Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - chimney air "vent"
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rlmcaj2003
03-18-06, 08:40 AM
My first post- chimney for fireplace and furnace doesn't draw when very cold or windy outside. Two separate flues, house is ten years old and we have had problems from the beginning. We have tried all of the "fixes"- chimney liners, we have even torn down and rebuilt the original chimney from the ground up without resolution. Yes, the chimney is tall enough,but it extends"freestanding"
over 2 stories on 3 sides of the chimney from a 1 story family room due to house design, chimney is in an outside "corner". I think it just gets too cold due to all of the exposure it gets.
We have already removed the hot water vents from the chimney and power vented them to the outside to keep the pilot lights from blowing out, and we presently have ventless gas logs in the fireplace.
2 choices for the final resolution: Place a power vent on top of the chimney which would cause both flues to draw all of the time. How noisy is this system, and can it be turned off in the summer?
Or, replace the furnace with a high efficiency model that vents through the wall and install a fresh air intake in the firepace to increase the draw- and will the intake bring a lot of cold air into the house when not in use?
over 2 stories on 3 sides of the chimney from a 1 story family room due to house design, chimney is in an outside "corner". I think it just gets too cold due to all of the exposure it gets.
We have already removed the hot water vents from the chimney and power vented them to the outside to keep the pilot lights from blowing out, and we presently have ventless gas logs in the fireplace.
2 choices for the final resolution: Place a power vent on top of the chimney which would cause both flues to draw all of the time. How noisy is this system, and can it be turned off in the summer?
Or, replace the furnace with a high efficiency model that vents through the wall and install a fresh air intake in the firepace to increase the draw- and will the intake bring a lot of cold air into the house when not in use?
jocelynj
03-18-06, 12:49 PM
Ok, the most simple suggestion is: have you tried warming the chimney before building a fire? You can light some rolled newspaper and hold it up into the damper area to help warm it slightly to increase the draft?
If that doesn't work, you can have a special cap installed they require no electricty and have no motors (so, no worries about noise or running in the summer) this is how they work:
"They are constructed of two concentric hoods which surround the chimney opening (the top of the flue). The hoods are positioned so the adjacent bands overlap, and so the unit present a spherical image to the wind regardless of the wind direction. When the wind blows, the air is forced around the unit rather then through its opening (called the Venturi Effect). The pressure inside the chimney is decreased and gas in the chimney is forced up towards the top, increasing the draft."
This system (there are two different brands that I am aware of, but they work the same way) will work only if your draft problem is wind related. I would suggest checking out the caps to see if they would work for you.
I hope these have been helpful. Good Luck!
If that doesn't work, you can have a special cap installed they require no electricty and have no motors (so, no worries about noise or running in the summer) this is how they work:
"They are constructed of two concentric hoods which surround the chimney opening (the top of the flue). The hoods are positioned so the adjacent bands overlap, and so the unit present a spherical image to the wind regardless of the wind direction. When the wind blows, the air is forced around the unit rather then through its opening (called the Venturi Effect). The pressure inside the chimney is decreased and gas in the chimney is forced up towards the top, increasing the draft."
This system (there are two different brands that I am aware of, but they work the same way) will work only if your draft problem is wind related. I would suggest checking out the caps to see if they would work for you.
I hope these have been helpful. Good Luck!