Top sealing dampers chosen and fitted in San Marco Island
We fit the handle where you can reach it and anchor the bracket without cracking the firebrick.
- Owned and run locally
- Available for same-day service
- Fully licensed and insured
- Family owned and run
Signs a top sealing damper could help in San Marco Island
- Top damper cable slack or snapped
- Lid that will not open fully
- Daylight visible up a closed flue
- Stiff pull on the damper chain
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How we fit a top sealing damper in San Marco Island
Fixing the bracket in the firebox wall
The cable ends at a bracket fixed to the inside of the firebox, usually near the front on one side. The bracket is held with anchors set into holes drilled in the firebrick. The maker's instructions call for a masonry bit and care, since careless drilling can crack the brick.
We drill with the right bit, place the holes where the brick is sound and set the anchors firmly. If the firebrick on the chosen side is cracked or loose, we suggest the other side or explain the repair it needs first. The bracket should not work loose after a few pulls.
Checking for animals before sealing the top
A sealing lid at the top of the flue must not be closed over an animal that is living inside. Birds and other animals sometimes nest on the smoke shelf or in the flue, and a damper would trap them.
Tell us if you have heard scratching, chirping or movement in the chimney. We look before fitting anything. Where an animal turns out to be living there, it has to be removed before any damper goes on, which is a separate service. Lighting a fire to drive it out can hurt the animal and damage the flue, so leave the fireplace cold.
Damper checks on a maintenance visit
Top dampers have moving parts, and moving parts wear. On a maintenance visit, we open and close the lid a few times and look at the gasket and hinge from the roof. In the firebox, we check the cable, lug and bracket.
Worn parts are easier to replace before they fail with the lid in the wrong position. We tell you what we found and whether anything needs attention now or can wait for the next visit. No part is replaced on a maintenance visit without your approval.
When a damper problem cannot wait
Most damper issues can wait for a normal booking, as long as the fireplace stays unlit. A lid torn off in a storm with water pouring down the flue, or animals trapped behind a closed lid, should not wait. Use our 24/7 emergency line for those.
Describe what you see and hear. We talk through what can safely be done until the visit and arrange it. Keep the fireplace unlit and the area in front of it clear. The permanent repair is then quoted and approved like any other job.
Included in your damper visit in San Marco Island
- Adapter for a round or lined flue
- Lid opening and closing tested
- Set time before the next fire
- Roof access planned before climbing
Your top sealing damper questions answered
Can a top damper be fitted to any fireplace?
No. Makers restrict where their dampers can go, and several products are marked not for use with gas-burning appliances. The flue shape, the tile top and what else vents through the chimney also matter, so we check all of it first.
Can a top damper keep animals out of the flue?
When it is shut, the lid and gasket close the opening that animals use. It must not be fitted over an animal already inside, so we check the flue first. If something is living there, removal comes before the damper.
Should I repair the throat damper instead of adding one on top?
Sometimes that is the simpler route. A throat damper that only needs freeing or a new handle may be worth repairing. One that is warped, rusted through or missing parts may point to a top damper instead, and we price both.
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Local service. Careful repairs. A fireplace worth coming home to.
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Chimney & Fireplace Brands We Work With
DuraVent 
Olympia Chimney and Venting 
Copperfield Chimney Supply 
Rutland 
Heatilator 
Heat & Glo