The flue (or chimney lining) is basically a pipe up the middle of the chimney that begins where the fireplace transforms into the flue pipe and ends at the chimney cap.  Its job it to provide a channel to move, ash, sparks, heat, smoke and gas out of the house and into the atmosphere.  It also acts as an insulator, protecting the chimney from the extreme heat. The flue is made of clay tiles, pumice tiles, refractory brick or mortar or steel.

The most common chimney damper is a movable plate that sits above the fireplace before the flue pipe. Pulling the lever toward you opens most dampers.  When the damper is closed it helps keep heated air from going up the chimney and wind from blowing ashes all over.  Many older homes in the Los Angeles area do not have dampers.  In these cases the most cost effective solution is a top mounted damper that is part of the chimney cap.

Tags: brick | chimney | dampers | fireplace drafting | fuel | rain caps

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 in the Chimney Tips, Real Estate section. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.