What worked for me on a fire place I built back in the mid seventies, was to put a cap on the chimney. RJ ----- Original Message ----- From: Cy Selfridge To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:04 Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] How Do I Stop a Chimney Backdraft?
When I had a fireplace I would roll up several pieces of newspaper, light it and then stick the burning paper up in the bottom of the chimney. This would usually cause the warm air to really rise fast and eliminate the down draft. As soon as I could see that the chimney was drawing I would then light the wood which would then increase the draw. If I didn't warm the chimney the blamed thing would smoke until the fire got large enough to take over. Cy, the Ancient okie... From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of clifford Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 7:32 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] How Do I Stop a Chimney Backdraft? Dear Ray and list members: Another helpful feature that works well with fire places is an outside air supply which feeds directly in to the fire. Both of my fire places have this feature which is simply a pipe which connects to the exterior of the house and comes in to the fire place in the bottom center. This allows the user to keep a tight house while enjoying a roaring fire . The metal box which sits in the bottom center of the fire place also has a slide damper to regulate or close off the outside air supply. With the glass doors closed on my upstairs fire place, it is amazing how well it will hold a fire. Yours Truly, Clifford Wilson ----- Original Message ----- From: Boyce, Ray To: HYPERLINK "mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com"[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 5:56 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] How Do I Stop a Chimney Backdraft? A: Chimneys operate on the basic law of physics, which is: Heat rises. When the inside of the chimney gets hot, the rate of the upward draft will increase as well. If the backdraft only happens when the fire is first lit, then the problem may correct itself as the inside of the chimney gets warmer. When lighting the fire, use newspaper and small kindling to produce a high flame to raise the chimney temperature faster and jump-start the draft effect. Also, you may need a combustion air source to help maintain the draft. Try partially opening a window in the same room as the fireplace. Also, make sure no exhaust fans (kitchen or bath) are running in the house while you have a fire. There's also a correlation between the diameter of the flue opening and the height of the chimney. The larger the flue diameter, the taller the chimney should be to ensure a good draft. If the backdraft is still a problem after the chimney has had time to heat up, then you may need to add an extension on the top of the chimney to increase the draft. ************-*********-*********-*********-*********-*********-*********-*** * This message and its attachments may contain legally privileged or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the information contained in it. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and delete the e-mail. Any content of this message and its attachments which does not relate to the official business of Eraring Energy must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by Eraring Energy. No warranty is made that the e-mail or attachment(s) are free from computer virus or other defect. ************-*********-*********-*********-*********-*********-*********-*** * [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3047 (20080422) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. HYPERLINK "http://www.eset.com"http://www.eset.-com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.23.1/1385 - Release Date: 4/18/2008 9:30 AM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.23.1/1385 - Release Date: 4/18/2008 9:30 AM [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
