Chimneys harness the heat of the fire to create what's called a stack effect. As the
warm air from the fire rises, cooler house air rushes into the wood-burning
appliance through vents, providing the oxygen the fire needs to burn. Starting a fire
with a good hot burn will encourage this healthy draft to flow.
Also, between the higher and lower pressure zones of the home lies a neutral
pressure zone. The neutral pressure zone tends to move toward the largest air
leak.
When the top of the chimney is located above the home ceiling (as it should be),
the chimney's neutral pressure zone is above the neutral pressure zone of the
house. Such proper chimney placement creates a gentle flow of air into the
appliance and out the chimney even when no fire burns.
If you are designing or building a new home, consider placing the chimney inside
your home. A more traditional chimney, constructed along the outside of a home,
will lose valuable heat to the cold, outside air.
If the chimney air temperature falls below that of the inside air, the cold, smelly
chimney air will be pulled into the house by the low pressure of the stack effect. In
such a scenario, the house has become a better chimney than the chimney. So
when a fire is lit, smoke fills the room.
Chimneys must match the size of the appliance, meaning the flue size should match
the stove outlet. If the chimney is bigger than the stove or fireplace outlet, exiting
exhaust slows, increasing creosote buildup and decreasing efficiency.
High-performance chimneys are also insulated. Older masonry chimneys can be
relined to safely and efficiently connect them to newer high-efficiency, wood-burning
appliances. Again, the chimney liner should be continuous from the appliance outlet
to the chimney top. It is not uncommon to pay as much for the chimney as for your
appliance.
Free-standing wood stoves exhaust into a connecting pipe, which then connects
into the chimney. If the connecting pipe is longer than 8 feet (as in a vaulted
ceiling), you should consider investing in double-layer pipe with 1-inch airspace
between pipe layers. Efficient modern stoves produce large amounts of heat. Much
of this heat can radiate from a longer length of single-layer pipe, slowing down the
draft, which can impact the overall efficiency of your wood-burning system.
warm air from the fire rises, cooler house air rushes into the wood-burning
appliance through vents, providing the oxygen the fire needs to burn. Starting a fire
with a good hot burn will encourage this healthy draft to flow.
Also, between the higher and lower pressure zones of the home lies a neutral
pressure zone. The neutral pressure zone tends to move toward the largest air
leak.
When the top of the chimney is located above the home ceiling (as it should be),
the chimney's neutral pressure zone is above the neutral pressure zone of the
house. Such proper chimney placement creates a gentle flow of air into the
appliance and out the chimney even when no fire burns.
If you are designing or building a new home, consider placing the chimney inside
your home. A more traditional chimney, constructed along the outside of a home,
will lose valuable heat to the cold, outside air.
If the chimney air temperature falls below that of the inside air, the cold, smelly
chimney air will be pulled into the house by the low pressure of the stack effect. In
such a scenario, the house has become a better chimney than the chimney. So
when a fire is lit, smoke fills the room.
Chimneys must match the size of the appliance, meaning the flue size should match
the stove outlet. If the chimney is bigger than the stove or fireplace outlet, exiting
exhaust slows, increasing creosote buildup and decreasing efficiency.
High-performance chimneys are also insulated. Older masonry chimneys can be
relined to safely and efficiently connect them to newer high-efficiency, wood-burning
appliances. Again, the chimney liner should be continuous from the appliance outlet
to the chimney top. It is not uncommon to pay as much for the chimney as for your
appliance.
Free-standing wood stoves exhaust into a connecting pipe, which then connects
into the chimney. If the connecting pipe is longer than 8 feet (as in a vaulted
ceiling), you should consider investing in double-layer pipe with 1-inch airspace
between pipe layers. Efficient modern stoves produce large amounts of heat. Much
of this heat can radiate from a longer length of single-layer pipe, slowing down the
draft, which can impact the overall efficiency of your wood-burning system.
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Chimney Placement and Sizing
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