Masonry Fireplace Throat Dampers

Fireplace dampers sit almost directly above the heat of the fire.

Masonry fireplace throat dampers.

Fireplace throat dampers are used to regulate the flow of air from inside your home from moving up the chimney and being released outside. Vestal fireplace dampers either poker control rotary control or chain control meet the qualifications. This allows the damper to be hidden from away from view but also easily accessible from within the fireplace. A damper must be in one piece that is snug to the flue in order for it to work properly.

A selection of diy outdoor fireplaces modular fireplaces fireplace surrounds and accessories for fireplace construction such as hi temp flue liners ash dumps and spark arrestors. For decades the most common damper in masonry fireplaces was a cast iron throat damper. Throat dampers heavy gauge steel construction throughout. This style consists of a cast iron frame or throat mortared above the top of the firebox inside the smoke chamber with a cast iron plate that pivots open or shut.

A throat damper can be manually opened or closed using a handle or lever and helps to prevent loss of warm air from a home when the fireplace isn t being used. The damper frame is the correct opening but if the masonry throat opening is too big closing the throat opening abruptly with the damper frame will cause turbulence that will act like a restriction and may cause the fireplace to smoke. The minimum required bearing length on each end of the fireplace opening shall be 4 inches 102 mm. The back flange of the fireplace damper should be protected from intense heat by being placed directly over and fully supported by the back wall firebrick masonry.

Vestal 42 inch cast iron throat style fireplace damper. The fireplace damper should not be built in solidly at each end. A traditional fireplace damper will usually be positioned just inside the base of the chimney called the throat of the chimney at the top of the fireplace. This can warp and damage the fireplace damper thus needing replacement.

The fireplace throat or damper shall be located not less than 8 inches 203 mm above the lintel. Poker damper control is standard. Masonry over a fireplace opening shall be supported by a lintel of noncombustible material. For questions on any of the available fireplace or accessory please contact an rcp block brick near you.

Insulation is provided to prevent masonry cracking. Here s what you can expect a throat damper to look like.