Santa's Friend Chimney Service
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Why Santa’s Friend Recommends Top Mounted Dampers

There are two types of dampers: throat dampers and top mount dampers. Throat dampers are the traditional damper located right above the firebox. There is a handle, normally located at the top of the firebox, that opens and closes the damper.

The damper should be open when you burn a fire so smoke, gases and debris from the burn can rise out of the firebox, up the flue and out into the atmosphere. When the fireplace is not in use, the damper should be closed so that, during the winter months, warm air in your home cannot escape up through the flue and, in the summer, the cool air stays inside.

Issues of a Throat Damper

However, there are still a few issues that are not solved with a traditional throat damper. The biggest one is that cold air can enter into the flue and chase during the winter months and hot air gets in during the summer. In a recent magazine, there was an iced tea pitcher featuring a tube through the middle of it to contain ice for keeping the tea cold. It was the perfect demonstration of what happens in the winter when your chimney has a throat damper that is closed.

The cold air, rain, snow and ice can get into the chimney system and create a cold core that is trying to cool your home at the same time your heating system in trying to warm it up. It does the opposite in the summer by letting the core heat up from the outside temperatures while your cooling system is trying to cool your house down. This causes your heating and cooling bills to rise, which no one really likes!

Why We Like a Top Mount Damper

With a top mount damper, the seal is at the top of the flue which means the air from the outside is kept on the outside. The handle is on the side of the firebox so it is easy to get to when opening and closing the damper. The top mount damper also serves as a chimney cap because it closes off the flue completely when the chimney is not being used. This keeps the flue and chimney from fighting against your heating and cooling attempt and lowers your energy costs.

Because we know of the overall benefits and success of the top mount damper, it is what we recommend when a throat damper or damper plate is damaged and needs replacing. Call us today to talk about installing one of these great dampers on your system.


A chase cover is designed to keep water and debris out of your chimney. This is just one of several products we can check and install if you need it for safety and improved performance.


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