Top Damper Installation Tip

Buckley Rumford Fireplaces
Cable Installation
Top Damper Installation Tip

Consider running the damper control cable through conduit such as automotive brake line to anywhere you like near the fireplace such as a recessed panel to one side of the fireplace where the control mechanism can be clean, cool, accessible and out of sight.

Thanks to Jon Gardner for how he installed his Chim-a-lator.

I wanted to use a chimney-top damper in addition to the throat-top damper, but didn't want to clutter my nice, clean Rumford firebox with the control hardware - plus, I don't want to have to keep up with the plastic attachment for adjusting the lever when it's hot. The Chim-A-Lator model I purchased comes with a 7-foot section of cable guide, which is more than enough to run through the side wall of the fireplace, so the control lever can be mounted on the outside wall. The best time to install this is during construction, sometime during steps 5-7 in the "General Instructions" at rumford.com. But my fireplace was already built.

By measuring carefully and praying prodigiously, I was able to drill a 1/4-inch hole from the outside wall, upward at about a 45-degree angle, into the bottom front corner of the smoke chamber. The entrance hole on the outside wall is at roughly the same height as the top of the firebox opening. My mason had neglected to fill the gap around the front and sides of the one-piece throat, but the silver lining was that a 16-inch masonry drill was long enough to make it into that gap.

Once I got the cable in place and tensioned (pre-coated with some high-temp lubricant), I backfilled around the throat by squatting in the firebox and reaching up into the smoke chamber with 32-oz cups of mortar - masonry by Braille - and then sealed the outside end of the hole with a dab of mortar. The control lever is attached with some Tapcon 1/4x1-3/4" tapered-head masonry screws. Since my fireplace has a stone exterior, I had to play with the location a bit to find a good level fit for all four attachment points. It came out very nice, and is positioned to accommodate the cabinet and shelves that will be installed beside the fireplace. Inside the flue, the cable tension holds the cable guide against the wall and out of the way of the throat-top damper.

Note: Any of the top dampers could be installed this way with the cable run through a bit of brake line or electrical conduit from the base of the smoke chamber to somewhere outside the firebox, maybe in a nook behind a door, where the damper control would be clean, cool and out of sight. - Jim

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