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How Wind Affects Chimney Performance
Aerodynamic effects are complicated but being aware of
them helps in diagnosing venting problems
Air is a fluid that has weight, so when it gets moving it exerts pressure on anything that gets in
its way. If you have experienced a fifty mile per hour wind, you know all about it. Just like water,
air flows in eddies and currents when it gets turbulent, as it does flowing around obstacles. The
fact that air is invisible makes diagnosing wind-induced venting failure mostly guesswork, but
there is some science that provides guidance.

The higher the velocity of air flowing over a surface, the lower
the pressure it exerts.The higher the velocity of a stream of air, the lower is the pressure that it

exerts on the surface it is flowing over. It is this principle that gives an airplane wing its lift. For
the same reason, wind flowing over the top of a chimney can increase draft by producing a
driving pressure that assists in pulling exhaust gases from the chimney.
Despite the fact that wind flowing over a chimney can produce a driving pressure, it cannot be
depended upon for appliance performance because it is variable and unpredictable. The only
dependable driving pressure in a chimney operating on natural draft is produced by
temperature difference.

Wind can force exhaust back down a chimney without a

cap.For example, wind can often flow down towards the top of a chimney after passing over an

obstacle like a roof, adjacent building or trees. Wind may also approach the top of a chimney
from below after flowing up a roofline to a chimney penetrating the peak. Wind tunnel testing
has demonstrated that wind flowing from either above or below the chimney top can be adverse
to upward flow by creating positive pressure at the top of the chimney.
Note that the thick black line in this and the other house drawings on this page is the building
envelope, which contains the insulation and vapor barrier that encloses the warm spaces of the
house.

Less
obvious is that wind approaching from below can also cause
positive pressure at the top of the chimney.
Wind
approaching the open top of a chimney from above can
cause positive pressure in the flue.

A chimney with no cap is the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of wind. A cap, particularly

one that has baffles to prevent direct line of sight access to the opening (as opposed to a simple
flat rain cap) provides significant protection from the adverse effects of wind. In fact, research
has shown that caps with baffles (of the sort common on factory-built chimneys) can actually
enhance draft regardless of wind direction.

This kind of cap can take adverse winds and convert

them to upward flow in the chimney.The cap shown at right is the type of design common on

factory-built
chimneys. Note that the baffle, in the form of a band between the cap and the skirt at the base of
the cap, prevents direct access of the wind to the open top of the chimney. This simple design
consistently produces a driving pressure at the top of the chimney, regardless of wind direction
or speed.
Adverse pressure can also occur when the top of the chimney is in a positive pressure zone
caused by the velocity pressure of the wind as it flows against a raised part of the building
behind the chimney (below). This is one case in which adding to the height of the chimney may
help to resolve a wind-related venting problem.

Hearths installed in single story

sections of two story houses almost always perform badly.

Adding height to this chimney could get its top above the positive pressure zone and also make it
higher than the second floor ceiling.
Some caution is warranted when diagnosing what may appear to be wind-induced venting
failure, particularly when the chimney already has a suitable cap. For example, the householder
might report the intermittent puffing of smoke from the appliance that occurs only on windy
days. The pulsing effect of wind gusts clearly plays a role in this type of smoke puffing, but is it
the only cause? Other contributing factors could be low flue gas temperature due to fire
smoldering, an outside chimney, or a chimney that is shorter than the building envelope as in
the illustration above.
Often, wind gusts simply cause a vulnerable system that borders on failure to spill the distinctive
puff of smoke that implies wind-induced downdraft. At one time or other, most chimney sweeps
and technicians have recommended the installation of a specialized "anti-downdraft" chimney
cap only to find that it did not cure the problem. Adverse pressure caused by wind acting on the
chimney top is rarely the only cause of a venting problem. Nevertheless, chimneys in locations
such as the one above may be susceptible to wind-induced failure, partly because they were
failure-prone to begin with.

The Neutral Pressure Plane

Wind causes pressure changes inside

as well as outside a house. This drawing is simplified; the real world is much messier and harder to
predict.In cold weather the buoyancy of the warm air in a house causes a slight pressure

difference from the highest to the lowest point. The pressure high in the house is positive
relative to atmospheric pressure and it is negative low in the house. Between the high and low
pressure areas is a zone of neutral pressure called the neutral pressure plane. When the air is
calm, the NPP is roughly horizontal. The idea of the NPP and its likely position under various
conditions can be useful in describing what happens to pressures inside a house in windy
weather.
The force of wind blowing around a house produces a positive pressure zone on the windward
side and a negative pressure zone on the downwind side. These pressures act on the leaks in the
envelope, causing air flow through them and changing the pressures within the house. These
pressure changes are best illustrated by looking at their effect on the position of the neutral
pressure plane. The NPP can tilt away from the horizontal, but no illustration can properly
convey the ragged, messy shape that the zone of neutral pressure can be distorted into by wind
effects. Perhaps the best way to visualize the wind-induced pressure variations in a house is to
compare the NPP to the surface of rough water. The plane of neutral pressure will have waves,
curves, peaks and valleys responding to the aerodynamic influences around the building
envelope. This understanding renders inherently inaccurate any simple attempt to define and
illustrate the position of the NPP under windy conditions.
In strong winds, the pressures experienced by the building envelope can be very powerful
several times the normal pressures produced in chimneys through natural draft. In gusting
winds, the pressures and position of the NPP are in constant change, further complicating the
diagnostic process.

If the majority of leaks in a house are

on the downwind side, the whole house can be severely depressurized. The design and setting of a

house can influence the pressure environment inside during high winds. Imagine that the house
on the left backs onto an attractive ravine and that the architect located most of the windows to
take advantage of the view. The majority of leaks in the envelope could be on the exposed twostorey section. When a strong wind blows from the front of the house, the entire interior could
be placed under negative pressure. This effect could have disastrous consequences for a hearth
system installed inside.
The effects of wind acting on leaks in the building envelope can cause wild fluctuations of the
pressure inside. An open window on the downwind side can cause the pressure inside to become
extremely negative. Likewise, an open window on the windward side can pressurize the house.
This effect can help to explain many venting failures of wood heating systems and illustrates the
importance of looking at the whole house, and not just the top of the chimney, when diagnosing
venting failures. That is, wind acting on the building envelope can cause smoke to be sucked out
of a stove or fireplace due to negative pressure in the house.

Top view: As wind flows around

a house, it is more likely to depressurize than to pressurize the inside because of aerodynamic effects.

The effect of wind on the pressures around and inside a building are complex and unpredictable.
In general, however, the leakier the building, the more pronounced and immediate is the effect
on pressures inside. The unpredictable effects of wind pressure is one reason why the
installation of a specialized chimney cap may not cure a venting problem. The pressure changes
inside the house may be either driving or adverse to the desired flow of exhaust gases up the
chimney.
The illustration to the left shows why wind is more likely to depressurize than pressurize a house
as it flows around it. The air flowing parallel to the sides of the house exerts a pressure lower
than atmospheric pressure on the house surfaces. Combined with the negative pressure zone on
the downwind side, this means that three of the four sides are likely to experience negative
pressure. This is a simplified example. In reality, aerodynamic effects are more complex than
this.
Building codes call for the chimney project at least three feet above the highest point at which it
touches the roof and that its top must be two feet higher than any roofline or obstacle within a
horizontal distance of ten feet. Like all building code provisions, these are the minimums
allowable and may need to be exceeded in order to meet performance objectives.
Although the effects of wind are unpredictable, one thing is abundantly clear: wood heater and
chimney systems of good design are highly resistant to wind-induced venting failure. A chimney
that is installed inside the envelope, that penetrates the roof near the peak and that has a baffled
cap is unlikely to be negatively affected by wind.
JG
Efektet aerodinamike jan t komplikuara, por duke qen n dijeni t tyre ndihmon
n diagnostikimin e problemeve venting

Air sht nj lng q ka pesh, kshtu q kur ajo merr lviz ajo ushtron presion mbi
do gj q merr n rrugn e saj. Nse keni prjetuar nj milje pesdhjet per era
or, ju e dini t gjitha n lidhje me t. Ashtu si uji, ajri rrjedh n eddies dhe rryma,
kur ajo merr trazuar, si ajo do t rrjedhin rreth pengesave. Fakti se ajrit sht e
padukshme e bn diagnostikimin e ers e shkaktuar dshtimin venting kryesisht
supozim, por ka disa shkenca q ofron udhzime.

Img1-chmopentop
Sa m i lart shpejtsia e ajrit rrjedh mbi nj siprfaqe, t ult presioni q ushtron.
Sa m i lart shpejtsia e nj rrym e ajrit, aq m e ult sht presioni q ushtron
n siprfaqe sht rrjedh mbi. sht ky parim q i jep nj krah aeroplan ashensor
saj. Pr t njjtn arsye, era rrjedh mbi krye t nj oxhak mund t rris draftin duke
prodhuar nj presion t makins q ndihmon n trheqjen gazrat nga oxhaku.

Prkundr faktit se era rrjedh mbi nj oxhak mund t prodhoj nj presion t

makins, ajo nuk mund t mbshtetesh pr performancn e pajisjes, sepse ajo
sht e ndryshueshme dhe t paparashikueshme. vetm presioni lvizse
besueshm n nj oxhak q veprojn n draft natyrore sht prodhuar nga
ndryshimi i temperaturs.

Img2-chmopentopwind
Wind mund t detyroj shter prsri posht n oxhak pa nj kapak.
Pr shembull, era shpesh mund t rrjedhin posht n drejtim t krye t nj oxhak
pas kalimit mbi nj penges si nj ati, ndrtes ngjitur apo pem. Wind mund t
qasen n krye t oxhakut nga posht, pasi rrjedh nj roofline n nj oxhak hyn n
thellsi kulmin. Wind testimi Tuneli ka treguar se era q rrjedhin nga ose m lart ose
m posht oxhak krye mund t jet i pafavorshm pr rrjedhjen e lart, duke krijuar
presion pozitiv n krye t oxhakut.

Vini re se vija t trasha i zi n kt dhe vizatimet e tjera shtpi n kt faqe sht

ndrtimi zarf, e cila prmban izolimin dhe avullit penges q sht br pr
hapsirat e ngrohta t shtpis.

Img3-chmwindown
Wind afrohet n krye t hapur e nj oxhak nga lart mund t shkaktoj presion
pozitiv n gripit.
Img4-chmwindup
M pak e qart sht se afrohet nga posht ers mund t shkaktoj presion pozitiv
n krye t oxhakut.

Nj oxhak pa kapak sht m e ndjeshme ndaj efekteve negative t ers. Nj

kapak, sidomos ajo q ka baffles pr t parandaluar linj t drejtprdrejt t aksesit
t shikimit t hapjes (n krahasim me nj kapak t thjesht t shesht shi) siguron
mbrojtje t rndsishme nga efektet negative t ers. N fakt, hulumtimi ka treguar
se kapele me baffles (t llojit t prbashkt n fabrik t ndrtuar oxhaqe) n fakt
mund t rris projekt pa marr parasysh drejtimin e ers.

Img5-windcap
Ky lloj i cap mund t marr errat negative dhe konvertimin e tyre n rrjedhn e lart
n oxhak.
Kapak treguar n t djatht sht lloji i dizajnit t zakonshme n fabrika-ndertuar
oxhaqe. Shnim qe prish planet, n formn e nj grupi ndrmjet kapak dhe skaj n
bazn e cap, parandalon akses direkt e ers n maj t hapur t oxhak. Ky dizajn i
thjesht vazhdimisht prodhon nj presion ngarje n krye t oxhakut, pa marr
parasysh drejtimin e ers apo shpejtsia.

presioni negativ mund t ndodh edhe kur maja e oxhakut sht n nj zon me
presion pozitiv t shkaktuara nga presioni shpejtsis s ers, si ajo rrjedh kundr
nj pjese t ngritur t ndrtess pas oxhaku (m posht). Ky sht nj rast n t
cilin shtuar n kulmin e oxhakut mund t ndihmoj pr t zgjidhur nj problem
venting ers lidhura.

Img6-wind2level

Vatrat instaluar n seksionet e vetme histori e dy shtpive histori pothuajse

gjithmon t kryer keq.

Shtimi lartsi t ktij oxhaku mund t marr majn e saj lart n zonn pozitive
presion dhe t bj at t lart se tavani katin e dyt.

Disa duhet pasur kujdes kur diagnostikimin at q mund t duket t jet era e
shkaktuar dshtimin venting, veanrisht kur oxhak tashm ka nj kapak t
prshtatshm. Pr shembull, i zoti i shtpis mund t raportoj puffing prhershme
e tymit nga pajisja q ndodh vetm n ditt me er. Efekti pulsing e gusts ers luan
n mnyr t qart nj rol n kt lloj t puffing tymi, por sht shkaku i vetm?
Faktor t tjer q kontribuojn mund t jet n temperatur t ult gripit t gazit

pr shkak t digjet n vetvete e zjarrit, nj oxhak jasht, ose nj oxhak q sht m

e shkurtr se ndrtimit zarf si n ilustrim m sipr.

Shpesh, gusts era thjesht t shkaktoj nj sistem t pambrojtur se kufijt n

dshtimin pr t prhapen me duhm e tymit t veant q nnkupton downdraft
era-i detyruar. N nj koh apo tjetr, shumica e bastisjeve oxhak dhe teknik kan
rekomanduar instalimin e nj "anti-downdraft" kapak specializuar oxhak vetm pr
t gjetur se ajo nuk ka t kuruar problemin. presioni negativ i shkaktuar nga era
vepruar n oxhak krye rrall sht shkaku i vetm i nj problemi venting.
Megjithat, oxhaqet n vende t tilla si ai m sipr mund t jen t ndjeshm
dshtimi pr t era-nxiti, pjesrisht pr shkak se ato ishin dshtimi i prirur pr t
filluar me.