Increasing Draft Efficiency

When you talk about draft in general, it can mean all sorts of things. Draft can be your initial input in writing that still needs proofreading but draft can also talk about the weather where the coldness in the air lingers. But here, we’re talking about chimney draft and everything there is to know about it.

Chimney draft is actually a process, a system that needs the cooperation of the flue liner inside your chimney and of course, the wood or combustible material used to create fire in the fireplace. This process is very important because it is an indication of the performance of yourfireplace and chimney. This process will help suck out unwanted air and smoke and prevent it from entering the house. It will uniformly bring out the smoke to the outside.

The Good and the Bad

Being aware of how to increase your chimney’s draft efficiency will save you from loads of unwanted problems.

Chimney draft can either be good or bad. The good thing about having good draft inside your chimney is because it can make sure that the smoke produced during and after combustion is lead safely outside by way of the flue liner. Good draft is essential in maintaining clean air in your home.

When the chimney draft is bad it can trigger chances for bigger problems like fires, carbon monoxide poisoning and molds to accumulate inside the home. Having an accidental fire in the house is already a big enough risk, you don’t want to add to the potential hazards by having bad chimney draft.

How does this process work?

The whole purpose why chimneys were invented was to provide a passageway for unwanted smoke outside of the house. It works based on the idea that hot air rises. This is otherwise known as the stack effect, where hot air together with combustion gases from the fire will rise all the way up to the chimney. In this process, the area that is vacant must be filled with cooler air for continuous ascending through the chimney flue. If the process is successful, there will be no harmful substances left in it thus creating a safe and healthy environment. The opposite will happen if there is negative air pressure in the way.

This is where the bad part happens, when negative air pressure is involved, there are chances for back draft to happen which leads to the lingering of toxic chemicals inside your home. The most common is carbon monoxide which is a by-product of burning wood and other combustible materials. Carbon monoxide can be deadly and dangerous in so many ways.

How to Obtain Good Draft

First of all, in order to have good draft, make sure you get your fireplace and chimney checked and swept every year. Second, have a well-functioning flue and flue liner. There is no way for negative air pressure to happen and also there are no chances for unwanted air to linger in your homes.

Flue liners have many functions. It protects your home from harmful gases. Also, it will protect the inside of the chimney from corrosive substances that take part in the combustion process. Lastly, the flue liner is the ultimate key to draft efficiency.

Our company, Home Safe Hearth and Chimney, has only the most skilled licensed chimney sweeps that are more than willing to help you with your chimney problems. They are equipped to replace and fix the problems in your chimney, and most importantly with your chimney flue and liner. We are also duly licensed by the Chimney Safety Institute of America and the National Fireplace Institute and have since been the most reliable and trustworthy company serving the residents of Wichita since 1979. We have a showroom right at the heart of Wichita, Kansas and we’d love to see you.

With over thirty years of experience, we have learned so many things and, more importantly, we have learned to value our clients. We guarantee excellence in our service because we take pride in what we do. Call us now!