We have three turbine vents on our apprx. 2000 sq ft Calif. ranch house, plus 1 on the garage and 2 on the 450 sq. ft. guest house. They do work weather or not the wind is blowing, 'tho I've actually had one blow off in a high wind 'cuz it was off balance.
When we first started using the FP, we had a lot of problems with backdrafting and smoke in the house. We tried small hot fires in the back of the FP, warming up the flue before lighting a fire, etc. etc. The only thing that worked was keeping a window open for extra air for the fire.
Then I read about the "stack effect" and about the house being a better chimney than my chimney. Most of what I read pointed at furnaces, stoves, water heaters, etc. as the culprit, all using indoor air for combustion and exausting the air through their respective vents. But even w/ all of these shut down, I still had the problem. Then I read somewhere that attic vents could contribute to this problem, so I covered the vents on the main house and "presto" ... the smoke from a properly built fire goes out the chimney not into the room! It's still a FP, not an efficient stove or insert, and we still have be careful about how we build the fire (mostly, keep it to the back of the FP), but a proper fire w/ dry wood, w/ the vents covered, and no smoking in the house. So now, every year, before we light the first fire in the fireplace, I go up on the roof and cover the vents w/ heavy trash liners (cut down) (I could get vent covers, but they're $20 each!).
Eventually, I'll have to replace the tubine vents w/ powered vents, and install an override swith so I can just turn off the vents rather than having to cover them up. Of course, eventually I also want a real EPAII stove (even w/ an EPAII stove, I would still cover or turn off the attic vents).
Peace,
- Sequoia
