damper

Picture this: you’re home on a cold winter night and you decide to build a roaring fire to keep you and your family warm.  After preparing your wood and fostering a strong flame, the house begins to fill with smoke.  Panicked, you have the family stay outside while you see to the issue, only to realize that no smoke is coming through your chimney.  This is most likely due to a faulty chimney damper.  You can think of a chimney damper like a lid for your fireplace.  It is located in the flue (the air shaft through which smoke and air can travel in and out of your chimney) above the firebox (where the fire is made) and is in use both when fireplace is active and inactive.  We commonly think of chimneys as avenues for smoke to escape from