These mechanisms are great for maintaining healthy air quality, unlike traditional fireplaces which are a headache for bad air quality due to a fireplace.
But with the help of modern technology, we have such an air intake lever whose role is to take air from outside instead of from inside the room for burning the fire.
Let’s take a look at the advantages of using a fireplace fresh air intake lever, how it works, how to install it, and how it helps create a healthier indoor atmosphere while saving energy.
What Is Fireplace Fresh Air Intake Lever?
A fireplace fresh air intake lever is a simple lever designed to control the air supply to the fireplace.
This device gives flexibility to the source choice the homeowner can choose from where the air has to be drawn to fuel the fire in the fireplace. It can be the inside air or the outside air.
This device gives a choice to make for the house owner, if the owner doesn’t want to compromise the indoor air quality he/she won’t allow the inside air to be drawn to be used as fuel to the fireplace they consider the air to be drawn from outside,
but if he/she doesn’t care about the indoor air quality then they simply allow the lever to draw the air to fuel the fireplace from the inside house.
This process simply decreases the oxygen usage of the room for fuel for the fireplace.
The Role of Traditional Fireplaces in Indoor Air Pollution
Traditional fireplaces draw the air for combustion from inside the room, which creates negative pressure inside the room and causes the pull of outside air into the house, including air and dust, pollen, and other allergens.
This process is known as the Stack effect which which you learn in detail in the the linked blog.
Stack effect can teach you about the negative and positive air in the environment which can be helpful to you and your home.
Once you learn about you come to know that with a traditional fireplace, your home won’t get as hot and cozy as it could be because of the constant inflow of outside air inside the room.
The Importance of Indoor Air Quality
The air inside has 5 times more pollutants than the outside air which is shocking right??
Nowadays, humans spend a significant amount of time inside houses, offices, or other types of buildings.
Breathing in an environment that is full of pollutants can be very harmful to your health, so proper ventilation is mandatory which reduces the pollutants and brings clear air inside of the house.
Poor air quality for your child can lead to respiratory disease and heart disease, so consider a good ventilation system in your home.
The need of a good ventilation system is necessary if you are using a traditional fireplace in your home.
How Does the Fireplace Fresh Air Intake Lever Work?
The working of the fireplace fresh air intake lever is simple to understand for a normal human being.
It is normally installed on the exterior wall near the fireplace, It comes with a lever mechanism that opens and closes the air vent.
when the lever is “open” it means the outside is going directly into the fireplace rather than inside air.
And if the lever is “closed” it means the vent is closed so, the air has been blocked and not used by the fireplace for combustion.
Benefits of Using a Fireplace Fresh Air Intake Lever
1. Carbon monoxide Reduction
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that makes you ill if you inhale the air which has carbon monoxide which is reduced by the use of a fireplace fresh air intake lever in your fireplace.
Exposure to carbon monoxide for a long time can cause symptoms like headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion, chest and muscle pain, and shortness of breath.
So, this lever mechanism technically saved your health.
2. Hot and Cozy conditions
The process I told you about before is negative and positive air, so when the air inside is drawn for the combustion of the fireplace, then it creates a negative environment that is filled with cold and polluted outside air.
but the fresh air intake lever allows you to control the air supply to the fireplace by using the level mechanism.
3. Improve Air Quality
Because the air is drawn from outside the air quality of the living room is maintained and significantly improves the air quality by reducing the incoming outside air which includes dust, poisonous gases smoke, etc.
Improved air quality is necessary if kids live in your house, good air quality is needed. Otherwise, your child might have respiratory problems and heart disease.
Fireplace Fresh Air Intake Lever Compatibility
Fresh air intake levers work with different kinds of fireplaces, such as wood-burning, gas, and pellet models.
How to Install Fireplace fresh air intake lever
The installation process changes for every type of fireplace, it is recommended to use the manufacturer’s instructions for reference.
If you don’t know much about this lever consider consulting a professional who knows this installation process.
Typically, the procedure consists of finding a suitable location on the outer wall close to the fireplace, creating a hole for the vent, and firmly connecting the lever mechanism.