Gas Fireplace Damper Open Or Closed

Unless you have a vent free fireplace the first step you should take before lighting a fire in a wood burning fireplace or gas fireplace is to open the damper.

Gas fireplace damper open or closed.

In the picture above you see an open masonry chimney damper and the picture below shows it closed. You ve got to make sure that vents ph up the house. Just a bit of fyi. Note that most epa certified zc fireplaces do not have a damper.

To close a throat damper in a fireplace lift the handle and pull it back towards you. 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. An open damper allows smoke to exit the chimney rather than backing up into the house. See hurricane fireplace tips to see more about why you should close the fireplace damper with you are expecting heavy rains.

The chain can be found on the inside of your fireplace. If you start a fire when the damper is closed you ll realize the mistake quickly when the room fills up with smoke. If you home is 2 story and you leave the damper open and don t have glass doors the flow through the damper and this is with fireplace at room temp can be over 500 feet per minute. If it s hooked to the side of the fireplace wall then this probably means that the damper is closed.

When the fireplace is in use the damper whether it s a throat damper just above the firebox or a top mount damper at the top of the chimney must be open. The damper in a gas fireplace should remain open all the time. Gasketed sealed doors keep cold air from infiltrating. How to open your chimney damper.

The damper in many zc fireplaces is a simple metal plate that pivots open and pivots closed when a lever is pushed or pulled. You can also tell if your damper is open or closed just by listening. Is the fireplace damper open or closed. It s not slightly open it s all the way open.

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. Close the fireplace damper in preparation for a hurricane or heavy rains.