Fireplace Flue Open Or Closed

These doors located at the throat of the flue before it exits the chimney need to be opened prior to igniting a fire.

Fireplace flue open or closed.

The damper is a steel or cast iron door that opens and closes the throat of the firebox into the flue. Check up into the chimney from your fireplace. Its job is to seal off the firebox from the rest of the chimney and can be opened or close with a lever. A flue directs smoke outside of a home when a fireplace is in use.

Often a damper becomes difficult to operate or sticks in one position. This is not true for every fireplace some especially pre fab type the damper is either open or closed. Operating the fireplace with the damper partially closed will not. If the flue is open the smoke will go out of the chimney without any problem.

One of the most pervasive causes of a stuck damper is rust often caused when rainwater enters the chimney through a faulty or nonexistent chimney cap. The damper should always be fully open before lighting a fire and when the fireplace is in use. If you start a fire when the damper is closed you ll realize the mistake quickly when the room fills up with smoke. You know the flue is open if you can see the sky or have a throat dumper.

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. This duct within your chimney includes a damper that can be opened or closed by a lever or pull chains in most instances. Definitely closed when not in use you can actually feel the air flow being sucked out of the house when you sit by the fire place with the flue open its not saving you pennies its saving you much more than that it causes an automatic draft when its left open. Flue dampers can typically rotate 360 degrees in either direction and so you can put the damper in a completely closed position completely open position or anywhere in between.

How to open your chimney damper. When properly installed dampers should create an airtight seal that prevents airflow between the chimney and the rest of the house. If the damper is closed then the smoke will come out of the chimney and fill out the room. Close it when it s not it use.

With most dampers you can adjust the handle to where it not open as much. Carry out a visual check. You need to open your fireplace flue to create an efficient fire and reduce the amount of smoke and carbon dioxide in the room.