A damper is a vital component of a chimney that is located in the throat of it. The job of a damper is to keep the heat inside your house and cool air out which ultimately saves your heating bills. The seal-tight dampers are made of cast iron or steel. There are chiefly mainly two types of dampers are used for chimneys – (i) throat damper and (ii) top-sealing damper.
Throat damper or traditional fireplace dampers are mostly found in old masonry chimney, placed right above the firebox. Seal dampers are considered to be superior to throat dampers as they have a lot of flaws in their functioning.
A top spring damper, a movable spring-loaded plate is located inside a stainless steel metal cap which is installed at the top of the chimney. The damper seals off the whole chimney and keeps away the elements, drafts, and pests.
Benefits of the top-sealing dampers include the following;
1. Proper draft
A good draft-up chimney is essential while building a fire so that the smoke flows out of the home with the draft.
A top seal damper seals off the top of the chimney so that the opposing air drafts are not established down the chimney. It keeps the interior of the chimney warm when it is sealed shut.
Moreover, a sealed flue also increases the efficiency of your home heating HVAC system, as the top seal damper restricts the air to escape through the chimney.
2. Protects its elements
A chimney cap safeguards the chimney from downpours of rain and snow but adding a top seal damper with it provides protection from the windy storm as well.
The damper at the top of the chimney will shed this rainwater from the entrance which saves you from expensive repairs of chimney, masonry and even fireplace repair.
3. Protection from pests
The top seal damper provides superior protection from pests. A sealed damper does not give birds and raccoons the scope to build their homes in your chimney.
These dampers are enclosed with a mesh-lined cap that offers safety even when the fireplace is in use.
4. Saves money and energy
When it comes to a better sealing solution, top-sealing dampers are better than throat dampers. With this, you do not have to be worried about a cold breeze or snow entering your chimney.
When cold air enters your chimney it tends to cool your home and also the heating system which tries to warm up the place. This results in wastage of money and fuel.
The top sealing damper efficiently restricts cold air to get inside as it stays at the top of your chimney to seal it off completely with a silicone rubber gasket.
5. Easy to operate
It is quite a messy procedure to open and close throat dampers but sealing dampers come with simple closing and opening method.
Include a stainless steel cable that drops down from the damper to the chimney and connects to an easily accessible handle, mounted in the firebox.
From the above benefits, it is evident that top-sealing dampers can save your utility bills, make your home energy-efficient and also keep away pests.