Installing a lock-top chimney damper is a common project among do-it-yourself homeowners. As fireplaces and chimneys age they tend to deteriorate from use, foundation shifting, and weather. This ...

Question: During winter, I feel a breeze coming down the fireplace chimney even with the hearth damper closed. Also, I think raccoons and bats get down in there. Will installing a chimney-top damper ...

A fireplace certainly is a pleasant and attractive feature for a home, but it can allow many unwanted things to enter through the chimney. Cold air and, depending where you live, an occasional bat are ...

Q. I read your column every week and appreciate the guidance. Here’s my situation: I have a two-story home, in which the living room and family rooms are directly over each other. Both rooms have wood ...

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 the ...

Q. We live in a historic home (over a hundred years old), but the chimney is estimated to have been built in the 1920's. It is on an exterior (north) wall and is about 40 feet tall. When we bought the ...

Q: We love to use our brick fireplace in the living room, but it makes the rest of the house cold. Our heating bills are already high. What simple things can I do to make the fireplace more efficient?

Few things spoil the cheeriness of an indoor fire more than a smoky fireplace. There can be a variety of causes, but the remedy is usually simple: adjusting the fireplace equipment or the arrangement ...

A few weeks ago, we answered a question from Larry Walter of Oakland, who was having a problem with his fireplace. Seems that whenever he started a fire, he was nearly smoked out his house. Larry ...