Closing the damper also makes the home more efficient by not letting air escape through the chimney. Those with gas fireplaces should leave the damper open at all times to prevent a gas buildup in ...

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- 'Tis the season for a roaring fire. Mary Bubala has some tips to reduce heat loss from your fireplace. Always keep the flue damper closed unless a fire is going.

When you start up a fire in a wood-burning fireplace, you open up the damper–that’s the small door that opens and closes the chimney flue. Opening that damper is like opening a window in the ...

"I had a new damper installed on our chimney, and it failed within two years. The heat from the fireplace compromised the tension in the springs that hold the louvers open so smoke could escape. I ...

2 Pay it backward. Keep the fire toward the very back of the fireplace, Liverman cautions. The further back the fire is, the less chance of getting smoke in the room. Raise up the wood slightly on ...

The smoke chamber — the area between the damper and the first flue liner — needs to be a minimum of 27 inches high. Speaking of flue liners, fireplace masons often install ones that are too large.

How To Get Rid of Them Before doing anything else, make sure the fireplace damper is completely shut so the bats don’t fly into your house. Try to identify the entry and exit points on the ...