Where is the damper on my gas fireplace?
A damper commonly sits within the throat (bottom) of a chimney and can be manually open or closed using a lever. A damper may also be found the top of a chimney and be controlled using a handle that drops down into the fireplace firebox.
Does my gas fireplace have a damper?
Whether your fireplace is gas or wood-burning, if it was built with a pre-fabricated insert, then it almost certainly has a damper. And while older wood-burning fireplaces can function safely without a damper (gas fireplaces cannot), a chimney without a damper is just a gaping hole in the roof of your house.
Should the damper be open or closed on a gas fireplace?
wood or gas . . . . always fully open the damper. If you’re burning wood, keep it fully open until all the burning embers are completely burned out. If it’s a gas log set, turn off the flames before the closing the damper as far as possible.
How do I know if my damper is open or closed?
Before lighting a fire, you can tell if the damper is open by placing your hand into the fireplace. If you feel a draft coming down the chimney, it is a good indicator that the damper is open. If you don’t feel any cold air coming down the chimney, it means that the damper is closed.
How do I know if my fireplace has a damper?
A visual check is one of the surest ways of checking whether the damper is open or not. Simply stick your head in the fireplace and look up. If you have a throat damper, the closed damper immediately above your head will block your vision. You should be able to reach up and touch the closed damper.
Does a gas fireplace need a damper clamp?
A closed damper keeps cold air out of your cozy home. However, in a gas fireplace, that damper has to stay open. Damper clamps keep the chimney’s damper from closing, allowing dangerous gases to escape the firebox in the case of a gas leak. This piece is imperative to home safety.
How do I know if my gas fireplace flue is open or closed?
Feel the Breeze Feeling the breeze is another method you can use to know whether you have an open or closed flue. Locate your hand inside the fireplace and wait to notice if you can feel the air flowing. When the flue is open, air will flow down the chimney.
What happens if you don’t open flue on gas fireplace?
Our research shows that the flue on a gas fireplace should remain open during use or when the pilot light is lit. If the flue is closed in either instance, you risk a greater chance of carbon monoxide poisoning or a spark induced structure fire due to a buildup of toxins emitted by propane or natural gas burners.
Is it safe to close the flue on a gas fireplace?
The hazard is carbon-monoxide poisoning. A smoldering fire, even though it might not be visible through a layer of ashes, still produces combustion gases. Those gases contain carbon monoxide. Therefore, while it’s great to save energy by closing off the damper inside a fireplace, be sure to do so in a safe manner.
Do I need to open my flue on a gas fireplace?
“Fully Vented” gas logs must be burned in a fireplace that is capable of burning real wood and must be burned with the damper open. The reason for this is that they do not burn the gas cleanly and create exhaust that is very similar to burning a real wood fire. This exhaust needs to be able to go up the chimney.
How do you tell if the flue is open on a gas fireplace?