This is for those that might find this interesting. Since installing the Mansfield I have a almost problematic issue with overdrafting as did the previous stove.
Well about a month and half ago we had our carpet in the basement cleaned as we had noticed a black line in the carpet that was getting worse. Well I pulled the carpet up in this area and found a crack that run the length of the basement floor from expansion of the slab I guess (50 ft long 1/8-1/16" wide). This would also explain why the radon test came back positive but reduced after the first pipe was installed below the slab. The second pipe brought it to correct (safe) levels. I am thinking of retesting again now to see if it dropped the level even more now which it should have.
The reason the carpet was getting dirty is that we have a radon system that had to penetrate the floor (4" pvc) in two different ares of the slab and one in the wall. Well the fan was creating a vacuum and was pulling air through the carpet and making it act like a filter darkening the carpet. I hand chiseled the crack out and sealed it really good with polyurethane and ever since I have had to use the dampener in the pipe above the stove less. So in the winter the basement could have a positive pressure under it?
I also sealed upstairs a wood box that has an outside door to load wood in so you can open a door (not air tight) to get wood for the fireplace. I put a sheet of plastic behind the house side doors and then put insulation between the doors and the plastic and now no more air comes in through there and it seemed like a lot cause you could feel the cold air coming in there if near that area.
The one other thing I did before the burn season was to replace all the seals on our pella sliding door (house built in 1984) so I am certain that tightened things up as well.
The point in this is that if you are having a really really strong draft start knocking down the air leaks. Just these three things I changed are sure to make the house easier to heat.
Seal-em up
and test your house for Radon levels
Well about a month and half ago we had our carpet in the basement cleaned as we had noticed a black line in the carpet that was getting worse. Well I pulled the carpet up in this area and found a crack that run the length of the basement floor from expansion of the slab I guess (50 ft long 1/8-1/16" wide). This would also explain why the radon test came back positive but reduced after the first pipe was installed below the slab. The second pipe brought it to correct (safe) levels. I am thinking of retesting again now to see if it dropped the level even more now which it should have.
The reason the carpet was getting dirty is that we have a radon system that had to penetrate the floor (4" pvc) in two different ares of the slab and one in the wall. Well the fan was creating a vacuum and was pulling air through the carpet and making it act like a filter darkening the carpet. I hand chiseled the crack out and sealed it really good with polyurethane and ever since I have had to use the dampener in the pipe above the stove less. So in the winter the basement could have a positive pressure under it?
I also sealed upstairs a wood box that has an outside door to load wood in so you can open a door (not air tight) to get wood for the fireplace. I put a sheet of plastic behind the house side doors and then put insulation between the doors and the plastic and now no more air comes in through there and it seemed like a lot cause you could feel the cold air coming in there if near that area.
The one other thing I did before the burn season was to replace all the seals on our pella sliding door (house built in 1984) so I am certain that tightened things up as well.
The point in this is that if you are having a really really strong draft start knocking down the air leaks. Just these three things I changed are sure to make the house easier to heat.
Seal-em up
and test your house for Radon levels
