireplace. It is located at the bottom of the chimney, right above the firebox, where you can access it to open and close it. The damper prevents heat from escaping out of your home through the chimney when you aren’t using the fireplace, and this stops a major loss of heat that would otherwise lead to elevated bills for your home and unpleasant drafts.
You can also have a second damper placed in your chimney: a top sealing damper located at the chimney crown outside. Although not a necessity, there are some excellent reasons to have your chimney fit for a top sealing damper. You can’t handle this job on your own, however. Call on an experienced company like 2nd Generation Chimneys, Inc. to handle chimney damper installation in Minnetonka, MN. We offer numerous fireplace services from installation to sweeping, and our technicians are certified with the Chimney Safety Institute of America.
A top sealing damper for a chimney is similar in many ways to a chimney cap. It mounts onto the crown of the chimney, and like a chimney cap it prevents rain, debris, and animals from entering the chimney and causing damage. Unlike chimney caps, which have open sides that allow air to flow past them, a top sealing damper goes beyond simply keeping unwanted objects (and creatures) from entering the chimney and helps prevent heat loss. They are easy to operate: a long cable goes down the flue from the damper and attaches to a handle you can move to open and close the device just as for the bottom damper. Even when the top sealing damper is open, it has a screen will help keep animals from entering it.
Tests have shown that the improved heat sealing power of a top sealing damper can contribute to more than $100 in heating savings during a winter. These additions to a chimney will rapidly pay for themselves.
Top-sealing dampers can be combined with chimney caps to double their protection. (One drawback of top sealing dampers is that they are not as effective at keeping out the rain as caps.) The Chimilator is a top-sealing damper model available from 2nd Generation Chimneys, Inc. that includes a stainless steel animal and rain cap, plus a multiple setting handle.
We carry the top brands in dampers and caps so that your home receives only the highest quality chimney protection and energy savings.
Call the chimney and fireplace professionals for more information about chimney damper installation in Minnetonka, MN. Call Us Today! 612.922.9600 or 1-888-PIXLEYS