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Fire; to Be or Not to Be
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Is There a Draft ? as in fireplace
Do you
love a romantic warm fire on a winter evening? Do you never use the
fireplace because smoke backs up? Or do you want the dream in your new
upcoming home and have the same fear? All of us have had the
pleasure of looking the 'smokeman' in his gritty face as he emerges from
that 'back drafting' fireplace. His intentions are glaring. He's out to
ruin your night and scar you forever against using a natural fire.
If you
are planning a new home or you are a designer wanting to know the solution
you are fortunate because the solution is simple. If you
are an existing fireplace owner though your situation is a bit more
'dicey'. It comes down to; your chimney is either too short or NOT
INSULATED!!! It is almost that simple (assuming your chimney is not
blocked, dirty as "xx", damper non operable, or the box so poorly designed
as to be non functional, etc. etc.).
What!
you say? Well here is the explanation and then a solution. Heat
wants to rise. This is a law of physics and the reason a fireplace works.
Basically the correctly working fireplace 'sucks' the smoke out because
the heat of the flame wants to rise as quickly and efficiently as
possible. If you have a properly insulated flue/chimney going up and
out, then this is the route the smoke will take. If on the other
hand your flue/ chimney is NOT insulated then bingo-you will get a back
draft. The smoke tries to go up, meets a cold flue/ chimney and says
to it's self- self, there are warmer ways out- namely through your
living room or den. On the otherhand, an insulated chimney will
create such a strong draft even badly designed fireboxes and chimneys will
deliver a reasonable fire.
In 2nd
fact your draft will be so strong that you will find another problem (just
what you wanted to hear, huh). You probably are aware of this one
too. The chimney will suck out all the heat in the room, although
radiant heat will still allow some romance. Just don’t walk away and leave
that damper open or next morning there may be frost on your nose.
So
what is the solution to this 2nd fact and how do you go about it all?
-
Insulate the flue/chimney. If you have yet to build the house this
is the easiest thing in the world. Merely make sure there is insulation
inside the chimney from the top of the firebox all the way to the bottom
of the flue cap. The insulation MUST not touch the actual flue
pipe and should be at least 4" thick.
-
There is a ratio of size firebox to Chimney height necessary for good
draw. Too short of a chimney and the draw is reduced. Shop for a prefab
fireplace and the manufacturer can provide a selection chart or spec to
refer to.
- The
chimney should be higher than the highest point of the roof. Although
building codes allow you to make it shorter their aim is to prevent hot
ash on your asphalt roof shingles. The codes are not concerned with back
draft problems. By getting your chimney height correct you prevent the
wind from being blocked or 'eddied'.
-
Next make sure you buy and install a prefab firebox with an outdoor air
'supply' vent. This vent is merely a 4" round metal pipe with a flapper
door on it. Two things are provided by this vent. Any excess 'draw' will
suck open the flapper and take the needed air from the outdoors instead
of your room. The flapper will naturally modulate from low to high draw
as necessary to keep the rooms pressure balanced. Also and a very
important is oxygen supply. Without the outdoor inlet your firebox
will consume the oxygen in your room. In a well sealed and insulated
house this could be dangerous.
Do it and enjoy romance smoke free.
TIP
Go online for fireplace suppliers. I have good luck with them although
make sure you check for shipping damage before accepting it.
Where
oh where can that fireplace go?
Please
see the eBook.
for the remainder of this
chapters topics as well graphics please purchase this book.
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