Make sure your fireplace functions properly so it's ready whenever you, your family and friends want to enjoy it. Proper ...

To inspect the damper, you usually have to crouch down and peer upward toward the rear of the fireplace. A flashlight will help. A metal lever inside the fireplace controls the damper.

Q: We own an older house in Los Gatos. It was built in 1930s. The fireplace was built without a damper. There is also a glass-door fire screen that can be closed. We get an odor of ashes even when ...

Homefix: Dwight Barnett answers home-improvement questions. This week's topic is on fireplace draft and flue problems.

Make sure your fireplace is prepped and the flue damper is open. Then, start stacking firewood using either the log cabin or upside-down method.

The fact that smoke was able to leak past the damper in the basement fireplace isn't surprising. Dampers aren't very airtight, and they're certainly not made to exclude smoke coming in from above.

Forgetting to open the fireplace damper — and then having the house fill with smoke — is a common mistake. When it happened to Lucile Berkowitz, 85, during the windstorm and power failure of ...

Fireplace Dampers recalled. wpvi. By 6abc. Tuesday, March 23, 2010. WASHINGTON, D.C. Hazard: When the consumer attempts to open/close the damper, it can become stuck in its current position.