Anybody Vent Their Barometric Damper Into Basement??

Hello,

I've heated with a stoker in my basement for about a dozen years. Recently I've replaced the basement stoker with a nice new stove which I've installed in my living room. (I live up on a hill and have virtually no wind brakes for my home.) I've noticed that when the wind kicks up and the stove has to work really hard to keep my house warm (house has lots of air leaks), that the baro opens up and sucks the warm air right out of the house.

My question........ has anyone thought of ducting the baro damper from an upstairs living space to the basement???

Please anyone ...... pro's .... con's ...... opinions...... can it be done ..... would it be safe????

Thanks, Mike

The baro must be vented in the room with the stovepipe to maintain a proper draft. Venting outside or to another room/floor is asking for big trouble. If the wind is causing an overdraft you should probably look at a cap, diffuser or such for the chimney top.

I doubt that the barometric damper is sucking all of the heat right out of your house. It's impact would pail by comparison to the normal amount of air turnover that the house experiences.

The best draft in a home comes from the mid level of the home. That means it is the high pressure point of the home. If the basement is lower in pressure (as it likely will be) then you could back draft your stove to the basement via the diverted barometric damper and load it with CO. The basement could well compete with and against the chimney. I wouldn't do it.

mongoose, think of it this way,if there were no baro the draft would be pulling combustion chamber air @ say 500*+,with the baro it is only "stealing" air @ 70-80*,big spread in those numbers. I personally like the idea of giving up some 80* air to keep more of the 500* air.Just my $.0001 worth of an explanation ,hope it helps a little bit.

Excellent suggestion about the wind guard chimney cap. Focus on tightening up your home. Don't attempt any baro diversion to the basement. It's likely a recipe for disaster. I agree with Larry, the baro is using far less air than natural turnover in the house and shouldn't be considered part of the problem.