Asked by: Tegaday Wolfshaut
home and garden indoor environmental quality

What is a flue damper for?

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A fireplace flue damper enables you to control how much air flows up your home's chimney when the fireplace is in use. Adjusting the damper allows you to burn a fire efficiently and safely. It also prevents heat from escaping up the chimney when the fireplace is not in use.


Also asked, what is the purpose of a flue damper?

A flue damper is a cast iron or steel plate on a spindle fitted inside a flue system (usually in the first length of vitreous enamel flue pipe) which can be rotated by a small handle outside the flue pipe to reduce the adverse affects of a strong flue up-draught or 'pull'.

Also, is a flue damper necessary? Modern stoves usually do not need a damper. the air flow through the stove.It will also slow down the heat loss out of the flue. If closed down too much it will build creosote in the stack.

is a damper the same as a flue?

Every Fireplace has a chimney damper. This is a movable plate that sits above the fireplace before the flue. If you pull the lever toward you, generally that will open most of the dampers. The flue, also known as the chimney lining, is basically a pipe up the middle of the chimney.

Where is the flue damper?

The damper, or flue damper, is a small device inside of the flue. It serves a few purposes, including regulation of air flow and protection against rain and pests.

Related Question Answers

Colton Vaquerizo

Professional

Should fireplace damper be open all the way?

The damper should always be fully open before lighting a fire and when the fireplace is in use. Close it when it's not it use. The damper should be kept open until all embers are finished burning to prevent smoke from escaping into the home. When the fireplace is not in use, the damper should always be closed.

Tarra Otañu

Professional

Which way is the flue open?

You should turn the knob clockwise, as far as it can go, or push the rod all the way up to open the damper. If there is a metal chain in or besides your fireplace, it means that your chimney has a top-mounted damper.

Porfidio Mendthal

Professional

How do I know if my damper is open?

Perform a visual check.
Using a flashlight, poke your head inside the fireplace to look up into the chimney. If you have a throat damper, you can tell if it is closed if you see a barrier above your head. If you can see up into the flue, the damper is open.

Gulnara Stohwasser

Explainer

How does a flue damper work?

A damper is essentially a plate inside the wood stove's flue. When the damper is closed, it seals off the flue, or chimney. When it's completely open, airflow through the flue is unrestricted. Adjusting the damper controls the amount of air that passes through the firebox.

Diosinda Scotti

Explainer

When should you close a flue?

Close Fireplace Damper When Fire Is Completely Out.
If necessary to keep the fire burning well and smoke-free, you may adjust the damper into a semi-open position. Shut the damper when the fire is completely, absolutely out. That means ashes are cool to the touch even when stirred.

Gonzalina Venneri

Explainer

How do I stop my chimney from heating up?

Here are some ways to help you save energy and reduce heat loss:
  1. Flue Sealer. A flue sealer is a removable plug that stops air from escaping up the chimney.
  2. Doors and Covers. Doors and covers are another way to physically block the flow of air up your chimney.
  3. Proper Maintenance.

Dirce Caraballo

Pundit

How do you keep a wood stove burning all night?

How to Make Wood Stove Burn All Night
  1. Allow the heater to build a bed of coals during the late afternoon and evening hours.
  2. Add one or two large pieces of wood.
  3. Close off the damper, located either on the stove or in the stovepipe, to cut down the amount of oxygen available to the burning wood.

Wenyan Gottwald

Pundit

Should damper be open or closed in summer?

The importance of closing your damper in the summer
An open damper can seriously impact the air temperature within your home. During the summer, an open damper forces your air conditioner to work harder to compensate for the constantly incoming warm air; this, in turn, costs you more money through higher utility bills.

Joanes Emcke

Pundit

What does closing the flue do?

Close the damper when the fire is extinguished. This will prevent the heated air from escaping through the chimney and will keep water and other debris out of the flue.

Malika Utrilla

Pundit

Is it safe to leave a wood stove burning overnight?

First of all, and most importantly, you need to make sure that leaving your stove on overnight is safe and does not pose a fire risk. A Wood Burner is far harder to keep going all night as wood burns quicker than Coal. Allow enough air to enter the stove until the smoke stops and the fire is up to temperature.

Rukhsana Rotmann

Pundit

Can you go to bed with a fire in the fireplace?

You should not leave embers in the fireplace while you sleep. Don't build a fire too late at night, and stop adding wood to the fire at least 2 to 3 hours before bed.

Prudencio Gorbea

Teacher

How do I get more heat from my fireplace?

Here are three simple steps to help you do it right:
  1. To begin, start a small fire with dry kindling then add a few pieces of wood.
  2. Burn the fire to heat the chimney or flue before adding more wood.
  3. Keep space between the firewood as you add more, and maintain a bright, hot fire – don't let it smolder.

Grigory Uppendahl

Teacher

When should you close the fireplace doors?

Glass doors should be fully open when starting a fire and when the fire is burning strongly. The glass doors should be closed as the fire dies down to minimize the amount of room air going up the fireplace chimney. When burning gas logs in a wood burning fireplace, the glass doors should always be fully open.

Abran Sorg

Teacher

How does a flue work?

The flue is the metal duct work, ceramic piping or brick chimney stack that runs from a firebox to the top of a chimney to the outdoors. This has the effect of drawing the exhaust gases and ash, which are lighter weight than the cold outdoor air, up through the flue and venting them outside.

Noureddine Mayandia

Reviewer

How do you open the damper on a wood burning stove?

Orient yourself with the damper handle on the outside of your flue pipe or the exterior of your stove. Some handles push in and pull out, others turn clockwise or counter-clockwise, and some slide from side to side. Determine which position is open and which closes the damper for your particular stove.

Amaro Losse

Reviewer

Do I need a damper for my wood stove?

A flue damper may (on an older stove) give you some more control over burn rate, but it won't help your smoke smell. Dampers don't seal completely. Check to see if you have negative pressure in the house. Open a window very slightly and see if you get a noticeable inrush of air.

Madelein Ussia

Reviewer

Can I use my fireplace without a damper?

There is usually a damper built right into the insert. Occasionally there is a throat butterfly damper as well but that is mostly with free standing stoves not inserts. So lets assume when you remove your insert you will have no damper. The Good News: You can put a Chimney Balloon in the flue without a damper.

Atmane Salvini

Supporter

Do I need a flue for a wood burning stove?

Luckily for those living in modern homes, you do not need a chimney to install a wood burning stove. However, it may require more work to fit one than in an existing chimney. This is because you will need to fit a twin wall flue system through the roof or wall of your building.

Nala Twirdy

Supporter

What is the difference between a coal stove and a wood stove?

The major difference between the two is the addition of a 'shaker grate' in the bottom of the stove along with a clean out door underneath it. Wood does not care where it gets it's air from. It will burn with a draft from the top of the fire. We get about 80% of our winter heat from a small coal stove in the basement.

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EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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4th May, 2020

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