SPECIAL REPORT:
CHIMNEY WARS
by Jon Eakes
Prevent backdrafts. Don't make fireplaces, furnaces
clothes dryers, and kitchen fans all fight for the same air
A fireplace has trouble getting started.
A furnace puffs occasionally into the
basement, home owners complain of
odors, and some members of the family
seem to have the flu all winter...
These are common occurrences-so
common that, until recently, no one
paid them much attention. It wasn't
until researchers demonstrated that a
number of carbon-monoxide deaths
each year were caused by chimney spillage
(the Hatch Report, 1983) that the
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
got into gear. They:
1. scientifically studied the draft
mechanisms of chimneys;
2. developed testing procedures for
How to Detect Backdrafts
There are two approaches