Damper removal

[Tansao]

Greetings folks! I've been a lurker for a few weeks here as I've been considering the wood insert to buy to avoid the oil man cometh.

I recently bought a VC Merrimack and it's all set to go in. I am installing it myself on Friday along with my dad and father in law. My dad is a licensed general contractor and we always do our own work on everything.

I just looked into my fireplace to the first step of removing the damper. I don't see a screw but do see masonry cement around it. The house and fireplace was built around 1970. If I had to guess, the damper appears to be cast iron. Is this common? Is removal a case of elbow grease (hydraulic jack to pop it out or hammer and crow bar, etc.) or cutting with a sawzall (don't have access to a plasma cutter). Or should I just remove or jam open the damper door and squeeze the liner through the opening since the liner is about 6.5" or so and the damper opening is max of 6 inches?

I appreciate any expertise and experience you can provide.

 

[BrotherBart]

Everybody gives me grief about it, but I say just use a hacksaw and cut out an opening for the liner. Piece of cake. If you want to shake your teeth out a SawzAll is just fine.

 

[tickbitty]

I wouldn't try to pop it out with a jack because it could be mortared in there and you could do some damage. In mine my friend took out the whole door slot (only about 4" wide) then sawed out the back ledge behind it, only about an inch and then it was "L" shaped, and the two bricks it was sitting on. That way it was a straight shot for the flex to drop down and out. I thought the hole would end up more forward but the damper door and everything was angled toward the back. If I can find a pic I'll post it but I hope that makes sense. He used a reciprocating saw or sawzall I think.

 

[cmonSTART]

My favorite technique for damper removal is an angle grinder with a large cut off wheel on it. I make two cuts on the back side at either end through the damper and into the masonry, and then use a baby sledge and pry bar to pop the back side out. I remove a brick or two from the back and I can get any liner through. It takes less than 10 minutes.

 

[fishingpol]

There is a sawzall blade specifically for cast iron. Can be had at box stores or plumbing suppliy houses. Prolly quicker than red metal cutting blade.

 

[Rudyjr]

My favorite technique for damper removal is an angle grinder with a large cut off wheel on it. I make two cuts on the back side at either end through the damper and into the masonry, and then use a baby sledge and pry bar to pop the back side out. I remove a brick or two from the back and I can get any liner through. It takes less than 10 minutes.

+1 on the angle grinder. Every fireplace I have seen has been slightly different but none of them needed much of the cast iron throat removed for the liner to pass through. No more than 2 cuts and a few taps with a baby sledge, after the damper "door" is lifted out. Install a block off plate it will make a huge difference in heat output of your stove, well worth the extra hour of work to do it.

 

[facemire21]

I used a sawzall with a crappy blade....lets just say it wasn't pretty

 

[SteveKG]

I was looking at Sawzall blades just yesterday at HD. The diamond blade, claimed to be good for cast iron, is about $11 for the 6" version. I saw a 9" but don't recall how much. I have never used one, might be worth a try.

 

[OhioBurner©]

When mine was installed the installers used a bottle jack and a piece of 4x4 post and the damper snapped apart into a few pieces. They also used a big chisel and hammer and knocked out a row of bricks along the back.