This is where I wage war!

[Highbeam]

The idea is to put a 180-degree U-turn plus a little length of pipe so the cold air settles in the bottom to help prevent unfettered cold air flowing straight down into your basement. Just like your plumbing has traps to retain some water that prevent air/gas from flowing through.

This demonstrates why the whole concept is flawed. Unless you fill your trap with water, like a plumbing trap, gasses are free to flow all day anytime just as if there was no trap. A trap in that line does nothing for you. Think it through.

If you insist on adding this trap, another way people accomplish it is to stick the end of the OAK pipe in a bucket. Same flawed concept, treating air like water, acts as a barrel trap.

 

[jb6l6gc]

I did turn the elbow around to try it and see if I noticed any difference. The thing I did notice was it doesn't seems as affected by wind. To which I mean less gusty coming in more smooth replacement air. As far as any real efficiency difference I cannot confirm or deny!

 

[jb6l6gc]

And I won't have to worry about that stupid smoke shield anymore just ordered a new drolet heatmax. Should be delivered in 2-3 weeks. I'm hoping the switchover is mostly a breeze

 

[brenndatomu]

I'm hoping the switchover is mostly a breeze

Should be easy peasey with that setup!

 

[STIHLY DAN]

This demonstrates why the whole concept is flawed. Unless you fill your trap with water, like a plumbing trap, gasses are free to flow all day anytime just as if there was no trap. A trap in that line does nothing for you. Think it through.

If you insist on adding this trap, another way people accomplish it is to stick the end of the OAK pipe in a bucket. Same flawed concept, treating air like water, acts as a barrel trap.

Gas rises, cold air falls, It will not rise unless it is warmer than the surrounding air or pulled up via pressure. It is science and doe's work. But it has to terminate just below the entrance.

 

[jb6l6gc]

I know re hashing a thread I posted last year but made a big upgrade ! Now let me see where u do battle

 

[Nofossil]

All right, since you've shown us yours, I'll show you mine ;-)

First, from outside, we keep the wood under cover next to the storage tank and near the window to the boiler room (in the dark, behind the white bucket). We keep a full season's wood under the deck, which has fiberglass panels to drain rainwater away from the woodpile.

Next, standing in front of the EKO in the boiler room. Wood is passed in through the window every week or two in season. The DHW tank is just to the right of the water softener, and there's a fantasy of copper comprising the DHW preheat / tempering valves and other connections to storage right outside the far wall.

Here's the EKO and the oil backup boiler. The bulk of the controls are mounted on the wall here. Variable speed drives for the EKO fan, circulator, and bypass circulator are visible at the bottom of the plywood panel. Note the tape over the EKO's onboard controller switch - I don't use it any more.

Finally, the on-demand propane heater and the remnants of the very earliest NoFossil Contol System. The blue board has all of the thermostat connections and several relays that are still in use, though actual control is all by the grey Vesta in the picture above. I've successfully avoided getting my hands into that rats-nest for almost ten years now ;-)