Lock-Top Damper Installation

Chimney Dampers

• Inside the common chimney is a damper. Before starting a fire in the fireplace, you open the damper, allowing the subsequent smoke to enter the chimney to enter the atmosphere. The user closes the damper when the fireplace is not in use, preventing downdrafts and loss of air conditioned air or heat. However, the damper tends to leak air because its metal body closes against the chimney's metal, which makes a poor seal.

Lock-Top Damper Feature

• A solution to the poorly sealing damper is adding a Lock-Top Damper. Lock-Top is a name brand damper company that offers a sealed damper lid for installation at the chimney's top. A user controls the damper with a cord that dangles down through the chimney's length. A closed Lock-Top Damper seals the chimney's top with a rubber gasket, preventing any air loss from the building.

Damper Installation

• Thoroughly clean the chimney top's edge. Apply furnished adhesive around the edge in a 0.25 inch bead. Extend the Lock-Top Damper's cord and handle assembly down into the fireplace. Verify that it is long enough to reach the fireplace area. Carefully press the damper into the applied adhesive. Apply extra adhesive around the damper and chimney edge connection point for a proper seal. Do not use the damper until the adhesive has cured for 24 hours.

Bracket Installation

• The dangling cord and handle have a holding bracket that prevents the cord from swinging within the chimney's liner. Drill a hole 20 inches above the fireplace's floor with a 0.25 inch drill bit. Place a nail anchor into the hole and secure it into the fireplace's brick. Verify that the bracket is level. Using the lower bracket hole as a guide, drill another hole to complete the bracket installation with the final nail.

Damper Adjustments

• An adjustment clamp resides on the dangling cord. After securing the bracket, tug on the cord to close the damper. Adjust the clamp's position on the cord for obtaining the tightest seal on the damper. Use an Allen wrench to finalize the clamp's adjustment position.