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Dampers
Quality Chimney Damper Repair & Replacement Services for Your New Braunfels, San Antonio & Austin Home
Chimney dampers are an important part of your chimney system. They allow you to improve efficiency by preventing warm air from leaving your home by blocking off the chimney system when it’s not in use. If you’re having issues with your San Antonio, Austin, or New Braunfels area chimney damper area chimney damper, the experienced chimney professionals at Wolfman Chimney & Fireplace have the tools, experience, and education to help with any chimney issues you’re facing.
However, when your damper system is not functioning properly on your chimney, it can create dangerous situations in your home. A damper that is closed allows smoke and carbon monoxide to build up in your home, potentially creating a health crisis.
Fortunately, when you have experienced chimney professionals like those at Wolfman Chimney & Fireplace taking care of your chimney, you can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that your system is operating safely. Our friendly team of chimney professionals are always happy to chat about any issues you’re facing with your chimney system. Why not call us or reach out online today?
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What Exactly Is a Chimney Damper?
The chimney damper in your New Braunfels home is a special metal plate in your chimney that can be closed to prevent heat from going up and out your chimney when you don’t have a fire in your fireplace. When the damper is open, smoke and fumes go up and out of your chimney to the outdoors.
The damper is an important part of your chimney system because it allows you to control the flow of air out of your home. However, when it becomes stuck in one position or is damaged either through the passage of time or an accident, it can become a difficult situation.
As an example, when your damper is open, smoke is drawn up and out of your chimney. But if the damper is closed, the smoke cannot leave through the chimney.
Why Were Dampers Introduced to Chimney Systems?
Chimney systems are complex mechanical systems that help to keep homes safe by keeping fire contained and smoke routed out of the structure. However, over history, have made many advancements in chimney and fireplace efficiency. This includes the introduction of the damper by the ancient Romans in the first century AD.
In Roman times, with an empire that spread thousands of miles, it was important to have technology available to heat homes efficiently and effectively. The introduction of the damper was made to prevent heat from leaving a structure when there was no need for smoke to be leaving the structure because there was no fire at the time.
As in Roman times, today’s damper is often a simple metal plate that is controlled by a chain, a lever, or similar mechanism. However, over that time since the Roman Empire, there have been dramatic improvements in fireplace and chimney technology. Despite this, the damper still serves one basic purpose of controlling the flow of air and smoke through the chimney.
Do I Need to Schedule a Damper Checkup?
Generally speaking, papers do not require a separate inspection or checkup, but are instead handled with your annual inspection of your fireplace and chimney system. At this time, your entire system will be checked from the top of the roof to the base of your fireplace. This includes the damper system, whichever variety you have.
However, if you’re noticing some issues with your damper, such as a loose mechanism, warping, rust, or similar issues of concern, it’s probably a good idea to have it checked out. At Wolfman Chimney & Fireplace, our team of experienced chimney professionals are always happy to talk with you about issues you’re facing with your chimney or fireplace. Just give us a call today to get started!
Do I Need to Have a Damper in My Chimney?
Depending on the codes in your area, you may or may not be required to have a damper in your chimney. However, a damper serves a particularly important purpose in your chimney, and should not be excluded out of hand.
The chimney damper in your New Braunfels home is designed to open fully and allow smoke to pass through your chimney and out into the environment. It also allows air to flow in from the room to assist in complete combustion of your fuel and continue the movement of the smoke and fumes up and out of your chimney.
When you do not have a fire going in your fireplace, you can close your damper. This is important, because without a damper in place that can be closed, any heat that you generate from a heat pump or furnace would also go up and out the chimney. This would cause your utility bills to skyrocket dramatically.
As you can see, a damper is an important part of your chimney system, and helps to boost your homes overall energy efficiency when your fireplace is not in use. If you have concerns about your damper, contact your chimney professional for an inspection.
I Just Moved! What Do I Need to Do with My Chimney?
A CSIA-certified chimney professional in most cases should have performed a level 2 chimney inspection prior to the sale of your new property. However, if this hasn’t taken place, you’ll want to have someone come out and take a look at your system before you use it.
Even if you had a home inspection performed on the property, which is required by most financial institutions for a mortgage, which doesn’t necessarily mean that your chimney is in great shape and ready to use. Home inspectors do a great job at what they do, but they are not chimney experts. In an average home inspection, the inspector takes a relatively quick look at the chimney and fireplace, but there are a lot of things that can be missed in the process.
At Wolfman, we recommend that chimney sweep is performed prior to the sale of the property, so that any issues can either be handled in price negotiations, or repaired prior to move in. When you’ve spent a lot of money buying a new home, the last thing you want to do is having to spend a lot of money on repairs.
But what if you’ve already moved into your new home, and an inspection by a chimney professional was never completed? Prior to using your new fireplace, give us a call and set up an appointment, and we’ll get things set to rights for you.
How Much Does a Chimney Damper Repair or Replacement Cost?
Because there are so many different things that can go wrong with the chimney damper in your New Braunfels home or business, and because there are so many different types of chimney damper, the cost of a repair or replacement depends on the condition and type that is in your home or business.
As an example, when we come out to check your damper, we could find a fairly simple situation where a small part has become disconnected, fix the problem, and be on our way. That type of call would have an exceptionally low cost.
However, if we discovered that rather than a small part being missing that the damper itself was rusted through, that there were signs of a chimney fire, or similar areas of concern, there could be significant additional repairs that would be needed that would increase the bill.
If your chimney and damper have been well maintained over the years with regular inspections and repairs made as needed, there’s a good chance that any repairs would be relatively low in cost, fast to repair, and easy to predict.
If, on the other hand, you’ve had several years without investing in chimney care, there’s a decent chance that additional issues could complicate the process. Fortunately, our technicians have seen chimneys and dampers in all states of repair, and you can trust us to get your chimney and damper into great shape and ready to operate efficiently and safely in your home.
Contact Us to Schedule a Chimney Damper Repair or Replacement in New Braunfels, Austin or San Antonio
Your home’s fireplace improves its value and adds amazing coziness to your living space. However, if parts of your chimney and fireplace system have not been cared for properly over the years, it can be difficult to use them with peace of mind and comfort.
This is just one of the reasons why Wolfman Chimney & Fireplace was founded, to deliver personalized care with honesty, integrity, and accuracy. We’re delighted to deliver quality inspection, repair and replacement services to New Braunfels, Austin, and San Antonio home and business owners.
On top of the exceptional customer service we offer at every visit, wolfman is Better Business Bureau accredited, an NCSG member, CSIA and FIRE certified, fully insured, and ADA compliant. Our most important job is ensuring homeowners in our service areas can use their fireplace and chimney systems easily and with peace of mind.
Why not give us a call today to schedule an appointment, or book online. No matter how you contact us, we’re always happy to chat with our clients.
At Wolfman Chimney & Fireplace, we’re proud of our craftsmanship and are dedicated to delivering high-quality work on every project.