How do you control the heat on a wood burning stove?

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.

How do the vents work on a wood burning stove?

The vents let you adjust how quickly your fuel burns by controlling the air supply to the stove. On the top of the stove you'll see a pipe coming out of the wood burner. This is the flue, which is a duct that carries away all the waste gases and smoke and directs it to be released outside via the chimney.

What does the top damper do on a wood stove?

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.

Should I close the damper on my 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. According to Northeastern Chimney, this also creates a downdraft.

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Should the damper be open all the way?

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. An open damper is like an open window, allowing large amounts of heat from the home to escape.

What do the two levers on my fireplace do?

in your home are turned off when burning your fire. Also, some wood burning fireplaces have a lever to open or close the outside air vent to the fireplace. If your fireplace has this lever (usually located on the left inside panel) make sure the outside air vent is in the open (or up) position.

What is the knob on the side of my fireplace?

A fireplace damper is a metal plate or cap that sits inside or on top of your flue. It blocks off the airflow when it's closed and lets air through when it's open. Air can flow both ways, so outside air can come into your home and the heated air from your home can escape through an open damper.

How do you keep a wood stove burning all night?

Why does my wood stove have two dampers?

Open both front dampers completely before starting a fire. Modern, efficient wood stoves have dampers below the firebox, or combustion chamber, to supply air directly to the fuel source as well as an additional damper on the door to supply air to allow combustion of gasses released by the burning wood.

How do I know if the 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 my fireplace vents?

You should close the damper on your fireplace once the fire and embers have all burned out. This prevents warm air in your house from escaping out the chimney. You should open the damper before lighting a fire and close it once the fire is done burning.

Can you leave door open on wood burning stove?

Wood burning stoves are not designed to be used with the door open. You can use a wood burning stove with the door open but doing so will lose the control of the air flow into the stove, making it operate less efficiently and sending more heat up the chimney rather than out into the room.

What are the knobs for on front of wood stove?

Damper vents work just like large bolts with flat heads that close over the holes when you turn the knob. If the stove only has one vent, the knob will be centered on the door; if it has two, they will be side by side. Turn the knobs clockwise to reduce the airflow, or turn it counterclockwise to increase airflow.

What is the switch on my wood fireplace?

When no wall switch has been installed for the blower, a thermostat switch makes it possible to control the blower's on and off operation automatically.

What is the lever on the bottom of my wood stove?

This vent can be opened by pulling the handle away from the stove, while pushing the handle towards the stove closes the vent. What is this? Opening this vent increases the air supply to the fire and therefore increases how fast the fire burns through the wood and the total heat output.

Should damper be open or closed in summer?

Even if you have a chimney cap, it is a good idea to keep the damper closed in the summer. Chimney caps can become damaged creating a pathway for rainwater or pests to get into your chimney. Closing the damper will ensure that they can't get into your home through the fireplace.

What's the difference between a damper and a flue?

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.

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.

Should flue be open or closed?

Even if your pilot light is not lit, there is the danger that someone might forget to open the damper when using the gas fireplace. Gas fireplaces emit a copious amount of carbon monoxide, so they must always have an open vent.

What happens if damper is closed?

A closed throat damper will cause smoke to fill your house immediately when you start a fire. If you have a chimney with a closed top-mount damper It might take a few minutes for smoke to start filling the house, but you will eventually notice that there isn't enough airflow.

How do I keep my fireplace going all night?

Is it OK to leave fireplace burning overnight?

You should never leave a fireplace burning overnight, regardless of the source. Before you go to sleep, be sure to put out the fire and let the materials cool down. Unattended fire is a hazard, and even the slightest gust of wind can reignite it or blow embers to a nearby flammable material.