NO! NO! NO! That is a safety unit to keep air from going down the flue and causing the burner to create carbon monixide gas. If air is coming out those slots, you already have a problem. If the chimney were working correctly, then air would be drawn into those slots along with the hot gases going out. If hot air is coming out of the slots, then the combustion gases, (such as some carbon monoxide), is entering the room. You need to have a professional examine the system NOW, to get the flue drawing properly. The word NOW should be in letters 6 high, and if it is not done immediately, get a CO detector, you should have one anyway with a gas burning appliance in the house. This is not an idle warning. If your description is correct, then you have the exact situation which causes many deaths from CO poisoning every year.: Problem, the room that the heater is in is getting too hot. The room is a good size and the gas heater has plenty of space around it. The pipe that vents the heater is about 3 I.D. has two s bends in it and a tee-pee looking thing that connects the pipe to the heater. The tee-pee thing has slots in it that let heat out. I put my hand at these slots and I can feel heat coming out (more than the heat exiting the pipe outside the house). I want to remove this tee-pee thing and have the pipe connect straight to the heater vent tube. Will this be alright?
