Open Fireplace Chimney Damper

How to open your chimney damper.

Open fireplace chimney damper.

The damper is a steel or cast iron door that opens and closes the throat of the firebox into the flue. It prevents heated air loss through the chimney or down drafts when the chimney is not in use. Opening the damper is straightforward. Unlike traditional throat dampers a chimney top damper is installed at the top of the chimney allowing it to close and seal properly.

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. They usually feature mesh guards to keep critters out of your flue and a leak proof gasket to keep moisture at bay. How to use a fireplace damper. Many people wonder about how to properly use a chimney damper.

This allows the chimney to draft at maximum efficiency during startup and effectively remove smoke. Conversely outside air can enter through the flue into the firebox. Closing the damper is more. Often a damper becomes difficult to operate or sticks in one position.

A damper plate located at the top of a chimney within a top mounted damper is usually square in shape and spring loaded to open or close via a pulley chain with the chain handle to control the damper located within the fireplace. If you start a fire when the damper is closed you ll realize the mistake quickly when the room fills up with smoke. Always make sure the damper is fully open before lighting a fire in the fireplace. Diving even deeper down the rabbit hole the all important damper is located inside the flue.

Throat dampers sit lower in the flue just above the firebox. The damper must be open before a fire is started or smoke will come into the house rather than up the chimney. Fireplace dampers come in two main types. Chimney top and throat.

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. Chimney top dampers sit at the top of the chimney with a chain and lever to open and close it. The chimney houses the flue which is just the airway in which the smoke rises from the fireplace and exits through the roof.

The damper is an important part of your wood fireplace chimney.