What are the levers on my fireplace?
What are the levers on my fireplace?
One lever opens and closes the damper, allowing the smoke to come up through the flue of the chimney, while a second lever opens and closes the air vents, allowing fresh combustion air to enter and fuel the fire.
What is the knob on the bottom of my fireplace?
The lower knob is logically air intake. It might be from inside the house, or if the insert is externally vented (best) then the air for the fire comes from outside. In either case, shutting that down will dampen the fire, but it will do so gradually as the oxygen in the cavity is depleted.
How do I know if my fireplace flue is open or closed?
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.
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.
When should I close the damper on my fireplace?
Close Fireplace Damper When Fire Is Completely Out. Shut the damper when the fire is completely, absolutely out. That means ashes are cool to the touch even when stirred. If you close the damper before that, you risk carbon monoxide poisoning.
What’s the difference between a damper and a flue?
The flue is simply the open middle of the chimney that the smoke goes up. Dampers are sometimes miss-called flues or flutes, but they are something entirely different than the flue. A damper is intended to shut off- either fully or partially- the chimney flue.
Is it OK to close glass doors on fireplace?
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.
Do you need a damper for a wood fireplace?
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. It’s a gateway for frigid air to enter and for heated air to escape in the winter.
Is it OK to leave the flue open overnight?
The smoke from burning wood contains carbon monoxide, so in order to prevent this toxic byproduct from entering your home, it is important to leave the flue open overnight. This enables a draft to carry the compound out into the atmosphere, instead of sinking down the chimney and saturating the room.
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.
Do you need a grate in a fireplace?
A fireplace grate will protect your chimney floor by keeping that intense heat off of it. Keeps Fuel In Place: Those who have experience lighting fires know what happens when the bottom logs burn up – the entire stack shifts. Stay out of harm’s way by investing in a fireplace grate today.
Can a fireplace heat the whole house?
An open masonry or steel fireplace (gas or wood) will not be able to heat your home. Actually, these open fireplaces will cool down your home in the winter, taking your warm home air up the chimney. They may radiate heat in front of the fireplace, but they will not be able to heat an entire home.
Why does my fireplace grate melt?
What Causes Fireplace Grate Melt Down? Heat will oxidize (rust) any metal made with iron. That includes cast iron and steel. Over time, heating your grate again and again will cause the rusting process to thin the metal to the point that it bends or even severs.
Do fireplaces make house colder?
The standard fireplace is among the most inefficient heating devices you can operate. In fact, it can be so inefficient that in some cases it actually makes your house colder. And although many modern fireplaces use renewable fuel, they’re not considered completely “green,” because they can add to air pollution.
How do I get the heat out of my fireplace?
5 Tips to Getting More Warmth Out of Your Fireplace
- Do a damper check. If you think about it logically, the chimney allows airflow so that smoke can escape when you light a fire, but when not in use, you’re letting the warm air from your home out.
- Caulk it.
- Keep heat in.
- Install a heat exchanger.
- Seal it.
Is it safe to mount a TV over a fireplace?
It’s not advisable to mount a TV above a fireplace because excess heat and electronics don’t mix. The area above the fireplace is often warmer than other wall surfaces in your home. The farther the fireplace mantle extends into the room, the more it will deflect heat from the above wall (and TV mounted there).
How do I circulate the heat in my fireplace?
If You Have a Fireplace or Wood-Burning or Pellet-Burning Furnace… First, if you also have forced air, turn the fan on to help circulate heat. Make sure your ceiling fans rotate clockwise so they pull cool air up off the floor and push warm air down. And also keep them running at their lowest speed.
Do fireplace blowers really work?
No, a blower does not affect the efficiency, burn times or heat output of a wood stove. Instead, it pushes air around the stove’s exterior, heating it and releasing it back into the room. Blowers/fans are always mounted on the outside of stoves and will not push air into the firebox.
Where does the warm air go when you have a fire lit in a fireplace?
The effect continues even when the fire isn’t burning — warm air rises through the chimney, and colder air replaces it. If the damper is in good condition, you can keep warm air in the room when the fire isn’t burning by closing it. If the damper is worn and doesn’t seal properly, use an inflatable chimney plug.
Can you put a fan in front of a fireplace?
It is not recommended that they be placed directly on top of a fireplace without some sort of buffer. Most fans, like box fans or tower fans, also have multiple energy-efficient speed settings. Save the highest speed for a hot summer’s day; your fan does not have to be on high to be effective at spreading heat.
Can you use a fan to move hot air?
Fans can be used to encourage air circulation and move the warm air down from the ceiling to your level. Using fans to circulate heat allows you to lower the thermostat and save on energy bills.
What are fireplace inserts used for?
A fireplace insert is like a wood stove that has been modified by its manufacturer to fit within the firebox of a masonry fireplace. Inserts are used to convert masonry fireplaces, which are inefficient and polluting, into effective heating systems.
What is a fireplace fan blower?
A fireplace fan blower uses a space behind the fireplace to heat up air before it’s blown out into the room. This conductive heat transfer uses new air pulled in through vents, not air from your fire. This means the draft of your fireplace unit is not affected at all.
Does a ventless fireplace need a blower?
Your fireplace or stove, whether it’s wood or gas, can be operated with or without a fan. Without a fan, you will get the radiant heat from the glass and the front of your fireplace. Without a fan, you will get radiant heat from the front, both sides, the top and even the back of your stove.
Is a fireplace a good investment?
You may want a fireplace just for the romance of it, but it’s also a good investment. According to a study supported by the National Association of Realtors, a fireplace adds 12 percent to the selling price of a home.
Does a fireplace add value to a house?
A homeowner can often recover over 100 percent of the expenses associated with adding a fireplace upon selling their home. According to the National Association of Real Estate Appraisers, adding a fireplace to home can increase the resale value of the home by as much as 6-12 percent.
Which is better gas or wood burning fireplace?
Most Efficient Fireplace Types: Gas vs. Wood-Burning Fireplace. In the battle for most efficient fireplace, gas fireplace efficiency is always going to win over wood fireplace efficiency. That’s because gas fireplaces burn more cleanly and produce fewer polluting emissions.
Does removing a fireplace decrease home value?
But losing a fireplace can affect a home’s appeal and possibly even its resale value, real estate pros say. A fireplace can particularly be viewed as a valuable amenity in colder climates, and removing one could even reduce the number of buyers drawn to a property, some agents say.