How to Close and Open a Fireplace Damper

Knowing how to close and open a fireplace damper will help you control your fire and prevent smoke from entering your home. Learning how to close your damper is particularly important because an open damper can cause you to lose heat when your fireplace is not in use. Although your damper probably isn't airtight, keeping the damper closed when not in use will make a noticeable, positive difference in your heating costs.

Before attempting to locate your damper, be sure that your fireplace is completely cool. The damper handle is metal, which will heat quickly and cause serious burns if a fire is burning. If you must open or close your damper while a fire is burning, be sure to use an oven mitt to protect your hand from burns.

Step 1: Look for your chimney damper. In most cases, the damper handle is located slightly right or left from the center top of the fireplace insert. Many look like a small, looped metal handle that is nearly hidden by the fireplace handle.

TIP: If your damper handle is a metal loop, you can use a poker to open and close the fireplace when the damper handle is hot.

Step 2: Use a flashlight to look at the inside top of your fireplace damper. You should be able to tell if the damper is closed or open.

Step 3: Grasp the handle of the damper and pull it right to left or left to right depending on the damper's initial position. If you are still looking at the chimney damper,you should see the damper move.

Step 4: Note the handle's position when the chimney damper is completely closed or completely open. In most cases, when the damper handle is pulled completely to the left it is completely closed. Likewise, when the damper handle is positioned to the right of center it is completely open.

TIP: When a fire is burning, the chimney damper should be open. If you feel that you are losing too much heat into the chimney, you can carefully close the damper until you reach a balance that allows smoke to escape, but retains most of the heat.