One of the most important components of your chimney and venting system is the damper, as stated by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). Whenever you burn a fire in your fireplace, you should have the damper open so that the byproducts of combustion like smoke and gases can exit the firebox through the chimney. If you are not using your fireplace for a fire, you need to close the damper to keep heated air inside your home during the winter and cooled air inside when it is summer. You can choose between two different types of dampers: the traditional throat damper and the top-mounted damper. Our staff at The Mad Hatter believes that between these two types, top-mounted dampers are the best. We would like to tell you more about why we prefer this type of damper over the traditional throat damper.
What kind of problems does a traditional throat damper have?
Located right above the firebox, the traditional throat damper does not keep cold winter air from entering the chimney because of its location at the bottom of the chimney. This cold air, along with rain, snow, and ice, can create a cold core inside your chimney. This cold core attempts to cool down your home at the same time you are trying to heat it. The same sort of situation occurs in the summer except your chimney is filled with hot air and tries to warm your house up as you are running the air conditioner. In both of these situations, you are wasting a lot of money and energy by trying to overcompensate with your heating and cooling system. Other problems The Mad Hatter has seen with traditional throat dampers include a poor seal on the damper that can easily allow outside air into your home through the fireplace and difficulties opening and closing the damper due to a rusted or corroded handle.
Why does The Mad Hatter recommend top-mounted dampers over throat dampers?
Since the top-mounted damper is located at the top of your chimney, as its name indicates, this type of damper does not allow outside air to enter your chimney at all. Equipped with a rubber silicone gasket, a top-mount damper provides an airtight seal of the inside of your chimney. The Mad Hatter guarantees you will save money on your heating and cooling bills after installing a top-mounted damper. You also will not experience problems opening and closing the damper as you would with a throat damper because the handle is located to the side of the firebox. However, one of the things we like the best about top-mounted dampers is that they can be used as a chimney cap as well as a damper due to its location at the top of the chimney. In fact, when our customers need a new chimney cap, we usually recommend installing a top-mounted damper instead of a chimney cap.
Want to know more about why we prefer top-mounted dampers? Contact us at The Mad Hatter to find out more benefits of this type of damper. We promise that installing a top-mounted damper on your chimney will save you both money and energy this winter!