It is important for you to make sure your fireplace is working properly. If you have not used it in a while, you need to get it inspected and cleaned by a chimney sweep to make sure it is working efficiently. One of the most important parts of your chimney is the chimney damper. You need to be familiar with how this works because it plays a critical role in making sure your fireplace operates safely and efficiently. Learn more about your chimney damper below.

What Is a Chimney Damper?

Your chimney damper is located in the flue of the chimney. The flue is the path that smoke uses to escape the fire. When your fire produces smoke, your flue and chimney damper work together to make sure that smoke exits to the outside world and not to the interior of your home. Dampers are usually placed inside the flue to control the ventilation of the fire. Your damper might even have a handle or chain that you can use to control your damper. That way, you can open and close the damper as you need to.

What Are the Critical Roles of a Chimney Damper?

Even though you might be familiar with the location of your damper, you might still be wondering what it does. There are several critical jobs that your chimney damper performs. These include:

• Keep Out the Cold Air: First, it is the job of your chimney damper to keep out the cold air. If your chimney is not being used, air from the outside can easily work its way down the chimney into your home. As a result, your home may start to feel chilly and uncomfortable. You need to keep the cold air out if you want to keep your heating bill low. Dampers have been specifically designed to seal the chimney. When the fire is not being run, you can keep the cold air out of your home, allowing your house to remain warm.
• Keep the Smoke Away: Next, your chimney damper can help you keep the smoke away. Before you start a fire, you must make sure you open the damper. That way, the smoke will flow out through the chimney. All you have to do is open your damper to let unhealthy smoke escape.
• Control the Intensity of the Fire: Finally, you can also use your chimney damper to control the intensity of your fire. You can use your damper to control the amount of oxygen that flows into the fire. Therefore, you have the power to control the length and intensity of the flames.

If you want your chimney damper to perform these jobs efficiently, you need to make sure you get it inspected and cleaned regularly. That is where a chimney sweep can help you.

Take Care of your Chimney Damper

Ultimately, if you want your fire to burn safely and efficiently, you must make sure your chimney damper is intact. You may not use your fire that much during the summer. Therefore, it may have been a long time since you last burned one. If that is the case, it is important for you to make sure your chimney damper is working properly. That way, you know you can safely have a fire in your home. If you have questions or concerns about your chimney, you should reach out to a professional chimney sweep to learn more.