How to Adjust Wood Stove Vents. 5. During the part of the year you are using your wood-burning fireplace, open the damper before you light the fire. The damper is a door of sorts, that when closed, separates the firebox from the chimney. My flue method: exhaust damper fully open when starting a fire and until I have a decent bed of coals, then fully closed. Open or Closed? We have a wood-burning fireplace but never use it due to the hassle(s) that come along with it. Disconnected or loose wood stove damper linkage. Shut the damper when the fire is completely, absolutely out. ... is the one time to partially close the damper to limit airflow through the stove. You can open or close the damper using the controls in your fireplace. It allows this heat to dissipate into the area being heated by the woodstove. A traditional wood stove usually has a throat damper at the base of the chimney flue. For this reason a yearly chimney sweep and inspection is necessary. If a damper is not opened when a fire is built, smoke will back up quickly and fill the room. Feed more dry wood kindling before closing down the stove. Open the fireplace damper all the way when starting a fire. If you light a fire, smoke will flow out of the fireplace into the room, if the damper is closed. Try to find the damper handle. When starting a fire, this needs to be fully open for the best air flow. You lift the handle, push open the damper, and prop the damper open by setting the handle into a groove. In other words, closing the damper too early can smolder your fire. These are the parts that control the air flow up the pipe. A damper on a wood stove is either mounted in the chimney or in the stove itself, and it is used to block off the air flow going out. Edward Bulmer, a Herefordshire-based interior designer with his own range of paints, is currently replacing an old boiler in the office and replacing it with a wood-burning stove. 3. If the damper for a wood stove fails to open when starting a fire in our firebox, getting our stove going will be difficult (not to mention a smokey mess). The single most important piece of advice on burning wood on a wood burning stove is to ensure that the wood is well seasoned, with a moisture content of below 30%. Let the fire burn for a few minutes then adjust the damper so that it is partially closed (about half way) to see how it affects the fire. For a damper at the top of the chimney, you’ll have a chain that controls the device. If you can pull on the chain before it jumps back up, the damper is open. Guaranteed! Open it whenever I add wood so I don't get smoke in the house. You can check the manufacturer provided a guide to check where the damper is located and how to find out if it is closed or open. 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. So I now will have confidence to let my wife put wood in the stove and crank the timer to let it fire for awhile if she gets cold. The flow of air through the stove regulates heat. (If the damper handle is not stuck, but you just aren’t sure how to open or close the damper, click here for directions.) When the by-pass damper is open, smoke and gasses by-pass the normal exit route (hence the name) moving directly out of the stove into the stovepipe and chimney. 6. If necessary to keep the fire burning well and smoke-free, you may adjust the damper into a semi-open position. Wood Stove Efficiency: Using a high-efficiency stove, using dry wood, keeping the fire hot, and not starving the fire. Use a pair of pliers or an oven mitt if it’s hot to the touch to change the position. Some dampers have adjustable devices such as snap-locks that hold the damper in the closed or open position to help prevent accidental movement of the damper, or tabs on the back of the damper blade that engage the damper linkage. Shut the flu down tight. He wants both hot air blowers on at all times. I closed the air intake and the barometric damper shut itself as soon as the fire died down just a bit. To be able to tell if your damper is in a closed or open position, you need to find the damper controls. The wood stove damper is a critical piece to consider and is often a point of failure. The open damper also lets the smoke go up and out the chimney. The damper retains heat that escapes up the chimney or flue. Closing the damper restricts the airflow, releasing exhaust smoke and heat. To use a wood stove, start by opening the damper valve underneath the grate so that the fire gets enough oxygen. A pivot damper operates on a long, jointed handle. A flashlight should illuminate a throat damper well enough to see if it’s open or closed. Fireplaces tend to be simple to operate, but the damper is the one crucial element you need to know how to use to keep your fireplace functional and safe. Put on goggles and a dust mask. Wood stove exhaust damper/flue use, am I doing it right? The chimney draft is weak due to too many restrictions; chimney height below the minimum; draft is diluted due to poor gasket connection(s); loose clean out door. 1. Nevertheless, you can tell whether your damper is open or closed based on the position of the controls. The wood-burning fireplace has a damper right above the firebox that can be opened/closed with a metal lever and another damper at the top of the chimney with a long cable that you pull and latch to close it. Knowing how to tell if the flue is open in your wood stove or fireplace can help retain the heat needed in your home. That means ashes are cool to the touch even when stirred. 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