Air Movement Between Floors of Your House
Even though air flow between interior and outdoors has been the primary emphasis of this post, it is important to bring up the following point: If air flow is not controlled, it will be difficult to modify the effects of the stack effect that occur between levels in a house. Even though we can shut the door to the basement to reduce the quantity of warm air that rises through the building, there is no way to prevent warm air from rising via the chimneys or HVAC ducting that runs from the basement to the attic.
Firestops that are installed correctly around plumbing, electrical systems, and chimneys are examples of helpful safety precautions. However, we won’t be able to hope to measurably throttle floor-to-floor air movement caused by the stack effect until we install exterior rated doors (with weather stripping) and a separate heating and cooling system for each floor (zone heating). Only then will we be able to install exterior rated doors.
Backdraft of the Fireplace in the Living Room
Most of the time, fireplaces and chimneys that are situated on the middle or higher levels of a property with many stories do not have the same issues that are common in basement fireplaces. These issues include fireplace backdraft, stench, and frigid downdrafts. This is not due to the fact that they might have been built to a higher standard; rather, the reason for this is because the majority of middle and upper fireplaces are typically situated at or above the neutral pressure plane.
This may give the impression that the Stack Effect is having the desired effect and that everything is finally going well, but keep in mind that…
If the fireplace in our living room is wasting air even when it is not being used, this contributes to the problem of negative air pressure and makes the situation in the basement, where there is already a zone of negative pressure, much more precarious. When we are not using the fireplace in either the living room or the master bedroom, we need to take measures to reduce the amount of air that escapes. This is analogous to the situation when there is a window or door in the upper bedrooms that does not have weather stripping. Installing suitable dampers in the fireplace is a smart first step.
Kitchen Exhaust Fans
During the past several years of research and discovery on the topic of indoor air pollution generated by preparing meals in our homes, two truths have come to the surface:
The quality of the air indoors is far lower than the air outside.
Exhaust fans, which are used to draw air out of our houses, can actually increase the amount of filthy air that is found within.
The same is true for kitchen exhaust fans, which are installed to direct aromas away from the food preparation area and out the window. In contrast to a fireplace and chimney, exhaust fans employ mechanical means to force the circulation of air and do not rely on drafts or flows of air to do so.
Since a kitchen range fan can move more air than a fireplace, many homeowners have learned the hard way that they cannot have both the exhaust fan and a wood-burning fireplace on at the same time in a home that is exceptionally airtight. This is something that they should have known from the beginning! If there aren’t any shutters that can open and close them, exhaust fans have the same effect as an open window. When using these, one need to use extreme caution.
If you have any concern or inquiries but is not sure you can call Local chimney Sweep Cleaning to help you. We also offer professional Chimney Cleaning Williamsand repairing.
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