downdraft

[hounddog]

could someone please explain this to me,,, i pulled of the pipe elbow from stove to chimney, and cold air is hitting me in the face, why does the draft come down the chimney? i understand the cold air comes in until its heated then the draft will go up , i guess what im saying do all chimneys do this when cold, and also it leaves a very bad smell in the basement , what is wrong if anything and what can i do to stop this,,,,,, i do have a chimney cap on

 

[Lignums]

Way too many variables to guess at without knowing what, where, what size, elevation, etc. Here is a link to another web site that has a lot of useful information.


http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/hodraft.htm

 

[jtp10181]

The basement is the lowest pressure zone in the house. Air travels from a higher pressure to a lower pressure. Its just mother nature trying to keep balance. Unless you use an expensive makeup air system on your furnace to positively pressurize the house you will usually get air coming down the chimney when not in use especially in a basement. It always leaks in the easiest path first, which often is the 6" tube running up the roof.