Re: SB: Outside air, was:breathability

[David Neeley <dbneeley@earthlink.net>]

Mr. Senf,

Thanks for your response. In your analysis, you have been all along 
discussing a different problem entirely than I seek to solve. Your study 
seems to have involved whether one could safely install a fireplace or a 
masonry heater in a home without separate outside venting because of the 
possibility of a negative pressurization being created which would create a 
backdraft in a furnace and thus draw into the house carbon monoxide from 
that furnace.

Although I fully accept your results that I *can* install a fireplace using 
interior air for combustion and still have it within safety parameters, 
this result ignores the point of my question--for about this issue I had no 
doubt.

My fundamental question remains--is using outside combustion air a good 
idea from an energy standpoint--would it be more economical in that it 
would not remove conditioned air from the space, or would the warmed 
combustion air be negligible in this case?

As I understand it, were I to use inside air for combustion, I would also 
have to make sure that each time a flue damper were put in place after the 
fire is out to keep from continuing to draw warm inside air out of the 
house through the chimney effect. With an outside air intake for the 
fireplace, however, and with suitably air-tight glass doors on the 
fireplace, I think I could more readily avoid having to always close the 
damper after waiting until the fire is completely extinguished. Thus, I 
could have a fire late in the evening and safely go to sleep without having 
to set the damper. Otherwise, I would suspect I would have to be up until 
all the coals from the fire have extinguished to avoid the carbon monoxide 
from this source being spread in the dwelling--also a safety consideration, 
is it not?

David


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