The Top-Sealing Damper — An Energy Saving Replacement For Your Rusty Fireplace Damper

What Are Traditional Fireplace Dampers?

First, let’s talk a little bit about traditional fireplace dampers or throat dampers and why they sometimes fail. Traditional fireplace dampers are metal plates located down in the throat of the fireplace system, just above the smoke chamber and below the flue.

When opened, the damper allows smoke and any other byproduct of combustion to freely flow up into the chimney and out of the home. When closed, the damper prevents smoke from exiting and blocks the flue to keeps animals, birds, and other critters from coming down into your fireplace. You could imagine the damper is like a bouncer, deciding who gets in and who gets out.

But because the damper is right in the middle of all the action, it can get pretty beat up over time. Moisture from the fire and from a leaky chimney can cause the damper to rust, and once rusted, the damper will be difficult to open and close. Likewise, these dampers can break over time because of their placement and the abuse of the fire.

Of course, that’s not the only problem with a traditional fireplace damper. As metal plates with only metal parts, there’s no way for the fireplace damper to prevent cold outside air from coming in through your fireplace or cozy, heated air from leaving through your fireplace. In other words, they’re not energy efficient, they make it difficult to maintain a comfortable living space, and they can lead to a lot of energy waste and money waste.