How to Jump Out a Vent Damper

Vent dampers are an important part of your HVAC system. They regulate the airflow so that you have a constant temperature in your house. However, they can also get stuck or damaged and cause some serious problems to your home. This article will teach you how to jump out of a vent damper quickly and easily! 

A vent damper allows you to create an opening in your ceiling without installing a new window or doorway. It also provides ventilation on windows that don’t have screens, such as old-style storm windows. If you’re still unsure how it works, this blog post will explain everything from installation instructions to its benefits and disadvantages! 

How to Jump Out a Vent Damper

What is a Vent Damper?

A vent damper is a check valve that opens when the pressure on one side is higher than the other. Vent dampers help regulate the temperature in buildings, homes, and workspaces by controlling airflow through ventilation ducts. Vent damper latch pins should be spring-loaded.

This makes it easier to open the damper because you don’t have to fight against the tension of a spring. When something goes wrong with your vent damper, it won’t close back up when you want it to. Instead, it is stuck in an open position.

There are many reasons why this could happen. The most common reason is that the vent damper latch pin was not installed correctly.  This can be fixed by following these steps for how to jump out a vent damper.

Installing vent damper

Tools Required:

  • socket and ratchet.
  • 8mm and 10mm wrench.
  • Torch.
  • Small notebook/pencil
  • Rags
  • Long ruler for measuring
  • Flashlight

Step by Step Guide: How To Jump Out A Vent Damper

Step 1: Gather Your Tools

Make sure you have everything you need before beginning this guide by checking your toolbox for the necessary tools required for this fix.

Step 2: Turn Off the Power Supply

Turn off the power supply to avoid electrocution. If you are unsure, flip it back on and check with a flashlight if the power supply is still on.

Step 3: Open the Vent Damper

The vent damper is a metal bracket that holds the wireline in place. To find it, follow the wireline to where it enters the motor room or check the wires themselves if they are loose enough. Once you’ve found it, use a flathead screwdriver to wedge it in between the two bolts of the bracket.

With a bit of force, pry the vent damper open enough to pull out the wire and allow for your arm to enter. Carefully remove the wire from the damper by finding where it sits in its guide.

Step 4: Jump Out The Damper

Find the black metal bracket holding the damper down, and it should be fairly visible. You can find it by following the metal arms of the vent damper upwards until you reach the limit where they cannot stretch any further.

Use your flathead screwdriver to pry open one side of the black metal bracket. Then, gently pull the damper out from its hold and remove the wire from it. This will allow you to connect all 3 arms between them and serve as a base to hold them together.

Step 5: Put Everything Back Together

Put everything back together in reverse order of how you took them apart, so first, re-insert the vent damper link by pressing it back into place and then re-attach the other arm to it. Put the wire back into its guide,

slide it back into place, then re-attach the metal bracket holding everything together. Lastly, put your vent damper back by sliding it in the past the bolts on either side of its metal bracket.

Step 6: Turn The Power Back On

Turning On the power supply

Turn your power supply back on to make sure everything is still working. If something broke in taking it apart, turn it back off and fix the issue before continuing.

Step 7: Clean Up Mess

Be sure to clean up any mess you made while fixing, using a rag or towel. Also, make sure to clean all your tools to avoid rusting from moisture.

So there it is! Hopefully, this article helped you to jump out a vent damper by using the basic, 6 step guide that we outlined for you. You now have successfully learned how to jump out a vent damper.

7 Advantages of Using Vent Damper:

1. To prevent heat loss or heat gain in a room, depending on the season.

2. To reduce energy consumption by minimizing the amount of conditioned air required to be sent into space by controlling ventilation rates and reducing infiltration.

3. Remove stale indoor air and replenish oxygen levels in an enclosed space.

4. Allow for building maintenance and cleaning crews by permitting safe, controlled access into a space without forcing entry or exit through a door or window.

5. Ensure that rooms are occupants only after the door has been closed and locked to prevent unauthorized entry or exit into/out of an enclosed room.

6. Reduce sound transmission between rooms, level out room pressure, and provide a safe environment for building maintenance or cleaning.

7. Prevent water, insects, and vermin by permitting access only to people through one controlled point, a door.

How Does a Vent Damper Work?

Vent dampers are used to prevent the back drafting of a forced-air heating system. They normally have a metal flap that rotates around an axis on the damper body to close off airflow from the building. In some cases, they can be held open by a pull chain or a piece of fishing line tied through them and over the rafter.

The damper is a part of the fireplace that opens and closes to let smoke in and out. In cases where the damper is not held open by a pulling mechanism, it can be held open with a stick or other object from the attic. In the event of a house fire, firefighters will need to force these dampers closed for their hoses to function properly and reduce the risk of smoke filling up your home.

Conclusion:

Vent damper removal and installation is a fairly easy process that DIYers can do themselves. A vent damper helps control the airflow, temperature, and humidity in your home’s duct system by regulating how much air passes through it.

If you need help removing or installing yours, we recommend contacting an HVAC specialist for more information on their charge for this service. We hope this blog post has helped explain how to jump out a vent damper. If you have any questions, please contact us, and we will be happy to answer them for you.

Read On Our Other Blog – How to Increase Airflow Through Upstairs Vents

Jennifer Branett
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