How do you close a damper?

Poker dampers operate on a long, curved handle. The handle has grooves in it to hold the damper in place. To open or close the damper, lift the handle and push or pull to move the damper to the desired position.

How do I know if my damper is open or closed?

Before lighting a fire, you can tell if the damper is open by placing your hand into the fireplace. If you feel a draft coming down the chimney, it is a good indicator that the damper is open. If you don't feel any cold air coming down the chimney, it means that the damper is closed.

When can you close the damper?

You should close the damper on your fireplace once the fire and embers have all burned out. This prevents warm air in your house from escaping out the chimney. You should open the damper before lighting a fire and close it once the fire is done burning.

Can you partially close a damper?

No. The damper must be in the fully open position when using a wood-burning fireplace. Partially closing the flue (chimney) damper can cause smoke to spill into the room when burning wood, or cause carbon monoxide (CO) to come into the room when using gas logs.

Which way does a fireplace flue close?

Push the lever up slightly to disengage it from its support tab and then pull it away from the tab horizontally as the damper lowers into a closed position. If your fireplace has pull chains, pull the longer chain to disengage the damper and then pull the shorter chain to close the flue.

Should fireplace damper be open or closed?

The fireplace damper should always be in the open position whenever you have a fire in the fireplace. Never close the damper or leave the fireplace unattended while there is a fire in the fireplace. This is not only a fire hazard, it can also cause deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.

Should damper be open or closed in summer?

Even if you have a chimney cap, it is a good idea to keep the damper closed in the summer. Chimney caps can become damaged creating a pathway for rainwater or pests to get into your chimney. Closing the damper will ensure that they can't get into your home through the fireplace.

Is it OK to leave the flue open overnight?

The smoke from burning wood contains carbon monoxide, so in order to prevent this toxic byproduct from entering your home, it is important to leave the flue open overnight. This enables a draft to carry the compound out into the atmosphere, instead of sinking down the chimney and saturating the room.

What's the difference between a damper and a flue?

A damper is located in the flue of your chimney. The flue is where the smoke escapes when the fire is going. Dampers are placed inside of the flue to help control ventilation. Your damper should have a chain or handle that you can access in order to open and close it.

Does damper need to be open for gas fireplace?

Because gas-log fires produce copious amounts of carbon monoxide, they have to vent outside in a fail-safe manner. That's why there is, or should be, a keep-open device attached to the damper in gas-log fireplaces.

Can I close the damper with embers?

A fireplace damper should always be kept open while the fire is burning. Furthermore, keep the damper open until all the embers are completely out; since smoke and dangerous carbon monoxide can enter the house. Once the ember bed is entirely out, close the damper.

Should I close the damper on my wood stove?

You don't want to leave your wood stove damper fully open, though, because then the heated air will continue to escape, and your room won't get warm. By closing the damper, it will reduce the oxygen levels in the chimney, and you'll have a longer fire. According to Northeastern Chimney, this also creates a downdraft.

Can I close the flue on my gas fireplace?

As a general rule, if you have a gas log fireplace, you should never close your flue when in operation. If the fireplace is not operating, but the pilot light is lit, you should not close your flue.

How do you open a flue?

Use Controls

Some open the flue by rotating a knob in the anticlockwise or clockwise direction, while others require you to pull or push to open the flue. You can quickly tell whether you have an open or closed flue depending on the position of these controls.

What is a throat damper?

Throat dampers are the traditional kind and are actually part of the fireplace as opposed to the chimney. They close off the chimney at its bottom, which means the top definitely needs a cap to keep everything out of the chimney. Throat dampers keep the house warmer by shutting out the cold air in the chimney.

What is a flue damper?

A flue damper is a metal plate on a spindle fitted inside a flue system, usually in the first length of vitreous enamel connecting flue pipe, which can be rotated by a small handle outside the pipe to reduce the adverse affects of a strong updraught (aka pull or draw).

Should I close the flue?

Close it when it's not it use. Operating the fireplace with the damper partially closed will not generate more heat. Instead, blocking the passage through the flue will result in smoke entering the home. The damper should be kept open until all embers are finished burning to prevent smoke from escaping into the home.

What if my fireplace doesn't have a damper?

And while older wood-burning fireplaces can function safely without a damper (gas fireplaces cannot), a chimney without a damper is just a gaping hole in the roof of your house. It's a gateway for frigid air to enter and for heated air to escape in the winter.

What happens if you close the flue?

Close Fireplace Damper When Fire Is Completely Out.

Shut the damper when the fire is completely, absolutely out. That means ashes are cool to the touch even when stirred. If you close the damper before that, you risk carbon monoxide poisoning.

Can I close the glass doors on my fireplace?

The doors should always be fully open or fully closed. Glass doors should be fully open when starting a fire and when the fire is burning strongly. The glass doors should be closed as the fire dies down to minimize the amount of room air going up the fireplace chimney.

How do you stop a fireplace fire?

How To Safely Put Out A Fire

1. Stop adding fuel. ...
2. Next, you should use your fireplace poker to spread out the remaining wood and embers. ...
3. After creating the mound, you should scoop the cool ash from the bottom of your fireplace and place it on top of the wood and embers. ...
4. Lastly, apply a layer of baking soda.

How do you set a damper in the summer?

To properly adjust your HVAC dampers, follow these steps:

1. Turn your fan to the ON position. ...
2. Open every damper all the way. ...
3. Open every register in every room of your house. ...
4. Determine which duct serves which rooms. ...
5. Make initial adjustments. ...
6. Monitor and adjust again. ...
7. Label the damper position.

What happens if you leave damper open?

Leaving your damper open during the summer forces your air conditioner to work harder in order to compensate for the incoming warm air. This causes an uneccessary spike in your utility bills, and if your HVAC system is old and overworked, might even force you to pay for a repair or replacement.