Wind factor

[Doctuh]

How much does wind play as a factor in chimney draft? It seems to me like somedays I need a damper on my chimney to get the fire blazing and other days I can leave the damper open and everything runs just fine. My father-in-law mentioned something about how windy days can play havoc on the draft. I'm trying to isolate factors to get a feeling on how to get my stove going the best. Is wind a big factor?

Hearthstone Homestead, two story brick chimney, approx 7x7 terracotta lined flue, 1 90 degree bend out of the stove into a two foot horizontal run into the chimney.

 

[begreen]

Yes, wind and outdoor temperature both affect draft. Also, the chimney and house location relative to surrounding hills, trees, etc. can affect draft.

 

[LLigetfa]

Wind can affect it in several ways. It can carry away heat, effectively cooling the masonry. Less heat, less draft. Adjacent structures can introduce turbulence that could make it draft better or worse. Wind can also affect the barometric pressure.

 

[kenny chaos]

My stove stalled out on me the other afternoon. I couldn't get the stove top over 250 degrees. The smoke was dropping right to the ground. The wife came home and said the neighbors stoves were all smoking bad and dropping to the ground. There was not a bit of wind but definitely some kind of low pressure system or something had settled in. It cleared up after a few hours. It happens a lot in the fall. Wind, real big or none at all, doesn't seem to affect my stove but other forces do.