The knob on the side or bottom of a gas fireplace is likely a gas control valve, a flame height adjustment knob, or a blower speed control.
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.
Close the fireplace damper only when the fire is completely out, all embers are cold to the touch, and no smoke is present. Closing it too early while embers are still warm or smoldering traps toxic carbon monoxide inside your home.
It is responsible for turning the gas on and off, adjusting the flame height, and preventing children from accidentally lighting fires without adult supervision. Read on to learn more about how a fireplace gas valve knob works.
THE FIRE PLACE
It is not recommended to use a chimney without a damper, as this can lead to heat loss, reduced efficiency, and the risk of smoke and other combustion gasses entering the living space. If your chimney does not have a damper, it is important to have one installed.
Natural gas can create carbon monoxide so you need to open the flue. Also, get a CO detector just to be safe. Your instructions will tell you how much your vent needs to be open. Yes, all gas units should be vented!!
To find this information, you can take a look at your most up-to-date gas bill. The cost used to be around 0.3p per kWh but from October 2022, it could be as high as 0.10p*. Using the latter figure, a five kW gas fire would cost around 50 pence to run per hour (five kW multiplied by 10 pence).
A lever on the side of a fireplace (usually located behind the spark screen on the inside left or right panel) typically controls the outside air intake.
A fully open damper allows maximum airflow, making the fire burn hotter and faster. If you want a slower burn or a fire that lasts longer, you can partially close the damper to reduce the oxygen supply. Just be careful not to close it too much because it can lead to poor combustion and smoke buildup.
Is your damper open or closed? A flashlight should illuminate a throat damper well enough to see if it's open or closed. For a damper at the top of the chimney, you'll have a chain that controls the device. If you can pull on the chain before it jumps back up, the damper is open.
Here's an example to help illustrate this, with a fireplace with a Btu rating of 30,000: (30,000 x 1.59) / 100,000 = 0.47. That means it will cost about $0.47 per hour to run your fireplace. If you run your fireplace for 8 hours a night, it will cost $3.76 a day.
14 Common Gas Fireplace Problems & What to Do
On many gas fireplaces, there is no traditional damper. Depending on your specific setup, your unit will fall into one of these categories:
Your flue (via the damper) should be adjusted based on whether your fireplace is in use: Open the flue before starting a fire. This allows proper ventilation so smoke, fumes, and combustion gases escape up the chimney instead of entering your home. Leave it fully open while the fire is burning.
A closed fireplace damper looks like a flat or slightly angled metal plate (cast iron or steel) that completely seals off the throat or top of the chimney flue. When closed, it blocks your line of sight, preventing you from looking up into the chimney.
Having two levers on a fireplace or wood stove usually means you have separate controls for the exhaust and the air supply.
After the fire burns out completely, it is safe to close the damper. Closing the damper will lock the heat inside your home, keeping it warmer longer.
Gas fireplaces with remote controls typically have two switches: one for ignition and one for manual shut-off. The shut-off valve inside the unit, about 15 inches away, complies with many local codes, though some regions prefer external valves for safety.
You can tell if a gas valve is open or closed by looking at the position of the lever handle relative to the gas pipe.
The ideal running time for a gas fireplace depends on its ventilation type. Vented units can be run continuously for extended periods, while vent-free models should be limited to 2 to 3 hours at a time to prevent carbon monoxide buildup and oxygen depletion.
Cheapest Option: A gas fire is significantly cheaper to run if you only need to heat the room you are currently using (zone heating).
It takes time for your home to warm up and cool down. If you're not sure how long it takes, try turning the heating on about 30 minutes before you need it. You should turn it off 30 minutes before you'll stop needing it.
Electric heating systems and tumble dryers tend to be the most expensive electrical items to run because they use large amounts of power over extended periods. Other high-cost appliances include electric ovens and immersion heaters.