Close it when it's not it use. For top mount models, often, you need to pull a chain. If a fire is lit and the damper is closed, the gas and debris have nowhere to go but into the house, causing a … Throat dampers sit lower in the flue, just above the firebox. Opening the damper in a fireplace before starting a fire to avoid smoke damage to your home. Step 1. There are two chains for throat dampers, one for opening the damper and the second for closing. Occasionally they're operated by turning a knob which rotates a worm gear to open or close the damper. Take a few old newspaper sheets and twist them into a long torch. Chimney sweeps and cap damper manufacturers are realizing that these dampers are not functioning properly, and most are converting to modern energy efficient cap dampers. She ran out of heat twice now this winter. Using a flashlight, poke your head inside the fireplace to look up into the chimney. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'householdair_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_4',106,'0','0']));Since, as we’ve mentioned, flues can create a pathway for cold drafts to enter the home and animals/debris to enter the chimney flue, knowing whether the damper is open and closing it when you’re not heating is critical. Take a steel brush or a handheld whisk broom and clean the damper and the area around it. It’s definitely not a good idea to start a fire to see if your damper is open because, if it‘s not open, you’ll have all of the smoke and gases … If you can see up into the flue, the damper is open. When Should the Flue Be Open? Many chimney dampers don’t close with a tight seal, and so hearing the movement of air within your chimney may not always give a good indication of whether your damper is open or closed. A made to measure chimney damper is a very different proposition! The chimney will not be visible. If the damper is open, you’ll feel a strong cold draft. Doing so will keep some of the warm air from your heating system from escaping up the chimney. The damper can be closed or open. The damper should always be fully open before lighting a fire and when the fireplace is in use. Throat dampers usually consist of a steel flap that is either opened or closed by using a handle near the chimney. When the fireplace is not in use, the damper should always be closed. If you’re familiar with the on/off position of the controls, you should be able to tell, with ease, whether the damper is open or closed. If the handle is in the closed position, your. For top-mount dampers, there’s a single chain inside the firebox. By opening the fireplace damper, you'll be allowing air to get in the chimney so that the fire can start. What Are Ventless Gas Logs – Ultimate Guide. But leaving the damper fully open while the fire is burning also allows the heated air to escape causing your fireplace to operate less efficiently. It’s built into the fireplace and can be seen at the top of the firebox. You should turn the knob clockwise, as far as it can go, or push the rod all the way up to open the damper. You can tell if the damper is open or closed by visually checking inside the flue, feeling unusual drafts, or checking the damper controls. Stick your head inside the fireplace and look up the flue. Therefore, you have to pull a chain or cable to close it during the summer when you won’t use the fireplace. In generally, you want to have your damper closed as often as possible when your fireplace isn’t in use, to keep warm air from rising up and out of your chimney and to keep cold bursts of air from blowing down the chimney and … Close the throat damper after the fire has cooled completely. Gas fireplaces use the same metal flue system as wood-burning fireplaces. The controls vary. It opens/closes with a knob located on the fireplace’s front or a special rod found above the firebox. Remember, closing the chimney damper when you’re not using the fireplace is just as important as keeping it open during the heating season. Consider the following three tricks; This is really simple and one of the surest ways to check whether the damper is open or closed. A key advantage of top-mount dampers over throat-mounted models is that it can also keep out animals and debris from entering the chimney flue. If the damper is closed, then the smoke will come out of the chimney and fill out the room. That means ashes are cool to the touch even when stirred. This will prevent the heated air from escaping through the chimney and will keep water and other debris out of the flue. Zone Dampers: Dampers are placed in your ducts to control the airflow to certain rooms (or zones) of your home. ¿Cuáles son los 10 mandamientos de la Biblia Reina Valera 1960? A fireplace damper, chimney damper, or “throat damper” is a metal plate located at the top of your chimney’s firebox. You can even reach up and touch it to determine whether it’s open or closed. Every stove requires a certain amount of draft created by chimney. Perform a visual check. Knowing how to check whether the damper is open or closed, therefore, is very important. You should be able to access and adjust them manually. If the lever is in the open position, your flue damper should be open. 2. If all of them are open and you're still not feeling any air coming through, you may have another obstruction farther in the duct. Open it whenever I add wood so I don't get smoke in the house. One of the most pervasive causes of a stuck damper is rust, often caused when rainwater enters the chimney through a faulty or […] Otherwise, there’s a severe risk of smoke and other harmful combustion gases filling the house.eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'householdair_com-box-4','ezslot_1',104,'0','0'])); Fireplace dampers are made from metal or ceramic to withstand the intense heat of the fireplace. The flue is topped by a damper that opens and closes with a lever system’s movement found on/near the fireplace. A flashlight should illuminate a throat damper well enough to see if it’s open or closed. To remember whether your damper is open or closed (and to remember to close fireplace damper when the embers are completely cooled), ... my sister leaves her chimney flue open all the time so she can smoke up the chimney.