Installing a lock-top chimney damper is a common project among do-it-yourself homeowners. As fireplaces and chimneys age they tend to deteriorate from use, foundation shifting, and weather. This causes the original throat damper not to seal as well as it once may have.
Many times, the fireplace throat damper rusts apart and is non-functional, allowing heat and air from your home to escape through the chimney and vice versa.
In today’s chimney industry, we have top locking chimney dampers that are easy to install, made of stainless steel, and completely seal the chimney flue when not in use. The lock-top chimney damper is a great way to reduce heat and air loss from your home and to keep animals, weather, and debris out.
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Steps to Installing a Lock-Top Chimney Damper
Follow the steps below and watch Rockford Chimney Supply’s do-it-yourself installation video below to learn how to install a Lock-Top Chimney Damper.
1. For this installation you will need a hammer, high powered drill, 1/4-inch masonry bit, and wire cutters along with the damper and hardware pack.
2. Start by spreading a bead of silicone cement around the top of the clay chimney flue. Make sure that the bead of silicone is about 1/4-inch thick.
3. Once the silicone cement is spread onto the top of the clay tile, feed the wire cable down the chimney flue.
4. Firmly place the damper centered on the clay tile flue. Spread silicone along the side of the damper to fill in any gaps.
5. Locate the mounting bracket that was included in the damper hardware pack. Position the mounting bracket inside the firebox approximately 20 inches from the floor of the firebox.
6. Using your drill and 1/4-inch masonry bit, drill the holes for the anchor nails.
7. Drive the nails through the mounting bracket and into the wall of the firebox using your hammer.
8. Thread the chain and gable through the hole in the mounting bracket until all slack is out of the wire.
9. Loosen the brass adjustment clamp with the wrench included in the hardware package. Pull the cable until the damper is completely closed and sealed.
10. Position the adjustment clamp at the mounting bracket and tighten the adjustment clamp with the wrench until it is tight.
11. Cut off the excess cable with your wire cutters.
12. Congratulations, you are done installing your Lock Top Chimney Damper! Now you will be keeping the heat & air inside your home all while saving money.
You can learn more about the Lock Top Chimney Damper here. If you have technical questions, we’re here to help you do-it-yourself and save.
Photo Credit & Video Credit: Rockford Chimney Supply
Jaquelin White is a Web marketer near Ann Arbor, Michigan. From helping local businesses increase their web presence to working for Rockford Chimney Supply serving the U.S. and Canada, Jaquelin loves the always-changing ways of the web, because there is always something new to learn and try. Read all of Jaquelin’s MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.
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