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A chimney damper is a necessary accessory for homes with a chimney. It allows all of the smoke and soot to go out, without letting anything down the chimney itself. This means rainwater, pests, and more. A chimney damper is also a great device to close off your chimney flue and help keep heat and cooling in your home instead of leaving right up and out the chimney flue. 

A chimney damper is a fairly simple device; it is used to close or partially close off the flue. When the damper is in the open position, it allows the smoke away to exit out. In the closed position, the damper helps prevent outside air from entering or your conditioned air from exiting the house. This will help to make your home more energy-efficient.

They are constructed of metal and can withstand the heat of the fire and still function properly without damage. They are controlled by a handle, pull chain, or latch. Once

It's probably no surprise that chimneys get so dirty. Technically it isn't "dirt" per se, but actually creosote exposure.  Creosote is that heavy sticky black substance that you see inside your chimney. When you burn wood in your fireplace, the unburned wood particles, tar, smoke, and other debris that goes out of your home through the chimney combines with water vapor to create creosote. If you have a chimney, you're going to have to clean it!

When your chimney is not cleaned for a long time, the creosote keeps building up in the flue during the use of the fireplace. This creosote is highly flammable and can lead to a dangerous chimney fire. Your chimney could actually catch on fire and burn uncontrollably! An unattended chimney can also gather a lot of ash and tar, which may eventually find its way back to your house. This mixture of ash and tar may cause severe breathing problems for you and your family.

A chimney liner is exactly what it sounds like, a lining that goes inside of your chimney. You might be wondering, “Why would I need to line my chimney with something, isn’t that what the chimney is made to do?” Most homes with a chimney were originally constructed with clay or ceramic liner. These are often used when a home is first built because they’re inexpensive and work well with a brand new fireplace and chimney. However, clay chimney liners are not the most durable and can crack and erode under extreme weather changes and conditions.

Do you really need a liner, though? Yes! A chimney liner might not seem like an important part of your chimney, but in reality, it’s extremely important and improves the safety of your fireplace and home. Additionally, a chimney liner is often required to be present to pass inspection to sell your home. It isn't just a rule; there are many benefits to installing a chimney liner. Just a few of these include:

A flue liner has to be able to stand up to the stresses and strains of being pulled and pushed down a chimney. It also needs to be impervious to continuous high temperatures and bursts of immense heat.  The best brands will ensure that any moisture or tar that runs back down the liner goes straight into the stove without leaking out of the fitting whereas cheaper options might fail to do so. There are different grades of liner available, an average one used for most domestic uses but there are higher grades on the market which are more suitable for higher temperatures, possibly for industrial usage.

If you have a chimney then a chimney flue liner is what you require but if you have a stove then you are more likely to require a stove flue pipe. The chimney liner is made of a flexible material which can be fitted into any shaped chimney and then an insulator is usually poured down the sides. Conversely,

If you have an open fire or a wood burner, it is very important that you keep your chimney clean. It is recommended by experts, that you have it cleaned at least once a year, if not more in certain circumstances. Chimneys that aren’t lined can be very difficult to maintain and clean because of the nature of the stone or brick they are made from.

There are many places where soot and tar can build up which are difficult to get to with brushes and other cleaning tools. If you ‘line’ your chimney with a chimney liner then the flue becomes a continuous, smooth tube with fewer surfaces for the soot or tar to condense onto. If any tar does form, it can easily slide back into the fire and be re-burnt. The liner will also prevent any smoke or harmful gases from seeping out of the cracks in your masonry.

Another

Many homeowners who have never replaced their chimney liner are probably unaware if they even have one already. When a fireplace needs a new chimney liner, it's recommended you go with a stainless steel option because of its durability overtime. There are several benefits to installing a new chimney liner, the biggest of which is safety.

For generations, the fireplace has been the staple in many homes - especially around the holidays. Back in the day, the fireplace, or even just a simple fire pit, had a sense of community and safety around it, which still carries through today. The fireplace is that one part of the home where you all gather around and enjoy each other's company - of course, the kitchen is also good for that, but does anyone really talk while they're essentially inhaling the holiday feast? Probably not.

Just like with any aspect of your home, chimney caps offer you a chance to express yourself.  The outside of your house can be just as beautiful as the inside with the right maintenance and the right choices, and just because your chimney cap is a functional and useful part of your house doesn’t mean that it can’t be stylish as well.  Coordinating the colors and styles of your roofing, chimney, chimney accessories, window accents, and more design aspects that go into decorating the outside of your home is exciting.  Here are some suggestions as to what your chimney cap can say about your home.

Traditional

If your home has a chimney to begin with, consider yourself lucky that you live in traditional enough a home that it has a fireplace. 

As with any product, there are a wide variety of chimney liners on the market to choose from.  They have different uses and different strengths, and proper research should be done before deciding exactly what kind is right for you.  Just to brush up on your chimney knowledge a little, we want to note that a chimney liner is also known as a flue liner, and it is generally used to contain the combustion that occurs inside of your chimney, protecting the chimney itself from wear and corrosion.  It’s an added safety measure for your chimney and is extremely important in the proper maintenance of your chimney.  The different materials that liners are made of have different benefits, which we will outline below.

Clay Liners

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Proper maintenance of your fireplace is incredibly important.  The best way to prevent needing constant maintenance is by investing in the right accessories from the offset.  Not only can chimney caps be a fun way to express your design preferences, but they have several technical benefits to ensure that your fireplace is long-lasting and free of damage.  Here, we’re going to outline a couple of the reasons why investing in a chimney cap is so beneficial for the health of your fireplace.

Prevents Blockages

Keeping your chimney clear is very important for the safe and proper escape of air from your fireplace.  If there is a blockage that prevents air from escaping, that air has to go somewhere, and the only place for it