How to reduce cold drafts in a home...................

[DamienBricka]

I had my energy audit last Friday.
I have a very tight home. (less then one air exchange per hour).
I burning wood full time.
I feel cold drafts all the time. I know where they are coming from.
I could seal them and install and outside air supply to my wood stove.
If I do this will I be able to reduce the drafts and make my home warmer or am I wasting my time.

I would appreciate all your input and wisdom.
Thanks for the help.

 

[billb3]

This is a rhetorical question, right ?

 

[DamienBricka]

This is a rhetorical question, right ?

I do not know you tell me. ........ Maybe I answered my own question..................lol

 

[Warm_in_NH]

I've been working on mew and old homes for over 15 years. Tight is good, Draft is acceptable, sealed up tight like a whales bum generally results in problems somewhere.
When I started in the trades I thought the idea of an air tight home was great. I've seen many attempts that supposedly covered all the bases and addressed every thermal transfer point etc...everyone I've seen has suffered moisture related issues of some sort or another. Once you get to a certain tightness you need an air exchange anyway.

Older homes with a little draft, generally, a much more healthy environment.

All things in moderation I guess.

 

[Hoozie]

Adding the OAK to the stove itself should help quite a bit, in theory.

Currently, the stove is pulling combustion air from the leaks all around the house to itself, so you feel the drafts. Install the OAK, and the stove won't be pulling that air in, so it should be dramatically less drafty.

Can you crack a window near the stove for a short test?

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Are your drafts caused by air infiltration, or normal air circulation within the house?
I totally remodeled the top story in my house a few years ago, I sealed it up tight as a drum, yet I still feel a draft coming down the stairs when it's cold out and the wood stove is going because as the warm air rises up the stairwell it displaces the cooler air which flows back down. Normal convection circulation can cause a "draft" in a home, especially larger two story homes.

 

[gzecc]

I personally would do the outside air to your stove and re-evaluate the situation. How old is your house?

 

[yooperdave]

Just what is an acceptable air exchange rate for a dwelling?
One air exchange per hour seems to be excessive, no?

 

[woodgeek]

I had my energy audit last Friday.
I have a very tight home. (less then one air exchange per hour).

One air exchange per hour is not a very tight home.

One ACH at 50 Pascals (blower door) would be passive house tight.
One ACH at normal stack and wind driven pressure is a drafty barn.

Google 'airsealing'. The trick is that for every leak IN, there is a leak OUT, and you don't feel those. Most of the biggest leaks are in your basement and attic.

The point where you need mech ventilation is more like 0.25-0.3 ACH, a small fraction of what you have now.

 

[Ashful]

One air exchange per hour is not a very tight home.

That is a matter of perspective.