Should a fireplace flue damper always be completely open?
Your flue should always be open when the fireplace is operating. Operating the fireplace with the damper partially closed will not. The damper should always be fully open before lighting a fire and when the fireplace is in use. You can close the damper when. The damper should always be open when a fire is burning in the fireplace.
Should you open the flue on a gas fireplace?
We’ve determined that the flue on a gas fireplace should stay open whenever the fireplace is in use or when the pilot light is on. If the flue were to be closed in either situation, there are severe safety concerns that could arise – including a greater risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or a structure fire caused by a buildup of toxins produced by the natural gas or propane burners.
Does my fireplace need a damper?
Yes, a fireplace needs a damper. A flue will still work without one, but smoke and carbon monoxide can be an issue if you don’t use a chimney with the right kind of dampers. Fireplaces should always have a functional, working flue system that includes both vents or dampers – generally at least two per flue pipe size.
Is my fireplace damper open or closed?
Visually Check A visual check is one of the surest ways of checking whether the damper is open or not. Simply stick your head in the fireplace and look up. If you have a throat damper, the closed damper immediately above your head will block your vision. You should be able to reach up and touch the closed damper.
Can you run a gas fireplace with damper closed?
somewhat like the way a gas range in a kitchen works. Since there is little or no exhaust, they can be burned with the damper closed. The beauty of this type of system is that 99.9% of the heat produced by the gas logs goes into the room, so they produce substantially more heat than their vented counter-parts.
Should gas fireplace damper be open all the way?
wood or gas . . . . always fully open the damper. 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.
Should gas fireplace flue be open or closed?
Our research shows that the flue on a gas fireplace should remain open during use or when the pilot light is lit. If the flue is closed in either instance, you risk a greater chance of carbon monoxide poisoning or a spark induced structure fire due to a buildup of toxins emitted by propane or natural gas burners.
Do gas fireplaces have a damper?
Gas fireplaces don't have their own integrated dampers. Natural vent gas fireplace inserts or logs that are located within existing masonry fireplaces that utilize the chimney for venting will require any dampers located within the chimney to be open at all times.
What happens if fireplace damper is closed?
A closed throat damper will cause smoke to fill your house immediately when you start a fire. If you have a chimney with a closed top-mount damper It might take a few minutes for smoke to start filling the house, but you will eventually notice that there isn't enough airflow.
How do I know if my gas fireplace is vented or not?
A vented fireplace has attractive yellow and orange flames that lick upward around the sides of the ceramic logs. An unvented fireplace, by contrast, has much less striking flames. These flames tend to be smaller and bluer. As a result, an unvented gas fireplace won't create quite the same illusion as a vented one.
Can a gas fireplace cause carbon monoxide poisoning?
Yes, gas fireplaces are one potential cause of carbon monoxide poisoning. While there are many potential sources of such exposure, including certain appliances and devices, motor vehicles and wood stoves, gas fireplaces are a common culprit.
When should fireplace damper be closed?
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.
Should I leave my fireplace flue open?
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.
Why doesn't my gas fireplace put out heat?
If your fire keeps going out, this is most likely due to a clogged thermocouple and burner parts. Fixing this problem is usually pretty simple and can be resolved by cleaning out your fireplace. However, in some cases, gas fireplaces won't heat the room because the system is not pushing enough warmth into the room.
Why is my gas fireplace so drafty?
The only reason why your vented gas fireplace is drafty is because of the gas logs being installed. Chances are before you had gas logs installed your fireplace was a wood burning fireplace.
Do you have to open the flue with gas logs?
You need to leave your chimney's damper partially open to vent the carbon monoxide that the gas fire produces, so much of the heat generated by a vented gas log set goes up the chimney.
How open should a fireplace flue be?
The damper should always be fully open before lighting a fire and when the fireplace is in use. 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.
Should fireplace damper be open or closed?
openA 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.
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.
Should damper be open or closed on furnace?
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.
Can You Leave Fireplace Damper Open Overnight?
No, you should not leave a fireplace damper open overnight. It is not advisable to leave a fireplace unattended when it is still burning.
Should Fireplace Damper be Open or Closed?
It all depends on what’s going on in your firebox. Generally, a damper allows you to control just how much air passes through your chimney. This air carries oxygen that fire needs to ignite and rise as much as needed.
What Is A Fireplace Damper?
A fireplace damper is a device that can be manually opened or closed with the purpose of allowing gases and other byproducts from a fireplace to be safely vented from a building when open, but to also prevent air from escaping the building when a fireplace isn’t being used.
Why do you need a damper for a fireplace?
The main reason you would want a fireplace damper is to help prevent the warmth from leaving your home during the winter months, especially when the central heating is on. A damper can also be useful in the summer months. A closed damper will prevent air conditioned rooms from venting the cooler air out of your home.
What does closing a damper do?
By closing the damper, you are preventing the majority of air passing through that point inside the flue, in either direction. With the damper open, air can flow freely up the flue when having a fire, and even down the flue when the fireplace isn’t in use.
What is a flue in a fireplace?
A flue is a pipe that extends out of a fireplace to the outside of a house, to vent any waste gases, smoke and small particles from a fire that would have otherwise been released into the home.
What is the purpose of a chimney damper?
Preventing warm air or air conditioned air from being lost out of the chimney when the fireplace isn’t in use and the damper is closed. Preventing rain, animals and debris from entering the fireplace via the chimney when the damper is closed.
How do you know if your chimney damper is open?
Position yourself just outside of your fireplace and lean in under your chimney. You may be able to see an unflattering metal thing just within the opening of the chimney or flue. If you can see up through the damper to your chimney then you know that the damper is open. If you can only see a metal plate then your damper is closed.
What is a dampening effect on a fireplace?
In this case, the dampening effect of a fireplace damper is to control: The flow of hot air, smoke and gases from a fire in a fireplace or stove into a chimney or flue. The flow of air down into a fireplace or stove from a chimney or flue. By controlling how open or closed a fireplace damper is you can inhibit the flow of any air, ...
What is a gas fireplace?
Gas Fireplace. Gas fireplaces create flames by burning natural gas rather than wood. Ceramic logs and embers sitting in a metal grate give it the appearance of a wood-burning fire, but they are just for show. Like a standard fireplace, a gas unit produces both heat and waste gases.
Do vent free fireplaces need to be vented?
These units are designed to be clean-burning and to produces low levels of waste gas, so they do not need to be vented through the damper and out the chimney. They produce more heat than vented gas fireplaces.
Do all fireplaces have a damper?
To be up to code, all fireplaces must have a damper. A functional damper opens and closes easily just by using the handle or lever; any damper that requires extra work to move is considered nonoperational and should be repaired. The damper in a gas fireplace should remain open all the time. The glass between the firebox and your home prevents cold or heat from coming down the chimney and by leaving the damper open at all times, you eliminate the risk of having gas build up or backdraft into your home.
Is it safe to use a gas fireplace?
Buying firewood, finding a place to store it away from dampness, rodents and termites, then hauling logs into your home and sweeping wood chips up from the carpet – a roaring fireplace is more romantic when it doesn't take as much work. Gas fireplaces are less labor-intensive to operate and, as long as the chimney damper is open, they are safe to use.
Should a gas fireplace damper be open?
The damper in a gas fireplace should remain open all the time. The glass between the firebox and your home prevents cold or heat from coming down the chimney and by leaving the damper open at all times, you eliminate the risk of having gas build up or backdraft into your home. Advertisement.
Why do they put a bracket on a damper?
And in fact, in some gas log situations where it’s conversion from a wood burner to a gas-burning log, they put a bracket on a damper to prevent you from ever being able to close it because that could be very dangerous. JO: Oh.
Can you burn natural gas and turn it into carbon monoxide?
Absolutely. Because you’re burning – you know, you’re burning natural gas; that’s going to convert to carbon monoxide. You’ve got to make sure that vents (ph) up the house; it’s not slightly open, it’s all the way open.
Is an unvented gas fireplace a manufactured unit?
TOM: Yeah, an unvented gas fireplace is a manufactured unit – you know, a steel unit – that’s made under very careful controls; and, frankly, even though it is designed to be unvented, we don’t like them. LESLIE: Mm-hmm. They really should always be vented. TOM: We would much prefer that they always be vented.
