Woodstove Air Supply

Reader Contribution by John Gulland
Published on October 8, 2010

Should woodstoves and fireplaces have an outdoor air supply, or should they draw on indoor air? I’ve heard both.

Back in the 1980s, I was one of those people who promoted outdoor combustion air, but that was before anyone had seriously studied the issue. Since then, testing done under controlled conditions has shown no advantage, and has revealed some disadvantages. Nevertheless, some jurisdictions require outdoor combustion air supplies.

Three reasons are often given for supplying outdoor air:

• To prevent the wood heater from “starving for air” in a tight house

• To prevent depressurization of the dwelling that might affect other fuelburning devices

• To save energy by not using warmed room air for combustion

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