Wood furnace & whole house fan?

[JeffHK454]

Last couple years I've heated completely with wood , and love it! Now that winters over I've been looking for ways to get heat out of my house and have considered a whole house fan. Will this type of ventilation draw air down my flue and stink up my house? And yes, my flue damper is closed but it's not an air tight seal. Could I cap my chimney for six months a year?

Thanks for any info, Jeff

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

If you have windows open, no problem. You'll get SOME air down the flue, but why would that stink up the house?

 

[buckwheat]

Even with the downstairs opened up and the flue closed, our house fan will pull air down through the chimney. I can tell because of the smell after 20 minutes or so. Maybe the chimney needs cleaned, but for now, capping it sounds like a good solution. I think it happens because our stove is close to the base of the stairwell, and you can really feel the draft going up the steps when the fan is on.

 

[JeffHK454]

....Was just thinking that if the easiest place to pull air in was down the flue it would rather than from under doors or around window seals.

Maybe I've done a sub-par cleaning job on my flue/fire box, but I can still detect a smoke smell if I open the fire box door months after a fire was last burned?

Jeff

 

[cord arrow]

i made a simple box of plywood and one bys. I plop in on my flue when heating season is over.

i don't have a full house fan, still, most everyone will agree that the smell can and will infiltrate your home during the cooling season.

keeps those pesky little chimney swifts out, also.

don't forget to remove it. had to make another, first one caused a bit of a problem when my wife got a little cold in SEPTEMBER! :bang:

 

[stumpguy]

don't forget to remove it. had to make another, first one caused a bit of a problem when my wife got a little cold in SEPTEMBER! :bang:

^^^^:hmm3grin2orange: those darn women....lol

 

[JeffHK454]

I found my definitive answer today on the "vacuum" created by a whole house fan, it was in print on the fans packaging! A very large warning stated

"PROPER AIR SUPPLY REQUIRED"...."FAILURE TO DO SO COULD RESULT IN CARBON DIOXIDE DANGER FROM BACK FLOW OF EXHAUST FROM HOT WATER HEATER..FURNACE..DRYER"

The "DANGER" part doesn't apply but my wife will go crazy if that pleasant air that's being pumped through the house smells like ash pan!

I have 8" round stainless triple-wall flue with a push-on cap, I had considered a heavy gauge plastic sheet "pinched" between cap and last flue section.

Thanks, Jeff