Your fireplace should be a source of warmth and comfort. Unfortunately, some fireplaces have the opposite effect. Some fireplaces actually cool portions of your home, especially if you don’t have a proper damper. This allows warm air to travel up and out of your home, while also allowing cold air and drafts to blow downward into your home. If your hearth is a source of an unfortunate winter’s chill rather than a source of comfort, here is what you need to know.
The importance of your chimney damper
Your chimney damper is your fireplace’s first defense against the winter cold. Without your chimney damper, your hearth is an open window to the outdoors. This allow the warm air from your home to travel up and out of your chimney and allow cold drafts to blow down the chimney. To protect your home from cold air, be sure to have a working chimney damper. When your fireplace isn’t in use, your damper should be closed to keep the cold out. If your chimney’s throat damper is warped and failing, a top-sealing chimney damper is the best solution. A top-sealing damper is installed on the chimney top, and it closes entirely when the fireplace isn’t in use. This creates a tight seal to keeps out cold and moisture.
Cold chimneys and your chimney cap
Another way to keep the cold from coming down your chimney is with a chimney cap. A chimney cap is essential for keeping water from flowing down your chimney, and it keeps debris and animals out of your chimney. A chimney cap also keep the cold from coming down your chimney. A chimney cap provides a physical barrier between cold air and your chimney. It works to block cold drafts that otherwise would find their way into your home.
Fireplace doors
An additional way to seal your home from the cold air is with a new set of fireplace doors. Factory-installed fireplace doors are largely ornamental, but a new, sturdier set of fireplace doors made from heavier materials can keep the warm in your home and block drafts from coming into your home. Fireplace doors have the added benefit of helping you capture more heat from your fireplace. when a fire is burning, the glass warms from the fire and then radiates the heat back into your home.
Don’t let a cold fireplace make your home uncomfortable this winter! Keep the warm air in your home and block cold drafts with a new damper, chimney cap or fireplace doors. If you suffer from a cold fireplace, call Fluesbrothers Chimney Service today! Our chimney experts can help you find a solution!