How To Close The Chimney Flue

A flue directs smoke outside of a home when a fireplace is in use. This duct within your chimney includes a damper that can be opened or closed by a lever or pull chains, in most instances. It’s important to keep the flue open when a fire is burning, or smoke will have no where to go but back inside the house. Once the fire is out, it’s important to close the flue so the warmth that was created doesn’t escape out the top of the chimney. Closing the flue is a simple procedure that only takes a couple of minutes.

Turn off the gas to the fireplace or wait for wood to burn out. Allow the interior portion of the fireplace to cool before attempting to close the flue. Closing the flue too soon will cause any remaining smoke to drift into your house.
Put on work gloves to keep your hands free of soot. Peer inside the fireplace with a flashlight to find a vertical lever or set of pull chains, either of which close the flue. The location varies by fireplace, but generally the lever or chain set is found toward the interior front of the fireplace.
Push the lever up slightly to disengage it from its support tab and then pull it away from the tab horizontally as the damper lowers into a closed position. If your fireplace has pull chains, pull the longer chain to disengage the damper and then pull the shorter chain to close the flue.

Things You Will Need

Work gloves
Flashlight

Tip

Certain fireplaces may feature a knob on the exterior front of the fireplace that controls the damper. Turn the knob completely to one side to close the flue.

Warning

Always make sure the flue is open prior to starting a fire so the smoke can exit your home properly.

Written by Jennifer Pinto; Updated December 15, 2018 | Source https://homeguides.sfgate.com/close-chimney-flue-23769.html

Latest Blogs

Mortar Joint Cracking

Mortar is porous, allowing it to absorb water. Over time and with the addition of freezing temperatures, water can expand in the mortar until the joints become cracked, often with chunks of mortar falling out completely.

Liner Deterioration

Your chimney liner serves a vital purpose in your chimney system by channeling heat and gases up and out of the chimney and blocking the heat from causing combustible materials around the chimney from catching fire.

Do You Need Your Furnace Flue Cleaned?

Customers often (falsely) believe that their fuel or utility supplier provides furnace flue upkeep.

When Should You Schedule A Furnace Cleaning?

Before you install a new furnace or before you convert to a gas appliance, you should be sure that all areas are thoroughly inspected and cleaned.

Amy Smith

2021-05-12

Alex was able to fit me in quickly and did a thorough chimney inspection for me. I had a great experience with Emberstone and hope to use them again in the future!

Boessel Lodge

2020-09-22

Alex and his crew came and provided us with a chimney sweep and inspection to my Asheville home. Communication was great, showed up on time, wore a mask and left the place very clean. Going to have them do some repair work soon, they found a few issues.

Frank Curcio

2020-05-18

They arrived on time and were very professional in repairing my gas logs. Fair pricing, also.

Larry Strickland

2019-06-09

After our 110 year old farm house was damaged by a tornado I contacted Alex with Emberstone. He came out quickly to look at our two damaged chimneys one of which was completely down to the roofline. Knowing that our roof could not be repaired until the chimneys where, he and his crew came on a weekend to do the repairs as soon as possible. Not only did they complete both in one day the work they did was superb. I have over 30 years experience in construction inspections and this company is top notch. Their work is superior and so is their work ethic. They maintained a clean work site and when they left you could not tell they had been. I highly recommend Emberstone. Give them a call.

Kasey Joyner-Thompson

2019-03-03

Alex, Kirsten and everyone w/ Emberstone were amazing! From the first phone call to the final project they were helpful and accommodating. They really made my dream come to life! Seriously if you need something done w/ your fireplace, use them. You won't regret it.

Gisela Fleming

2018-12-18

Thank you for being such a wonderful company to work with. I appreciate your knowledge, professionalism, and attention to detail. I look forward to many cozy evenings in front of my new fire.

Rebecca Michael

2018-11-21

Great experience with this company from the first phone call. Everyone is professional, knowledgeable, and so nice! On time, thorough and completely transparent in their reporting. They made sure to take the time to explain issues. We are so glad we found them and wholeheartedly recommend!

Michael Hurley (DJSIDETHREE)

2018-11-13

Emberstone came out and did my dryer vent cleaning + chimney inspection and sweep service, I was so surprised that they cover all of the raleigh/durham, nc area and yet were able to give me a prompt appointment date and show up to do an on-site quote in a very short amount of time. The chimney inspection technician seemed knowledgeable and the dryer vent cleaning guy really loves his job, having so much fun while maintaining a much welcomed professionalism you don't see often with service providers these days. Highly recommend giving them a call for all your chimney, fireplace and dryer vent cleaning needs.

Elise Calentino

2018-09-26

Before a few months ago I’d never lived anywhere with a fireplace. Deciding to be on the safe side in my new home I scheduled to have a Emberstone come out to inspect and possibly sweep my chimney. When I called to schedule the appointment the gal I spoke with was very pleasant and informative, giving me fees and letting me know what to expect. Today Alex came out for the appointment. He called before he arrived and arrived within the scheduled window. He was professional, courteous, and also very informative. After the sweep and inspection he went over the state of our chimney and he gave me a little fireplace 101. I would absolutely recommend Emberstone’s services, it could not have gone better!

828-469-0533

[email protected]

Mon - Fri: 8am - 6pm

Our Locations

Emberstone Chimney Solutions Asheville

455-5 North Louisiana Ave Asheville, NC 28806