What are the handles (controls) on the front of my wood burning fireplace used for?

  • There are two sets of controls on an Acucraft wood burning fireplace: your combustion air intake (fresh air coming in) and your flue damper (exhaust air going out).
  • The handle on the left-hand side is for your combustion air intake; think of this as a gas pedal in a car but is used for controlling the intensity of your fire.
  • The handle on the right-hand side is for your flue damper; this control is used primarily to slow down the chimney draft.
  • You can adjust both controls from fully open to fully closed. However, your combustion air intake (left-hand side) and your flue damper (right-hand side) should only be fully closed the fire is completely out. Fully closing your flue damper while having a fire can result in smoke spillage into your living space.