Air is constantly flowing throughout your home. This plays a role in the pressure planes inside your home. You cannot see these pressure planes, but they do exist. According to Chimneys.com, the pressure planes are always changing depending on actions that take place, such as opening a door or window and turning on a fan. What do these pressure planes have to do with your chimney? Actually, quite a lot! They can control the chimney draft and cause problems when there is too much negative pressure inside your home. Ashbusters would like to tell you more about the pressure planes in your home. In addition, about the dangers of negative air pressure.
What exactly are these pressure planes?
Every house has a positive, a neutral, and a negative pressure plane. Usually, the negative pressure plane is located at the lowest level, and the positive plane can be found at the very top. However, as we mentioned, these planes shift throughout the day. When there is too much negative air pressure inside your home, this means that you are not getting enough fresh air. This can be hazardous to your health and create problems with your fireplace and chimney system.
What causes an increase in negative air pressure inside my home?
One of the major causes of too much negative air pressure is weatherization. When your home is well-insulated, outside air has a harder time being able to enter to replace used air. This can cause an increase in the negative pressure. Larger homes with multiple stories are also more likely to have problems with negative air pressure.
What are the dangers of too much negative air pressure?
This type of pressure will cause your chimney to improperly draft. This can cause smoke to blow back into your home through the fireplace. More dangerous is the possibility of toxic gases like carbon monoxide coming into your house because of this back-drafting problem. This can lead to serious health issues. Symptoms of exposure to carbon monoxide include fatigue, headache, and sneezing. Since these are similar to those of the common cold, you should ask your doctor about a blood test to see if you have been exposed to carbon monoxide. Increased exposure to this poisonous gas can lead to organ failure and even death.
How can I prevent increased negative air pressure?
Fortunately, this problem can be easily solved and prevented, although it can be difficult to diagnose. The best way to keep negative air pressure from affecting your chimney draft? Slightly crack a window in the same room as your fireplace whenever you are enjoying a fire.
If you have noticed problems with your chimney draft, you could have too much negative air pressure in your home. Contact us at Ashbusters if you have any questions about solving this potentially dangerous issue. We can inspect your chimney and let you know how we can help you avoid a negative air pressure problem!