An outside air kit
provides additional combustion air to the fireplace that feeds the fire with oxygen from outside your home
. This will help the performance on any fireplace installed in tightly-constructed or well-insulated home.
What is outside air control on gas fireplace?
The second handle you may find in your fireplace (usually located on the left inside panel) is a control lever for the outside air kit. 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
.
Why does my fireplace have a vent outside?
Keeping a fire lit takes different factors including air and fuel for burning. The products of combustion include water vapor and carbon monoxide. … An outside air source is a
vent that provides fresh air to feed the fire
.
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.
Do gas fireplaces need outside air?
Gas fireplaces can be vented one of three—technically two—ways: Direct vent technology: A sealed combustion system protects
indoor
air quality by drawing outside air for the fire and expelling 100 percent of combustion exhaust and byproducts outside the home.
Is a damper the same as 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.
What is the vent under my fireplace?
Bottom Air Vent
– The bottom air vent on Old-Style Heatilator Fireplaces are where cool room air is drawn into the fireplace. The air is then routed around the firebox and exits through the top air vent where it returns to the room as heated air.
When should I close my fireplace vents?
A fireplace damper should always be kept open while the fire is burning. Furthermore, keep the damper open until all the embers are done burning. Smoke and dangerous carbon monoxide can enter the house.
Once the ember bed is completely out
, close the damper.
Where is the fresh air intake?
It is an
open duct that goes from an outside vent
that serves as a path for clean fresh air into the home. It often goes to the room where the furnace is or the basement. Newer homes will have several of these due to stricter building codes.
How are fireplaces vented?
Direct Vent Gas Fireplaces – most are
vented to the outdoors horizontally directly through the wall
, but they can also be routed vertically through the roof. … Fireplace Inserts – most are vented vertically through the roof, via the existing chimney.
Is a fresh air intake necessary?
Fresh air intakes
are necessary for any home that has a furnace
. Whether you have a conventional furnace or a high-efficiency option installed, there are downsides to not having a functional, fresh air intake.
Does a gas fireplace dry out the air?
Gas fireplaces make the air dry and create moisture
–that is the answer to the question. Gas fireplaces create moisture in the air, while simultaneously drying the air out. Of course, to fully understand what that means, we’ll have to dive in deeper. Let’s actually start with traditional wood-burning fireplaces.
What does a fresh air intake do?
A filtered fresh air intake system adds
fresh air to a home heating and cooling system
. This improves indoor air quality by diluting polluted or stale indoor air and also pressurizes the home to help keep pollutants out.
Can a gas fireplace be vented downward?
Power Venting technology makes it possible to install a gas fireplace virtually anywhere. A sleek fan-powered accessory with slim venting can zigzag throughout your home—up, down, over or under. … Check with your local hearth professional to determine if your home or fireplace could benefit from Power Venting technology.
Are vent free fireplaces safe?
Are Ventless Gas Fireplaces Safe? Ventless gas fireplaces emit
dangerous and noxious
gasses into the room they are operating. … Ventless fireplaces produce small amounts of nitrous dioxide and carbon monoxide which can be deadly in large doses.
Can you use a fireplace without a damper?
Does My Chimney Have a Fireplace Damper? … 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.
How do you tell if a 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.
How does air flow through a chimney?
Air rises through the
chimney when the pressure in the fireplace exceeds the pressure outside
. When there’s no fire, or the fire is cool, the opposite condition may exist; the pressure outside may be greater than that inside. When that happens, air flows down through the chimney, making it difficult to start a fire.
What is another name for a damper on a fireplace?
The damper, or
flue damper
, is a small device inside of the flue.
How do you use an air intake fireplace?
- Lay kindling twigs over the grate. Stack logs on top in perpendicular layers with air spaces between them.
- Open the vents and light the kindling. Close the glass doors once the kindling is in flames. …
- Open the glass doors once the logs begin to burn. …
- Close the vents once there is a bed of coals under the grate.
What is a fireplace damper?
A chimney damper
prevents conditioned (warmed or cooled) house air from escaping through the flue when
you’re not using the fireplace. You need to open the damper when you start a fire to allow for proper airflow and let the smoke out.
Where is the vent on a fireplace?
Gas fireplaces are typically
vented horizontally through the wall to the outdoors
—direct vent—but they can also be vented vertically through the roof. Wood-burning fireplaces and stoves require vertical venting through the roof. Pellet stoves are often vented horizontally directly through the wall to the outdoors.
How do I know if I have a vented fireplace?
Turn on the fireplace.
If the flames reach above the gas logs and the look like a wood burning fireplace
, then the logs must be vented. If the flames are small, an have a blue cast, the fireplace is vent-free.
Is it bad to leave the flue open?
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.
Is it OK to leave a fire in the fireplace?
Never leave a fire in a fireplace unattended
. Before leaving the house or going to bed, make certain to fully extinguish the fire. Allow ashes to cool completely before disposing of them and note that ashes can take several days to cool completely.
Why do people close off fireplace?
Poor air quality and the health risks
(nausea, irritation, headaches, allergies, fatigue, and other illnesses) are just some of the dangers of having an operable chimney. Blocking it off permanently increases your home safety overall against other issues such as mold, fire, rodents, and more.
Does furnace pull air from outside?
Since
high efficiency furnaces draw air directly from outside
, the furnace itself does not require a fresh air intake in order to replace inside air that otherwise would have been drawn from the room the furnace is located in. … No matter what kind of furnace you have installed, the system will push air out of your home.
What is the difference between direct vent and vented fireplace?
A B-vent
must be vented vertically
and uses fresh air from inside the home to provide oxygen to the fire. A direct vent has a sealed glass front and pulls all of its fresh air from outside the home.
Does fireplace have to be on outside wall?
Fireplaces do not have to be on an outside wall
. Fireplaces are usually installed on outside walls to make ventilation easier. This fact doesn’t mean that you have to install the fireplace on an outside wall. You just have to install the fireplace on a wall where there is a provision for proper ventilation.
Does HVAC take air from outside?
No, air conditioners do not bring in fresh air from the outside
. … What actually happens is that your air conditioner uses a fan to draw air into the unit and disperse it through a structure. This results in recycled air. The air that’s sucked in passes through coils before going into a home.
Does Central heat pull air from outside?
Although part of a split HVAC system is located outdoors,
it doesn’t use outdoor air to heat and cool the home
. Typically, there is a unit that produces cool air and a furnace that produces warm air. … Inside the home is an evaporator coil that is connected to the furnace.
What is outside air?
Outside air means
the air outside buildings and structures
, including, but not limited to, the air under a bridge or in an open air ferry dock.
How often should fresh air intake run?
It’s recommended that you do so
once a day
, for at least five minutes. Fifteen to 20 minutes is preferable. However, when you open them is also important. Keep them open at night or in the early morning, when the weather is cooler.
Can I put a filter on my fresh air intake?
Filters should also be installed in fresh-air intakes
to clean the outside air that is brought into the home. … However, regardless of the MERV rating, a dirty or clogged filter can dramatically reduce air flow, which increases the furnace’s run time, which, in turn, increases wear on the motor and energy consumption.
What is a fresh air return?
A Fresh air return, on the other hand,
brings in replacement air from outside
. That way your air conditioning system not only equalizes the pressure with “cleaner air,” but eliminates infiltration problems; the return air is filtered, conditioned and then distributed throughout the house.
Do pellet stoves need outside air?
Waste air from a pellet
stove must be vented to the outside of a home
using a suitable form of flue, either within a masonry chimney, internally within a home or externally up an outside wall. Pellet stoves do not typically always require a direct vent for fresh air intake.
Can you get carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas fireplace?
Yes, gas fireplaces are one potential cause of carbon monoxide poisoning
. … An improperly maintained or ventilated gas fireplace can create incomplete combustion, creating carbon monoxide, and causing this toxic gas to linger—putting those inside at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
How do you add moisture to the air in a fireplace?
- Set a cast-iron kettle of water on top of the stove. …
- Plug in a humidifier on each level of your home. …
- Stack an armload of green wood a safe distance from the wood stove. …
- Weatherize your home.
Does a gas fireplace reduce humidity?
So when an atmospheric combustion furnace inside your house is running, it causes dry outdoor air to come in, and that
lowers your humidity
. … The air gets heated so the relative humidity drops, but the air isn’t any drier in terms of absolute humidity.
