The Relationship Between The Flue System And The House; Why The Flue System Should Penetrate The Highest Heated Space; Air Quality In The House - Osburn MATRIX INBUILT Installation And Operation Manual

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Osburn Matrix Inbuilt Installation and Operation Manual

9.6 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FLUE SYSTEM AND THE HOUSE

Because the flue system is the engine that drives the wood heating system, it must have the right

characteristics. The signs of bad system design are cold backdrafting when there is no fire in the

wood inbuilt, slow kindling of new fires, and smoke roll-out when the door is opened for loading.

When it is cold outside, the warm air in the house is buoyant so it tends to rise. This tendency of

warm air to rise creates a slight pressure difference in the house. Called 'stack effect', it produces

a slightly negative pressure low in the house (relative to outside) and a slightly positive pressure

zone high in the house. If there is no fire burning in a heater connected to a flue system that is

shorter than the warm space inside the house, the slight negative pressure low in the house will

compete against the desired upward flow in the flue system.

There are two reasons why the flue

system in the house at right will cold

downdraught when it is cold outside and

there is no fire burning in the wood

inbuilt. First, the flue system runs up the

outside of the house, so the air in it is

colder and denser than the warm air in

the house. And second, the flue system is

shorter than the heated space of the

house, meaning the negative pressure

low in the house will pull outside air

down the flue system, through the wood

inbuilt and into the room. Even the finest

wood inbuilt will not work well when

connected to this flue system.

To protect against the risk of smoke spillage due to house depressurization, a carbon monoxide

(CO) detector/alarm is required in the room in which the wood inbuilt is installed. The CO

detector will provide warning if for any reason the wood inbuilt fails to function correctly.

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