How do I know if my wood stove damper is open or closed?
Conduct a visual check. Lean in under your chimney just outside of your wood burning stove. You should find a metal device just within the chimney or flue opening. The damper is open if you can see through the damper up to your chimney. If you only see a metal plate, the damper is in a closed position.
What vents should be open on a wood burner?
Most wood burning stoves and multi-fuel stoves have a bottom air vent and a top air vent. Wood burns best with a good bed of ash laid down in the bottom of the stove and an air supply from the top. When lighting your stove, open both air vents fully.
Where do I put the damper on stove pipe?
A damper is usually located approximately 12 to 18 inches from the stove, prior to the spot where the pipe exits into a chimney, if present. The damper retains heat that escapes up the chimney or flue. It allows this heat to dissipate into the area being heated by the woodstove.
When should I close the damper on my wood stove?
If you’re burning wood in your stove, you should make sure that the damper is open. If you close the stove’s damper when you have a fire burning you could be putting yourself at risk, not only of fire hazards but also of carbon monoxide poisoning. When you have extinguished the fire, you can close the stove’s damper.
Is a damper and flue the same thing?
A damper is located in the flue of your chimney. The flue is where the smoke escapes when the fire is going. Dampers are placed inside of the flue to help control ventilation. Your damper should have a chain or handle that you can access in order to open and close it.
How do you use a wood stove with two dampers?
How to Use a Wood Stove Damper
- Orient yourself with the damper handle on the outside of your flue pipe or the exterior of your stove.
- Open the damper all the way, if you are lighting a fire.
- Close the damper about two-thirds of the way as the fire begins to catch and coals start to form.
Should I close damper wood stove?
You don’t want to leave your wood stove damper fully open, though, because then the heated air will continue to escape, and your room won’t get warm. By closing the damper, it will reduce the oxygen levels in the chimney, and you’ll have a longer fire.
Should I put a damper in my stove pipe?
Modern stoves are unlikely to need a damper in order to improve performance of a stove. Older models of stove may already have a damper installed within the stove pipe, or may require a damper installed if the efficiency of the stove has reduced over time.
How do I know if my damper is open?
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.