How To Tell If The Flue Damper Is Open On Your Wood Heater
Wood heaters provide natural and comforting heat but when the flue is blocked by the damper, the smoke and harmful gasses from the fire cannot be drawn through to the outside world and instead may fill your house. Here's how to check if the damper is open: Light a small fire and check the draw Lighting a small fire eliminates the chance of a lot of smoke filling the room and is the easiest way to check the damper. If the flue is not blocked, the smoke will be drawn up into the chimney. If the damper is closed, the smoke may come out of the wood heater and fill the room. Check flue and damper Actively look up into the chimney with a flashlight or phone torch. If you can see the sky coming through, the damper is open. Sometimes a chimney has a cap, so you might have to view it from the outside rather than inside the wood heater. If you cannot see the sky and your chimney doesn't have a cap, either the damper is closed or something is clogging the chimney (oftentimes this is leav...