Keep the wind out of my chimney

[Ravenvalor]

Greetings Fellow Hearthlings:



What do you recommend to be the best way to keep the wind out of my chimney. I just installed my first wood burning stove here in central North Carolina and someone told me that I needed to keep the wind out. My wife is extremely sensitive to stuff like this and I do not want to take any chances with her health.

This is my favorite website. Everyone is friendly, helpful and laid back.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Woodburner13]

A good chimney cap should help a lot, but other factors may add to the problem like wind coming over the top of your roof and down at the chimney or trees around the house close to the chimney that can deflect the wind. The old fashioned swiveling "Indian Head" wind deflectors also can reduce blow back, but the truth is that you will not likely eliminate smoke blow-back unless you have an air-tight stove or fireplace with sealed doors...................

 

[BrotherBart]

The actual fact is that you probably are never going to have wind coming down that chimney. Ain't gonna happen. Some smoke may escape from a burning stove if you don't open the damper and then crack the door just a little for a minute before fully opening it with a fire burning but I have never, ever had a breeze down the chimney. Even while a tornado was touching down 100 feet in front of the house. Not one ash in the stove was disturbed. Thirty six trees blew down but no wind down the chimney.

 

[myzamboni]

Make sure your chimney passes the 10-2 rule and you should be all set.

 

[Ravenvalor]

A good chimney cap should help a lot, but other factors may add to the problem like wind coming over the top of your roof and down at the chimney or trees around the house close to the chimney that can deflect the wind. The old fashioned swiveling "Indian Head" wind deflectors also can reduce blow back, but the truth is that you will not likely eliminate smoke blow-back unless you have an air-tight stove or fireplace with sealed doors...................

Great advice, Is there a way that I can test my stove for air tightness?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Ravenvalor]

Make sure your chimney passes the 10-2 rule and you should be all set.

What is the 10 -2 rule? Sorry, ignorant wood burner.

 

[fossil]

Your chimney should rise at least 3 feet above the point at which it penetrates the roof, and it should not terminate lower than 2 feet above anything within 10 feet of it horizontally. Thus, a chimney coming up low (close to the eave) out of a steeply pitched roof may have to be very tall, with support rods attached, whereas a chimney coming out low on a shallow pitched roof may only need to rise about 3 feet. Rick