Your family-owned chimney company in Vista East

The throat damper in a masonry fireplace takes the heat of every fire and the humidity of every idle month, and over time the plate can warp, rust or come loose from its frame. In Vista East, an Orlando neighborhood that the city recognizes, a damper that rattles, sticks or lets daylight through when closed is usually repairable, and our technicians can tell you which parts are worth saving.

A throat damper has a cast iron or steel frame set into the masonry above the firebox, a plate that pivots in it and a handle, poker or rotary control that moves the plate. The plate can warp from heat, which stops it sealing. Rust can seize the pivot or eat through the plate. The handle or linkage can bend, break or slip off.

Debris or mortar on the frame can keep the plate from closing flat. Some of that can be fixed in place: the frame and plate cleaned, the pivot freed, a bent handle straightened or replaced. Replacement plates and handles are available for many common damper styles. Where the frame itself has cracked or rusted through, replacing it means working in a tight space above the firebox, and a top-sealing damper at the top of the flue may be the simpler, better-sealing choice.

We explain the trade-offs before you decide. A sticking damper is also a clue to look further. Heavy rust points to water entering the flue from a missing cap or a leaking crown. Crumbling mortar around the frame points to smoke chamber or firebox wear. We check those while we are there. Never light a fire until you know the damper is open, and do not force a stuck one with a hammer.

Our family business does the Vista East inspection free, and damper repairs or replacements are priced in writing before any work. You get a 10% discount on any service booked within 72 hours after the free inspection, and we guarantee 100% satisfaction.