My Flue Is Not Opening or Closing in the Fireplace

Rust

• Older fireplaces have a damper that is made of iron because iron is able to withstand the heat of a burning fire. But iron also rusts easily, and water gets into your flue with rain, snow or ice. Over the years, your damper may become so rusted that it cannot be moved. If your damper is not opening or closing the flue, then have a certified fireplace technician inspect your damper to see if it needs to be replaced.

Obstructions

• Your chimney is an open portal from the roof to your fireplace, which allows obstructions to enter and prevent your damper from moving. Your flue can act as a pathway for birds and squirrels to try and enter your home. In the colder months, animals sometimes climb into the flue for the warmth and get stuck because of the chimney cap or slick flue walls. Other obstructions that can fall into your flue are branches and small stones.

Broken Mechanism

• Dampers are often connected to a chain or metal arm that opens and closes the damper manually. After years of using a thin metal chain to open and close your damper, or pushing and pulling on a small metal arm, the mechanism can break and cause your damper to stay opened or closed. This is one of the easier problems to troubleshoot as it becomes obvious when a chain or metal arm snaps in your chimney flue.

Build-Up

• A responsible fireplace owner have his chimney flue cleaned at least once every two years to remove flammable soot and other deposits, but it can be difficult for chimney sweeps to get all of the soot. One of the reasons why a chimney damper may not operate is because soot and ash have built up in the path of the damper blade. Solving this problem requires a certified chimney professional's specific attention on cleaning the damper.