Do I Need to Close My Fireplace During the Summer?

You may be busy with several things this summer, vacations, yard work, and going to an amusement park, but you don’t often think about your chimney; in fact, you don’t use your chimney at all. You may wonder- do I need to close my fireplace during summer? It’s a good question. It may seem like you can leave your fireplace open constantly during the summer, but you can’t.

When to Close Your Fireplace

It goes without saying that the damper should remain open whenever you use your fireplace to let fumes and embers escape the chimney. When you aren’t using your fireplace, the damper can remain closed; it is a good idea to leave it closed throughout the summer months.

Why Should My Fireplace Stay Closed During the Summer?

You may have heard stories from relatives and friends when you were growing up that a fireplace’s damper needs to remain open in the summer to let your fireplace “air out.”  The truth is your fireplace needs to stay shut when it’s not used in the summer. Even if your chimney has a cap, it can become damaged. When a chimney cap is damaged, your damper becomes the only thing keeping rainwater, leaves, pine needles, birds, bats, and other creatures from finding their way inside your home.

When you leave your damper open in summer, you also let cooler air in your home escape up the chimney. Your fireplace’s chimney isn’t allowing hot air to escape in the summer, as you may have heard; it’s doing the opposite and will cause your monthly power bills to climb higher.

When you leave your damper open, you allow moist air from outside to float down your chimney. With higher humidity in the summer, you will likely develop mold and mildew with an open fireplace, especially if the flue cap is damaged. If the damper is left open during summer, you will notice a damp, musty smell from your fireplace. What is that smell? Its mold and mildew collecting from the humidity pouring into your home; shutting the damper will keep damp air, dew, and rain from coming down your chimney and causing it to smell moldy.

Gas Fireplaces in Summer

If you own a gas fireplace, then there is an extra step you need to take when closing your damper for the summer months. The gas and pilot light must be shut off for the summer when your fireplace is not in use. Shutting off the gas and pilot light will keep your burner from being clogged and let flammable gas float into your home. If you don’t know where the shutoff valve or pilot knob is, call us; we will be happy to help.

Summer is Right for Chimney Solutions to do Inspections and Repairs

Let Chimney County Solutions inspect and repair your fireplace and chimney as you shut it off for the summer. Don’t wait until you need your chimney in the winter to find out it’s not working right; call us now when repairing a chimney won’t be a crisis for your family. Our certified and experienced chimney sweeps will examine your fireplace and chimney for any needed repairs. Inspections could be part of a summer ritual where we clean your chimney annually. Call us or fill out our simple contact form. A staff member will discuss inspecting, cleaning, and, if needed repairing your fireplace. Don’t wait until the leaves begin to turn to have your fireplace and chimney inspected.