What Can I Do to Prevent a Poor Draft from My Chimney?

Given that 60% of the housing stock in the US was built before 1960, open fireplaces are a popular feature in many homes there. Although a roaring fire is incredibly soothing when it’s cold outside, open flames and wood burners aren’t the most environmentally friendly way to heat your home. But maintaining a cozy atmosphere in our homes requires more than just lighting a fire and turning on the heat. We must maintain warm air in our residences. Additionally, chimneys remove air whether or not there is a fire.

Poor drafts will make it harder to start a fire in a fireplace or wood stove, and they will also cause the smoke to drift out the front. Smoke emanating from the wood stove or fireplace is very annoying since it leaves streaks of soot on the walls and ceiling. Additionally, this will cause the house to smell like smoke and soot, which will make your living situation less than ideal. You should focus on increasing the draft of your wood stove or fireplace if you want to ensure that all of the smoke is properly ventilated out of the house.

The “stack effect,” which has to do with the flow of air into and out of structures, determines just how much air is sucked out of your chimney. It is influenced by a number of variables, including the height of your home and the temperature difference between the inside and outside. In essence, there will be a large “stack effect” and a lot of air will fly up your chimney if you live in a tall house, have the heating on, and it’s cold outside. This warm air needs to be replaced as it rises. In order to create the chilly draught you experience and hear when it is windy, cold air is drawn in, typically from around doors and windows.

The issue that is causing the fireplace to blow cold air is frequently not related to the fireplace itself. Instead, the house is under a negative pressure state and is using the fireplace to draw “makeup air” for ventilation. Air from the outside will be driven through the damper and glass doors, creating an uncomfortable drafty fireplace if the house needs to replace the air that has been lost due to the Stack Effect or if the air inside the house is being used for other purposes. You shouldn’t be concerned because the professionals at Local Chimney Sweep Cleaning Company are knowledgeable about how fireplaces and chimneys work and have more than 20 years of combined experience in chimney repair. By first determining the cause of the draft coming from your fireplace, we will be able to offer solutions that will actually be helpful. Additionally, we provide you with high-quality Local Chimney Cleaning Martell service and repair.

To create turbulence for the fire, it is imperative to travel between the various layers of wood. Turbulence is necessary for getting a good burn from wood. There won’t be enough space for air to move about and create enough turbulence to start a fire if the wood is stacked too closely together.

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