Why Air Shutters Are An Important Part of A Gas Burning Fireplace

Gas fireplaces are more complicated than many people realize. The tricky part isn't understanding the basics of how they work, but understanding the intricate details of all the parts that make them run efficiently.

One of those needed but often misunderstood parts is the air shutter. You might wonder, why do I need an air shutter? Will this actually make a difference in the efficiency of my gas fireplace? Because we want to be a resource you can rely on for all your fireplace related needs, we decided to write this article to answer both of those questions.

An air shutter is a metal collar that regulates how much oxygen is mixed with the gas flowing to your burner. It is a very needed tool because fireplaces rely on air for combustion to operate. The amount of air and fuel that needs to be mixed for operation is determined by the manufacturer before shipping.

With vent free fireplaces, stoves and log sets, the air shutter will come installed in a fixed position to ensure the right ratios of gas and oxygen are achieved. So, it is in the customers' best interest to not adjust the air shutter so the fireplace will work at maximum capacity and safely.

air shutter

Though, if you have a vented fireplace, you may need to adjust the setting of the air shutter. Direct vent systems can include horizontal runs of various lengths. These venting systems often include elbows to change the direction of the vent pipe. So, the air shutter may need to be adjusted to work with added restrictions.