Fresh Air Vent
Q: I have a fairly new home built in 2004. I’ve noticed that my living room area is colder than the rest of the house. I always thought it was because of the patio door or maybe the vaulted ceilings and it’s a large room. There is a fireplace I never use. I just noticed today there is a draft coming through the bottom where the controls are and the tile around the bottom is ice cold. This explains why my toes are so cold when I sit on the couch and watch tv. Is there anything I can do about this? I might just put some kind of insulation sheet in front of the whole thing. thanks for your help – JP
A: JP, There is a couple of different sources that could be letting in cold air. If this is a direct vent fireplace that is mostly sealed off from access and “breaths” through tubes or pipes that go through your outside wall, then it is likely bad or no insulation around the gas lines or venting pipes. This can be remedied easily once you find the pipes. If this fireplace has a regular stack chimney and the hearth is accessible to you, it could be that the fireplace damper is clipped open or disabled in some way. Gas log fireplaces in most states have to have disabled or clipped open dampers due to fire code. The reason for this is the county doesn’t want you lighting a gas fireplace without opening the damper since this can start a fire or asphyxiate you and everyone in the home. Another possibility, in this case, could just be a worn out damper. There is a blog entry about this: http://www.chimneyballoonusa.com/blog/2007/01/welcome_to_the_.html If you find that the cold air source is coming from a disabled, or old and crusty damper and inexpensive insulation option is a Chimney Balloon. They can be bought through the manufacturer at http://www.chimneyballoon.us. They are an inflatable plug that stops air passage. Good luck finding the cold air entry point, I know from experience that cold drafts like that can be uncomfortable. – Jason