Open Fireplace Chimney Damper

The damper should always be fully open before lighting a fire and when the fireplace is in use.

Open fireplace chimney damper.

Chimney top and throat. Close it when it s not it use. If you start a fire when the damper is closed you ll realize the mistake quickly when the room fills up with smoke. The damper is an important part of your wood fireplace chimney.

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. Always make sure the damper is fully open before lighting a fire in the fireplace. Chimney top dampers sit at the top of the chimney with a chain and lever to open and close it. The damper must be open before a fire is started or smoke will come into the house rather than up the chimney.

Conversely outside air can enter through the flue into the firebox. Opening the damper is straightforward. 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. Closing the damper is more.

How to open your chimney damper. If you have a top mounted damper that s located at the top of the chimney you re likely to have a chain that hangs down into the fireplace which can be used to open and close the damper. Throat dampers sit lower in the flue just above the firebox. How to use a fireplace damper.

The chimney houses the flue which is just the airway in which the smoke rises from the fireplace and exits through the roof. 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. They usually feature mesh guards to keep critters out of your flue and a leak proof gasket to keep moisture at bay. Many people wonder about how to properly use a chimney damper.

The damper is a steel or cast iron door that opens and closes the throat of the firebox into the flue. Diving even deeper down the rabbit hole the all important damper is located inside the flue. Operating the fireplace with the damper partially closed will not. Fireplace dampers come in two main types.

Unlike traditional throat dampers a chimney top damper is installed at the top of the chimney allowing it to close and seal properly.