have a down draft or negative
pressure. A flame which doesn't
seem to be directed away from or
towards the firebox may indicate a
marginal draft or a partially
obstructed chimney flue.
Do not light the fire in these
cases.
Instead, do the following:
1. Ensure that the fresh air supply
and the chimney damper are open.
2. Put a mirror in the chimney
cleanout and check that the chimney
is clear all the way to the top.
(Replace the clean-out door and
ensure that all clean-out doors are
tightly fitted or sealed.)
3. Check the previous list of possible
factors (on pg. 9) to see if there are
one or more causes which you can
quickly identify and correct.
4. Turn off exhaust fans in the home,
starting with the most powerful,
especially the down-draft cooking
range fan. These include furnace
fans, bathroom fans, workroom
exhaust fans, etc.
5. Remember also that an open
fireplace is a powerful exhaust
appliance. If another fireplace in the
house has a roaring fire, it may be
causing a negative pressure in other
areas of the home, especially on
lower floors. Wait for this fireplace to
burn down.
6. Close windows and doors on
floors above the Temp-Cast fireplace
and re-test the draft.
Although tedious, it makes the most
sense to try these steps one at a
time, re-testing the draft with the
lighted match after each one. If your
installation has several "problem"
factors listed at the beginning of this
section, then you may have to
patiently work through the list of
potential culprits to find the cause or
combination of causes that affects
your system.
If these measures do not create a
positive draft, an emergency
technique may be used.
Open the clean-out door and place a
small heat source in the base of the
chimney. A paint stripping gun, or
small butane torch works well for
this. (Some owners have
successfully burned one or two
tightly twisted sheets of newspaper
in the cleanout to "prime" the draft.
Care must be taken not to burn too
much paper at one time so that the
chimney is not subjected to "thermal
shock", which can damage the
chimney liners. Also, a strong down
draft could blow the burning paper
back into the room.)
After warming the chimney for
several minutes, remove the heat
source, tightly close the clean-out
door and test the draft at the fire
doors again.
If none of these measures produce a
sufficient draft, we suggest that you
consult a chimney sweep technician
who has been specially trained to
identify and correct draft problems.
REPLACEMENT AIR
If your system continually suffers
draft and smoke spillage problems, it
may benefit from a replacement air
device. Attached to your forced-air
ductwork, they draw fresh air, only
as required, from the outside, mix
the fresh air with hot air from the
furnace and distribute it through the
duct system. They are sized to the
air requirements of the home, work
whether the furnace is running or
not, and can prevent draft problems
caused by the stack effect and
negative pressure.
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