The damper allows the flow of air into the stove. It's a lever or valve that you can easily open. It is essential to ensure that it's wide open when you start a fire. It provides enough oxygen to light the fire and keep it burning as efficiently as possible.
Well, an open damper will allow the smoke from the fire along with other harmful combustion byproducts to escape through the chimney and be channeled safely to the outside. An open damper also invites outside air that assists in keeping the fire alive.
On a dual lever appliance, the bottom control is the Primary air and the top control is the Secondary. Read your manual for other configurations such as 2 levers on the base. Now we need to find our 'happy' spot. That is the setting where we have sufficient heat and fames to enjoy without burning too hot or cool.
If you don't feel any cold air coming down the chimney, it means that the damper is closed. Another way to find out if the damper is open is to do a visual check. If your chimney has a traditional damper, all you need to do is shine a flashlight up the chimney. If you can see the sky, it is open.
Why It's Important: Never close the damper while the fire is still burning. Doing so can cause smoke and dangerous gases like carbon monoxide to back up into your home, posing serious health risks. How to Avoid It: Keep the damper fully open whenever a fire is active, regardless of the fire's size.
The damper and flue are two different parts, but they are related and involved in the same function. The flue is the inside tunnel of your chimney that brings gases from your fireplace out of your home, while the damper closes or opens the access to the flue.
The second handle you may find in your fireplace (usually located on the left inside panel) is a control lever for the outside air kit. When burning your fireplace, the outside air kit lever should always be in the open (or up) position. The outside air kit is designed to provide additional air for combustion.
When lighting your stove, open both air vents fully. On initially lighting, it can be an advantage to crack the door open slightly to provide additional air flow through the firebox. Once the fire is established, close the door and then close down the bottom air vent gradually.
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.
The bottom lever is the air intake from below the fire, it helps to make the fire start faster, but it also makes it consume faster! The top one is for exhaust like, again open makes it burn faster but will last shorter, also if you have problems with smoke add a good pile of wood and open both until it's clean.
What you may not already know is your stove has a damper whose job it is to control the amount of air you're letting in to feed the fire. Depending on how far open or shut you have the damper, your fire will be smaller and cooler (and burn for longer), or larger and hotter (and burn more quickly).
Adequate Air Supply: Adjust the stove's air vents and consider slightly opening a window in the same room when starting the fire to introduce fresh air and help balance the pressure. Regular Chimney Maintenance: Ensure your chimney is clean and free from obstructions.
The handle to open and close the damper should be above the fireplace opening. To open it, slide it to the right. 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.
There is some kind of electrical blower on the bottom which, when you plug it in, forces air out the vents on the bottom.
Inside this narrowed portion of the fireplace is your damper. As you likely know, your damper is a metal flap that opens to allow smoke to exit the chimney when a fire is burning and closes to stop drafts and heat loss when the fireplace isn't in use.
Carry out a visual inspection of the chimney from your fireplace. If you can see open dampers or see the sky, that will prove that the flue is open. Failure to see the sky implies a closed flue or one that may need unclogging.
Keep it fully open until all embers and coals have burned out. This will allow smoke and other combustion by-products to exit the fireplace safely and up the chimney. Close the damper after the fire, and the coals have completely burned out.
Check flue and damper
Actively look up into the chimney with a flashlight or phone torch. If you can see sky coming through, the damper is open. Sometimes a chimney has a cap, so you might have to view it from the outside rather than inside the wood heater.
If you're burning wood, keep it fully open until all the burning embers are completely burned out. If it's a gas log set, turn off the flames before the closing the damper as far as possible. If there is no fire, always keep the damper closed to prevent air infiltration and heat from being lost up the chimney.
Many home owners want to add a Flue Damper to their flue pipe for their wood stove. Most modern wood stoves have their own are regulated air control on the stove. The wood stoves manual will provide instructions on usage. EPA does not allow restricting flow.
If you're leaving the home or retiring for the evening, always close the glass doors but leave the flue open.
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.