Should the damper be in or out?

Author: Willis Runolfsdottir DDS  |  Last update: Monday, February 24, 2025

You need to open the damper when you start a fire to allow for proper airflow and let the smoke out. A closed damper can restrict airflow and become a safety issue since smoke would fill your house.

Should the damper be pushed in or out?

OPEN OR CLOSED? The damper should be kept closed when there is no fire or coals burning. Warm air from your home will not be lost up the chimney when the fireplace is not being used. Fully open the damper before your start a fire and keep it fully open until all embers and coals have burned out.

What position should my damper be in?

HVAC Damper Open Or Closed In Summer/Winter

In most homes, dampers going to the upstairs are open in the summer and closed in the winter. By closing the dampers to the upstairs in the winter, it allows for the heat to rise naturally after first being introduced into the lower levels of the home.

What is the best position for a fireplace damper?

The most common is in the throat, which is a position just above the firebox, or where burning takes place. They are close enough to the hearth, or fireplace to be seen by looking up the chimney. The damper is open if, when looking up the chimney, the flue is visible.

Do you push in or pull out to open damper?

Typically, to open the damper, push up or lift the rod all the way. Pull it down to close the damper. Another type of damper is a screw-type or rotary control damper. Typically, you will close the damper by turning it counterclockwise all the way, which causes the rod to hang down low.

Understanding Air Flow | Ask This Old House

Do you push or pull to close a damper?

Standard handles will open the damper when they're turned away from you, so if you cannot turn the handle any further, then the damper may be open. Pulling the handle towards you will close the damper. Other fireplaces use levers to operate the throat dampers by switching it to the right or left.

Should my HVAC damper be open or closed?

When Should I Open and Close My HVAC Dampers? In most houses, dampers on the upper level are opened in the summer and shut in the winter. In the winter, closing the dampers on your HVAC system to the upstairs allows for heat to rise naturally as it is distributed throughout the home.

Does closing the damper make the fire hotter?

To create fires that produce more heat, open the damper as wide as possible when lighting a fire. A wide-open damper will increase the amount of air reaching the fire and improve combustion. As a result, the fire will burn hotter.

What is the best damper setting?

You could row every workout at the recommended damper setting of 3-5, no matter how short or long the workout, and no matter the intensity. But if you like to experiment, you can try lower or higher drag factors and see how it affects your performance and feel.

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

Since dampers control airflow, you can tell whether they are open or closed by testing the flow. Hold your hand up to your vents or the register while it is on. The dampers are at least partially open if you can feel airflow on your palm. The dampers are most likely closed if you can't feel any airflow.

Does closing a damper increase heat?

By not creating an airtight seal, these dampers minimize the strain on the system. In summer, you can close the dampers downstairs so cooler air reaches upstairs rooms. But in winter, closing upstairs vents halfway allows heat to rise.

Which way is damper open?

If the knob is turned counterclockwise all the way or the rod hangs down low, it means the damper is closed. You should turn the knob clockwise, as far as it can go, or push the rod all the way up to open the damper.

How should fire dampers be installed?

Fire Dampers require a field-or factory-installed sleeve. Select a sleeve of suffi- cient length to permit mounting angles attachment. Static and Dynamic dampers must be installed with leading edge of the closed blades within the wall or floor. Not for use in Dynamic (fans on) Systems.

Should the fireplace damper be fully open?

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.

What direction does a fire damper flow?

The fire/smoke damper may be mounted in the vertical or horizontal position with the damper blades running horizontally. Airflow can be from either direction.

What is the lever on the side of my fireplace?

The handle on the left-hand side is for your combustion air intake; think of this as a gas pedal in a car but is used for controlling the intensity of your fire. The handle on the right-hand side is for your flue damper; this control is used primarily to slow down the chimney draft.

Should damper be up or down?

You need to open the damper when you start a fire to allow for proper airflow and let the smoke out. A closed damper can restrict airflow and become a safety issue since smoke would fill your house.

What sets the damper position?

The damper position is set by the thermostat. The thermostat controls the temperature in the air-conditioning system by responding to changes in the temperature. If the thermostat senses that the temperature is too hot or cold, it sends a signal to the dampers, which adjust to let in more or less air.

What does the damper setting do?

Damper Setting is…

Higher damper settings allow more air into the flywheel housing. The more air, the more work it takes to spin the flywheel against the air. More air also slows the flywheel down faster on the recovery, requiring more work to accelerate it on the next stroke or pull.

Is it OK to leave damper open?

One common myth about chimneys is that leaving the damper open during the summer helps “air out” the chimney. However, the opposite of true. Leaving the damper open just fouls up the rest of your home, and does nothing to clean your chimney.

How to maximize heat from a fireplace?

Evenly distributing small pieces of wood throughout the fireplace will increase air circulation and speed up the burning of the wood. This creates a sustainable fire, but the wood burns faster. Placing large logs closer to the fireplace will keep the fire burning longer between refills, maximizing heat output per log.

Should damper be open or closed in summer?

Closing your fireplace keeps your space cool.

If you keep your damper open, your air conditioner will have to work much harder to keep your space at a comfortable temperature. This can result in higher energy bills, and warm, humid air from outside can still make its way into your space.

How to set dampers in summer?

You want to start by making slight adjustments in each room. If a room is too hot, you will want to crank open the damper just a bit to add more airflow to the room. If a room is too cool during the summer, you will want to slightly close the vent so that it stops some of the air from entering that room.

What position is the damper open?

Standard handles will open the damper when they're turned away from you, so if you cannot turn the handle any further, then the damper is probably open. Pulling the handle towards you will close the damper. Other fireplaces use levers to operate the damper by switching it to the right or left.

What happens if damper is closed?

In the summer, a closed damper helps to keep cool, air-conditioned air inside the home where it belongs. 2. In the winter, when you're not using the fireplace, a closed damper helps to keep cold air from swirling down into the house.

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