If you have noticed an increase in your heating and cooling bills, your traditional throat damper may be the reason. These metal dampers typically do not provide an airtight seal to your chimney, so heated and cooled air can easily escape your house through the chimney. An old damper can also let hot and cold air from the outside come into your home, which can make it even more difficult and expensive to keep your home comfortable. Fortunately, there is another kind of damper that will improve the heating and cooling efficiency of your house — the top-down damper, which is recommended by Chimneys.com. Owens Chimney Systems also prefers top-down dampers to the traditional throat dampers, and we can install one of these dampers, which will decrease your utility bills and increase the energy efficiency of your home. We would like to tell you more about the advantages of top-down dampers over throat dampers.
Top-down dampers serve two functions.
One of our favorite features of top-down dampers is that they also serve as a chimney cap when the damper is closed. In fact, a top-down damper can work even better than a typical chimney cap because its silicone rubber gasket that seals out air also works to keep out rain, ice, snow, and even wild animals. Owens Chimney Systems is so favorable towards this ability of a top-down damper that when our customers need a new chimney cap, we recommend that they go with a top-down damper instead. We also have models that come with a cap so that when the damper is open, your chimney is still protected from water and animals.
Top-down dampers save money and energy.
Throat dampers just do not seal out air very well. One of the biggest problems that can occur with a throat damper is a cold core forming in your chimney during the winter. Cold air can enter your chimney to create a cold core that tries to cool your house at the same time you are trying to heat it, which is a big waste of energy and money. With a top-down damper installed on the top of your chimney, cold air has no chance of getting into your chimney. Owens Chimney Systems knows you will see a reduction in both your heating and cooling bills with a top-down damper.
Top-down dampers are easy to use.
If you have a throat damper, you probably know that it can be difficult to open and close, especially if the damper has rusted. With a top-down damper, it is always easy to open and close. Your top-down damper will have a stainless steel cable that drops down the chimney which connects to an easily-accessible handle that we will mount inside the firebox. Even though different models of top-down dampers will have different opening and closing methods, you will find them all easy to operate.
Increase the energy efficiency of your home with a top-down damper. Contact us at Owens Chimney Systems to learn more about reducing your heating and cooling bills with this damper.