[Greenbuilding] Fireplace questions

[Keith Winston]

Hi Clarke,

Yes, in the case of using an outdoor air intake that empties into the 
room/house elsewhere, it seems to me it's about the same as opening a 
window. Is there anything I'm missing? In this case, the advantages I've 
been talking about do not accrue.

Dampers are great, though all those I know of require manual operation, 
which is great for those that properly use them. Not all home owners are 
going to be conscientious. Don't get me wrong, we don't have to build 
for the lowest denominator, just realize that if you were building a 
spec house, for example, and didn't know who was going to live there, 
you couldn't be sure of how well that fireplace would be operated, and 
therefore the performance of it in the long run. I'm wondering if a 
sealed-combustion, I'll call it, fireplace would work far better 
compared to a poorly operated fireplace, and at least somewhat better 
than a well-operated one. I am suspecting the answer is yes.

Warmly, Keith


Clarke Olsen wrote:
>   I have used a 4" stovepipe to bring in outside air, with an 
> off-the-shelf
>   back-draft damper which, though plastic, was located 12' away (the
>   intake passed through a utility space. The other way to limit heat loss
>   from a fireplace is to have and use a damper in - or on top of - the 
> chimney
>   to cut the continuing draft when the fire is out.
>   Clarke Olsen
>
> On Nov 8, 2006, at 10:43 AM, Keith Winston wrote:
>
>> The best argument against outside feeds is that negative pressure
>> situations could result in fire being blown backwards through the air
>> intake, which is typically made of plastic. I suppose either building it
>> of metal (though until you build it like another chimney,
>> clearance-to-combustibles and all, you aren't theoretically safe), or
>> one might be able to fit some type of one-way damper on it (like a cape
>> damper built to withstand high temperatures). I have no idea if there's
>> any evidence of this problem actually occurring in a properly designed
>> and installed system.
>
>
>
>
>

-- 
Keith Winston
Earth Sun Energy Systems
3927 Madison St.
Hyattsville, MD 20781
301-980-6325
keith at earthsunenergy.com
www.EarthSunEnergy.com