DIYbanter - View Single Post - When did they start putting dampers in chimneys?

LSMFT

wrote:
On Sep 2, 2:53 am, wrote:
On Sep 2, 6:01 am, wrote:

When did they start putting dampers in chimneys?

At one time fireplace chimneys went straight to the top with nothing
interfering, right?

But my fireplace chimney has a damper, which I use to keep the indoor
air from escaping when there is no fire.

It can also be used to slow down a fire, perhaps? Hence the name?

Aren't dampers universal in chimneys therse days.

When did that start?

It's not normal practice to put dampers in chimneys these days.

So, you just let heat from the house flow out the chimney when the
fireplace isn't being used? Don;t know about what you do in the UK,
but here in the USA woodburning fireplace chimneys have commonly had
dampers for half at least a half a century. And I've seen the guys on
This Old House replacing old ones that didn't work correctly with new
ones that fit over the top of the chimney from the outside, with a
pull chain going down inside the chimney. Or is this just another
case where harry doesn't know what he's talking about?

The
reason being there has been cases in the past where the damper has
been left closed or material has fallen on to the damper and blocked
the chimney. People have been gassed with CO. I bought a wood stove
a few years back that had a damper which I removed. It was of third
world manufacture.

Fireplaces are a **** poor form of heating anyway. Put in an air tight
stove and you won't have to worry about it.

--
LSMFT

I look outside this morning and everything was in 3D!