Table of Contents
An outside air source is a vent that provides fresh air to feed the fire.
Why is there a vent on the side of my fireplace?
Compared to chimneys, this type of venting eliminates drafts and cold spots, maintains indoor air quality, improves efficiency, and distributes heat evenly throughout the room.
What are the holes on the side of my fireplace?
1 Answer. They are fresh air supplies for the firebox. Houses built in recent times are have less air infiltration to supply air for combustion in fireplaces, so the fireplaces have had to have air “piped in” to allow for proper burning.
Should lever on side of fireplace be up or down?
When burning your fireplace, the outside air kit lever should always be in the open (or up) position. The outside air kit is designed to provide additional air for combustion.
How do you use fireplace vents?
Related Articles Prepare your fire in the fireplace by placing two dry, seasoned logs onto the grate. Open the fireplace vent at the top of the firebox. Close all your windows and doors. Light the paper under the grate, using a fireplace match. Let the flames die and the coals cool completely before closing the vent.
What are the vents above and below my fireplace?
Smoke Chamber – The area above the fireplace and below the flue, used to allow smoke to mix and rise into the flue. Top Air Vent – The top air vent on an Old Style Heatilator Fireplace returns heated air into the room. The cool air enters a vent at the bottom of the Heatilator.
How do I know if my fireplace vent is open?
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.
Can a gas fireplace vent sideways?
Most direct vent gas fireplaces are vented to the outdoors horizontally (through the wall), but they can also be routed vertically (through the roof). Direct vent gas fireplaces, stoves and inserts produce highly efficient heat in a broad range of sizes and can be installed almost anywhere in the home.
Does a fireplace need a fresh air vent?
Fresh Air Vent Needed for Fireplaces A fireplace consumes vast amounts of air each minute as the fuel burns. It can easily be 250 to 350 cubic feet of air per minute. The fresh air vent in the hearth may be blocked or it may not be able to supply enough air to satisfy the appetite of the fire.
Can I cover the vents on my fireplace?
Fans can be disconnected or removed, of course, but the vents are not intended to be covered or plugged.
How do I control the airflow in my fireplace?
Close the front damper slowly and observe the smoke escaping from the chimney. When the smoke becomes darker or more noticeable, open the damper slightly until it clears again. On modern stoves with two front dampers, make the initial adjustments to the lower damper only to control airflow to the fuel supply.
What does the knob on my fireplace do?
If your fireplace has a knob, you’ll twist the knob to open the damper. This type lets you adjust how far open the damper is. Damper controls are usually located near the top of the firebox. Test out the damper when the fireplace is not in use to get a feel for how it works.
Should fireplace vent be open or closed?
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. Operating the fireplace with the damper partially closed will not generate more heat. Instead, blocking the passage through the flue will result in smoke entering the home.
What do the vents on a wood burner do?
Vents allow you to control the supply of oxygen reaching the fire within your stove, and by extension, allow you to control how fiercely (or not) the fire burns.
Is a wood burning fireplace vented?
Venting is an important component of all stoves. For instance, wood-burning stoves will always be vented through the roof of your house, but pellet-burning stoves can be vented vertically through the roof, or horizontally through the wall to the outdoors.
What is the opening in the bottom of my fireplace?
An ash pit is a hole in your firebox in which old ashes can be placed. Its convenient location allows you to sweep in any ashes and embers, then seal them in by closing a small door. Ash pits are designed to withstand the heat from your fireplace while being easily accessible for the homeowner.
What is the flap on the bottom of my fireplace?
The ash pit is built at the fireplace base so that old ashes are swept or scraped into the ash pit and a fresh fire can be built in a clean fireplace. Depending on its size, the ash pit may hold a season’s ashes so that it does not need emptying in inclement weather.
What is the vent at the bottom of my gas fireplace for?
With a direct-vent gas fireplace, the fireplace has two vents that feed directly through a wall or roof to the outside. One vent pulls in outside air to fuel the fireplace’s combustion, while the other vent exhausts the fumes and byproducts of the fireplace.
