Difference Between Smoke Damper & Fire Damper

Function

• Smoke dampers resist the passage of smoke and air. Controlled by smoke detectors and fire alarms, they are actuated to open as well as close. Fire dampers maintain the fire rating and integrity of walls by closing when a rise in temperature is detected and remaining closed. Installed where ducts penetrate floors or walls, most are controlled by a mechanical fusible link that melts under sufficient heat and releases a closing mechanism.

Application

• In a passive control system, smoke dampers close in the presence of smoke to prevent it from circulating through a ventilation opening, transfer or duct, while in an engineered control system, smoke dampers help pressurize the areas around the fire, using floors and walls as barriers. Dynamic fire dampers close when airflow velocity and pressure increases a certain amount, whereas static fire dampers work with HVAC systems designed to shut down automatically in a fire.

Combination

• In HVAC systems in which ceilings, floors or walls requires fire dampers and smoke dampers, combination fire and smoke dampers are used. They meet all the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) standards and requirements for fire dampers and smoke dampers and fulfill all the applications of both, closing when heat or smoke is detected, sealing off the openings they cover.