Unless youhave a vent-free fireplace, the first stepyou should take before lighting afire in a wood-burning fireplace or gas fireplace is to open thedamper. If youstart a fire when the damper isclosed, you’ll realize the mistake quickly whentheroom fills up with smoke. Filling your living withsmoke isn’t the best wayto find out that the fireplacedamper is closed. We’ve got a few tips to helpyoufind out if your damper needs to be opened and howto do it.
The damperis a vent that controls airflow in and outof the chimney. When you aren’tusing yourfireplace, it should be closed to prevent heated andcooled air inyour home from escaping. A closeddamper also stops cold drafts from comingdown thechimney. When you are using your fireplace, itneeds to be open sothat smoke can vent outside. Italso allows fresh air to come in to feed thefire.
How to Know if the Damper is Open
There are 3ways to tell whether or not the damperis open without lighting a fire.
• Feelfor a Draft
Before lighting a fire, you cantell if thedamper is open by placing your hand into thefireplace. If you feela draft coming down thechimney, it is a good indicator that thedamper isopen. If you don’t feel any cold aircoming down the chimney, it means that thedamper is closed.
• VisuallyCheck
Another way to find out if thedamper is openis to do a visual check. If your chimney has atraditionaldamper, all you need to do is shinea flashlight up the chimney. If you can seethesky, it is open. If you see closed metal orceramic slats, you know itneeds to beopened.
If you have a top-mounted damper,you mightnot be able to see whether or not it is open bylooking up thechimney. If you go outside witha pair of binoculars and look up at thechimney, you should be able to see littlepieces of metal or ceramic stickingup if thedamper is open.
• Lookat the Controls
The best way to tell whether or notthedamper is open is to check the controls. Howyour damper is controlled dependson thetype of damper your chimney has. If yourchimney has a traditionalthroat damper, itwill either be controlled by a metal rod or aknob (alsocalled a rotary style). If yourchimney has a top-mounted damper, it will becontrolled by a metal chain.
How toCheck the Controls & Open aDamper
Do you see a knob near thefireplace or ametal rod inside the firebox? If you see one ofthese, you havea traditional throat damper. Ifthe knob is turned counterclockwise all thewayor the rod hangs down low, it means thedamper is closed. You should turn theknobclockwise, as far as it can go, or push the rodall the way up to open thedamper.
If there is a metal chain in orbesides yourfireplace, it means that your chimney has atop-mounted damper. Ifthe chain is tightlyattached to a hook, the damper is closed. Toopen it, takethe chain off the hook and let itgo. You should feel the chain spring up asthe damper opens.
After you’ve opened the damper, youshouldfeel air coming down the chimney. If youdon’t feel any air coming downthe chimneyor if you’ve opened the damper but yourfireplace is still smoking,you should contacta chimney specialist. The damper could bewarped or broken.You shouldn’t use yourfireplace until the problem is solved toprevent therisk of carbon monoxidepoisoning.
If you’re having a problem withyour fireplacedamper, give us a call!
