The operation of heating devices, as well as the safety of residents of houses with stove heating, depend on the draft in the chimney. Troubleshooting will help you feel comfortable and confident in your home. You can increase or adjust the pressure indicator with your own hands.

Useful information about chimney draft

All residents of country or private city houses are familiar with the concept of chimney draft. Do they know the meaning of this term?

If we move a little away from dry scientific terminology, then draft can be defined as a natural phenomenon in which air moves from one area to another, namely, from an air zone with high pressure to a zone with low pressure. All this happens with the help of a ventilation device - a special channel in the chimney.

Using such a process of aerodynamics, mankind began to use fireplaces, stoves, boilers, heating their homes with the help of various types of fuel - coal, firewood, peat, etc.

With good draft, the stove quickly flares up and the room is filled with pleasant warmth.

From a properly designed and built chimney and, accordingly, from good draft depends:

• the quality of space heating;
• reduction of fuel costs;
• safety of being in buildings with their own heating.

What influences the size

There are three groups of factors that must be taken into account when constructing and inspecting a chimney.

House moments

A number of factors indoors can significantly affect the presence / absence of traction and its strength:

1. The material from which the building is built.
2. Average room temperature.
3. The maximum amount of air space in the dwelling.
4. The number of people permanently inside the dwelling.
5. The presence of internal sources that additionally consume oxygen (heaters, heaters, stoves, etc.).
6. The regularity of fresh air intake (ventilation, ventilation).

External factors

There are other factors that determine the draft of the chimney, and they are located outside the heated room. We are talking about the temperature of the external environment, atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind direction. Such a phenomenon as temperature changes during the day can also affect traction - due to the movement of cold and warm layers of air.

Difficulties with traction appear for various reasons, some can simply be overlooked. For example, problems with air escaping through a chimney can occur if the chimney is located well below the ridge of a building or tall nearby trees.

Features of the design of the chimney

The draft may be different depending on the design characteristics of the chimney:

• height;
• the presence of insulation;
• tightness;
• location (internal/external);
• length;
• presence / absence of irregularities or roughness, etc.

It is necessary and possible to control the traction in the room using the "levers" of the first and third factors (intra-house and design). Natural changes, of course, do not depend on man.

Keeping the draft in the chimney under control is a prerequisite for safe and comfortable living in your own premises. If the draft is very weak, then it is almost impossible to light the stove and heat the home.

With reverse thrust, the gases generated as a result of combustion are “thrown” into the living room, and not into the air through the pipe. This is very dangerous for human health and life!

It is impossible not to notice such atypical smoke behavior

With a very strong draft, all the heat is rapidly drawn out through the chimney channels to the outside, not having time to warm the heated room to the desired temperature.

Why does backlash occur?

Weak thrust can become the basis for the formation of reverse thrust. How can you recognize that traction is not all right?

This is “said” by moments that can be ascertained with the naked eye: a lot of smoke in the stove, soot on the door, incoming movement of smoke inside the house. In other words, smoke, cinder from combustible fuel does not go into the chimney through the chimney, but tends to get into the living room with the door open and through the cracks.

Causes of reverse thrust:

1. Design flaws in the chimney. Low pipe - increased risk of reverse thrust. The higher the pipe, the better the process of extracting exhaust gases and smoke. The optimum height of the pipe is about five meters.
2. Correspondence of the pipe diameter with the parameters of the furnace device. For a powerful furnace, a chimney with a pipe of a rather large cross section is required. But the measure is very important here, because using a pipe that is too wide will make the combustion process unprofitable (all the warm air will literally fly into the pipe). It is unacceptable to use several pipes with different sections in the chimney!
3. Use of non-smooth pipes. Irregularities, chips, roughness, etc. - an obstacle to good traction. Over time, the chimney opening may narrow due to soot deposits and other combustion elements and impede the process of kindling the stove, its normal functioning.
4. Violation / lack of ventilation. Drafts, open windows in rooms above the firebox do not help the process of fuel combustion, but distort it, making it useless and unsafe.

Chimney channels made of metal are in many ways inferior to brick pipes. Rapid heating and the same rapid cooling do not benefit the heating system in general and the chimney in particular.

Brick pipes are much more efficient in terms of smoke extraction.

Reverse thrust can also appear for objective reasons that do not depend on a person. Strong gusts of wind, rainy, overcast weather with high humidity are unfavorable moments in terms of traction problems.

There is such a term as temporary reverse thrust. What's this? In this case, it is worth talking about violations of traction temporary, for several days. After a certain period, traction returns to normal.

Temporary back draft can happen due to a cold room that has not been heated for a long time. Very cold air accumulated in the chimney pipe prevents the fuel from burning quickly. Therefore, smoke can be “pushed out” from the chimney into a dwelling, bathhouse or other room with a stove or fireplace.

It is very easy to eliminate cold air in the chimney - heat the pipes by burning ordinary newspapers, wallpaper, paper in the oven. The main thing is that these materials are well dried.

If problems with traction can be fixed constantly or with a certain frequency, then it is necessary to take measures to eliminate bad traction.

Strength test

Before you throw your energy into fighting bad traction, make sure that the traction really leaves much to be desired.

You can check the traction with the help of special devices or on your own. Simple ways to fix traction:

1. Light a paper sheet, let it burn a little. Bringing it to the stove or fireplace, extinguish the paper and observe the direction of the smoke. If it goes to the pipe - good traction, deviates in the opposite direction - reverse traction, if it maintains "straightness" - there is no traction. Similar manipulations can be done with thin cigarette or toilet paper without setting fire to it.
2. If there are smokers in the house, then follow the direction from cigarette smoke or from the flame of a match, lighter near a fireplace or stove. Draw conclusions in the same way as the first paragraph.
3. The flame of an ordinary candle can also help in determining the draft in a home.
4. A pocket mirror brought to the firebox and covered with condensate may indicate problems with removing smoke from the stove.
5. The presence of too much draft, which takes away useful heat from the room, is indicated by an audible hum in the stove - a loud hum.
6. The color of the fire in the furnace can be an indicator of different traction. Golden hue - good traction, white flame - excessive traction, red color and black smoke - poor traction, high probability of reverse thrust.

A regular lighter can help check the draft.

Anemometer is a device familiar to many people of the Soviet period. With this device, it was possible to measure the draft of the chimney. Readings within 10–20 Pa were considered normal. The disadvantages of the device are its low accuracy when the wind strength is less than one meter per second.

Such a simple device will help secure your life in a house with stove heating.

Modern industry offers a sufficient number of devices for measuring draft, there are devices that fix draft at the inlet and outlet of the chimney.

Troubleshooting

If you have stated problems with traction, then, of course, they need to be fixed as soon as possible.

The choice of means to deal with bad or reverse draft depends on the reasons that led to the abnormal operation of the chimney.

Pipe cleaning

One common method for improving traction is pipe cleaning. Fuel, burning in the furnace, releases various substances that settle on the inner surface of the chimney. Soot adheres well to pipes if they are uneven or bent.

When carrying out work, do not forget about safety measures

How to clean the chimney so that there is good draft?

First of all, acting purely mechanically. Chimney channels can be made wider by getting rid of plaque in the following ways:

1. After cooking about one bucket of potatoes, peel and cut them. Potato peels will work too. Throw a little into the furnace and wait. When burned, potatoes will release starch, which will become a tool that can soften soot formations. Soft pieces of soot will fall off on their own, and firmly adhering ones will have to be removed mechanically.
2. Aspen firewood. Heat the oven with two or three logs. They will heat up the chimney pipes very much and help get rid of soot. But this method requires special care, because the probability of a fire will be very high (soot may ignite).
3. Rock salt. This method is more suitable for prevention. Salt added at the time of burning improves the condition of the chimneys.
4. Pipe brush. A heavy load is attached to a brush suspended on a steel rope and lowered into the chimney openings. By lowering and raising this structure, it is possible to force soot formations to fly off the pipe walls and fall into the furnace. These fragments are then removed from the firebox.

The second group of anti-soot measures is based on the use of chemicals. The most popular chemicals for cleaning the chimney are Log Chimney Sweep, Kominichek. According to the instructions, chemicals are added to the coals formed during the burning of a stove or fireplace and continue to be heated. After all the fuel burns out, it is advisable to leave the coals, because they continue to “work” in terms of cleaning the chimney (at least, this is what the manufacturers advise).

Do not believe the spiteful critics who talk about the mandatory ignition of soot when using the chemical method. This method does not pose any danger, since the beneficial effect is due to chemical reactions, and not due to the ultra-high combustion temperatures of the reagent.

Special mention should be made of the observance of safety measures during all work related to the chimney. Do not fix chimney problems in windy weather! Try to use safety devices while working at height!

Structural Troubleshooting

If certain features of the chimney design are identified that adversely affect the traction force, adjustments should be made to eliminate them. Such actions should include:

• dismantling of several disparate pipes and installation of a single chimney channel;
• pipe superstructure on the roof to the required height;
• insulation of chimney elements, etc.

Arrangement of ventilation

In some cases, draft may improve if drafts are not allowed in the house or bath. To help with problems with traction, you can install ventilation devices on windows.

In the absence of the desired effect after all the above methods, modern devices should be adopted to improve draft in the chimney.

Installation of appliances

To improve the operation of the chimney, it is best to use special devices that allow you to regulate and control the draft. Such devices can be bought in a store or made by hand.

Special adjustment devices

Modern instrument makers have taken care of the release of special devices that regulate draft in the chimney:

1. Regulators. They are installed on the chimney outlet to normalize the draft in the heating system, and also as a means of influencing the heating efficiency.
2. Deflectors. Such devices are fixed on the chimney from the outside. The draft speed is improved due to the fact that the diameter of this device is much larger than the chimney pipe, and, therefore, a low pressure area appears in it when air flows around it.
3. Chimney flue. It is a special design that performs several functions at once: improves traction, protects the pipe from raindrops and snow whirlwinds. The operation of the device is similar to the operation of the deflector; the thrust speed is normalized due to a decrease in external air resistance.
4. Smoke fan. It is very popular among owners of houses with a heating system. An artificial air vortex is created inside the chimney due to the operation of the ventilation system, which requires electricity to connect. Compliance with all necessary safety measures is a prerequisite for the installation and operation of such a device to improve chimney draft.

All devices installed on the chimney pipe to improve draft require mandatory control, especially in winter. This is due to the fact that additional appliances attached to the chimney from the outside can clog, freeze (in winter) and thereby prevent the chimney from working properly. The blockage obtained "with the participation" of devices can cause back draft and the penetration of carbon monoxide into living quarters.

Do not forget to regularly inspect along with the chimney and devices that help increase traction.

Photo gallery: draft control devices

The most common device among users of stove heating Such a device is especially relevant for improving the operation of stoves and fireplaces. Useful and beautiful device By installing such a device, you can increase the performance of the entire heating system.

Self Troubleshooting

Let's try with our own hands to make the firebox process safe and efficient. The most common way to deal with the accumulation of soot in pipes is a brush with a sinker.

We clean the pipe with a brush

First, let's prepare everything you need:

1. Hard bristle brush. The diameter of this device is selected taking into account the cross section of the pipe (from fifty to three hundred millimeters).
2. Thin metal cable (can be replaced with a very strong rope or rope).
3. Weight for hanging to the brush.

This is what the device for cleaning the chimney pipe looks like

Do not start work if there is strong wind or excessive humidity outside. Try to think over and use reliable insurance to protect yourself from unforeseen events.

Ruff is weighted with a sinker, attaching it to the bottom of the device. The brush itself is hung on a cable. All fasteners must be especially reliable, otherwise the structure will fall apart and you will have to perform additional actions - to "fish" them out of the pipe.

First, they clean all the inspection holes in the chimney, and then they start cleaning the pipe itself. By making several movements up and down, you can get rid of the soot that will fall from the pipe into the furnace. It is best if someone else is near the oven to signal efficiency and when to stop working.

Finish cleaning the pipe should be when the soot stops pouring.

You can also clean the pipe with the help of improvised means, about which many videos have been shot.

Video: we clean the pipe with improvised means

Choice of devices for regulation

Consider some of the characteristic features and methods of using devices for controlling and adjusting thrust.

Such structures are installed on the chimney (in its very upper part) to create obstacles to air flows. The intensity of the wind force drops noticeably when it encounters such devices placed on a pipe. The smoke comes out through the channel "to the will" due to the ingress of weak air currents into the pipe. These flows "hook" the exhaust gases and "push" them out.

Deflectors eliminate the possibility of clogging the pipe, as well as tasteful, significantly improve the appearance of the entire building.

There are several types of deflectors:

• TsAGI;
• round Volpert;
• Grigorovich;
• in the form of a plate;
• in the form of the letter H;
• rotating;
• vane.

Almost all of these devices are made of stainless steel, in rare situations - of copper. Using brackets, clamps, bolts, sealing tape, the deflector is attached to the chimney pipe. Some devices are also equipped with additional functions: to extinguish sparks (to eliminate a possible roof fire), to control the temperature of the outgoing air (in this case, the sensor is triggered if hot air does not come out and there is a possibility of reverse draft).

The disadvantages of using deflectors are their minimal efficiency in calm weather.

Photo gallery: types of deflectors

The most common device for improving traction Such a device can be purchased in specialized stores. The choice of device depends on the design features of the pipes and your preferences.

Turbines installed at the top of the chimney use the energy potential of the wind. Air currents set in motion a rotary nozzle (it always moves in the same direction), and thus the air is rarefied near the chimney. The ingress of any foreign objects and precipitation into the chimney with a rotary pipe is completely excluded.

Rotary pipes have a big disadvantage, similar to the operation of the deflector. Their use on a calm day is ineffective.

If you do not have great abilities, buying such devices is not a problem.

Draft regulators

Such devices are a real find for residents of country houses, lovers of baths and fireplace gatherings. These devices are attached to the chimney of the boiler. They are equipped with a metal plate with a load that balances it on one side. When the draft is good, the metal plate does not prevent the free access of air to the chimney. With weak or reverse thrust, the metal plate serves as a kind of stupor.

The range limits for thrust are set by the consumer himself, the usual parameters are 10–35 Pa.

The device works completely autonomously, it does not require the supply of electric current.

How to increase traction with your own hands: homemade devices

Before you start building the deflector yourself, weigh your strength, review the available materials, and only then get down to business.

Drawings and diagrams

To create a deflector with your own hands, you need to use diagrams and drawings. You can use ready-made ones, presented in large numbers on the Internet, or you can do it yourself, based on the data of ready-made diagrams and drawings.

Photo gallery: ready-made traction instrument schemes

On the Internet you can find a good help for the construction of the device Carefully study the instrument diagrams and choose the one that suits you The diagram shows the device of this device for improving traction The diagram shows the components of this device

If you decide to check yourself and save money at the same time, arm yourself with measuring instruments to determine the inner diameter of the chimney. Depending on this value, it is possible, focusing on the table, to determine the necessary parameters for the height of the deflector and the width of the diffuser.

With an inner diameter of 120 mm, these parameters are 144/240, respectively, for a diameter of 140 mm - 168/280; if the internal section is 200, then 240/400; for a cross section of 400 mm, you will need a deflector height of -480 mm, and a diffuser width of 800 mm.

You can calculate the necessary parameters (for a specific pipe diameter) yourself, using simple calculations. To determine the width of the diffuser, the inner diameter of the pipe must be multiplied by 1.2; we consider the width of the umbrella for protection -1.7 x d; we find out the total height of the structure if we multiply the value of the internal section by 1.7.

Having received all the dimensions, we build drawings for more accurate cutting. We draw diagrams on a sheet of drawing paper or on the back of the remaining pieces of wallpaper.

It is best to build a drawing in full size. So that when cutting, simply attach the cut paper parts to the steel sheet and not recalculate the data taking into account the scale of the drawing.

We stock up on materials and tools

Everything must be prepared in advance so as not to be distracted during the work.

We need to make a deflector:

• galvanized sheet with a thickness of at least half a millimeter; stainless steel can also be used;
• metal scissors;
• drill with different drills;
• rivet setting device;
• hammer;
• pliers;
• clamps, nuts, bolts;
• marker (for transferring the drawing to a metal sheet).

preliminary stage

The preparatory work consists not only in drawing the details of the device, but also in cutting them out and trying them on. All paper elements are fastened with paper clips or a stapler and applied to each other. If everything fits, then you can carefully remove the bartacks and straighten the templates.

Do not neglect the process of creating a deflector, try to think about your safety. In order not to injure your hands and to protect your eyes, use gloves prepared in advance and special glasses.

Getting Started

So, everything is in place, you can start!

A step-by-step description of the sequence of actions will help you:

1. We transfer the parts cut out of paper to a galvanized sheet. We should get a development of the following elements: a cap, a diffuser, an outer cylinder and a rack.
2. Using metal scissors, carefully cut out all the components of the deflector. In places of cuts, the metal is bent with pliers to a half-millimeter thickness and “passed” with a hammer.
3. Diffuser, cap and cylinder blanks are rolled up and holes for fasteners are drilled (if bolts are used). Connections are made with rivets or bolts, in exceptional cases welding can be used (semi-automatic).
4. To fix the cap, we prepare 3-4 strips of metal. The dimensions of the strips are 6 by 20 cm. The strips, bent from the edges and tapped with a hammer, must be bent in the shape of the letter P. On the cap, five centimeters from the edge, drill 3–4 holes and fix the metal strips with bolts.
5. The other ends of the galvanized strips must be attached to the diffuser, thereby "looping" the cap and diffuser.
6. The resulting structure is inserted into the shell.

You can see the construction of the TsAGI deflector with your own hands in the video.

Video: do-it-yourself TsAGI deflector

Mounting the deflector

The first way is to climb onto the roof and, observing safety precautions, attach the device made to the chimney pipe.

You can make your job a little easier - attach the deflector to an additional pipe, which you then raise to the roof and insert into the main pipe.

We put the home-made device in place in a second, safer and more convenient way. We will need a piece of pipe with a slightly larger diameter than the chimney pipe. Stepping back from the edge of the cut pipe about fifteen centimeters, we mark and make holes, we perform the same manipulations on the wide part of the diffuser.

Large buildings also require the installation of draft control devices.

The process of self-adjusting traction is necessary in order to live and relax comfortably and safely in a house with stove heating. To do this, you can use different methods that are suitable for your chimney design: cleaning the pipe with a brush, “chemical cleaning furnace”, installing special devices. Traction control devices can be bought or made independently.