Widow neighbor with drafty fireplace

[JA600L]

Hello Guys,

I was over at my widowed elderly neighbors house and we were going over ways for her to save money.

I was scrounging the house looking for any obvious things and the fireplace caught my eye.

As you can see in the picture, this is just a standard fireplace with what appears to be a metal damper.
the damper is closed but there are still ways for the air to get through it. I could also see spiderwebs being moved by air.

I opened it slightly and saw daylight. That tells me that nothing is sealed from the top either. This is in her tv room where she spends the most time. It will never be used again as long as she lives there.

Is this a major area of air/ cold infiltration? Should I do something to insulate/seal this better? Or is the current setup sufficient? There is no cap on the chimney either. She heats with a forced air oil furnace. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[NinjaTech]

I would probably put a sealed cover over the top of the chimney. That should at least help, and be easy for the next owner to remove if they decide to use the fireplace. You could probably also stuff some fiberglass insulation up around the damper too. I wouldn't do anything too permanent though.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I don't like stuff on the top of a chimney to seal something like a fireplace. Stuff insulation on the bottom to slow the air movement.

 

[peakbagger]

Yes a fireplace typically is a major issue as it pulls a vacuum on the house. I would cut a piece of plywood and cover it with fabric and figure out a way of holding it in. It would be worth calling the local utility and having a blower door test done, it may be free or reduced cost for low income seniors.

 

[blacktail]

Chimney balloon?
http://www.amazon.com/Chimney-Balloon-Fireplace-Damper-Stopper/dp/B000NJ11B0

 

[Smoke Signals]

A patio block atop the chimney would stop the draft. may want to leave a note in the fire place to let anyone that wants to start a fire that the chimney needs to be uncovered first.

 

[Jason845845]

This winter my fireplace isn't being used because I have some upgrades I need to do. I put a bead of silicone around the top of the chimney, cut a piece of sheet metal to size and sealed it off. I also shoved some insulation in the flue from the bottom. Only cost me pennies but no doubt stopped a major draft saving money and making the house more comfortable.

 

[TreePapa]

If she's not using the fireplace, how about glass doors?