small kerosene space heaters

[zxcvbob]

It's a siphon thing. The heavy cold air is trying to fill the basement up to the ground level outside. The end of the stove pipe is about 6' below grade.

Bob

[Stormin Mormon]

With a lot of cold stack above the stove, it's easy to imagine having a cold down draft. I doubt that a draft inducer fan is possible. Between having uncertain combustion air, and cold down pressure, it's got to be hard to make the stove work.

[Van Chocstraw]

It's hot water baseboard wood boiler.

[Twayne]

That's not a problem with the stove and won't be overcome by anything that needs a chimney. The basic problem is that you have a negative relative air pressure in the basement, which pulls air IN through any opening that exists. Occupied quarters require a positive air pressure difference in order to push gases out, not pull them in. The solution could be as simple as giving that fireplace an opening to get outside air or as complex as a redesign of the whole house's venting system overall, or anything in between like a mislocation of the chimney w/r to prevailing winds and air deflection from the roof. With the info given and my small experience I couldn't hazard a guess, but I'll guess some here can. Or did? I'm not about to sort thru all those "me too" posts to see. At any rate, without a positive air differential, no chimney is going tooperate properly and another source wouldn't be the answer, depending on how stiff the backdraft is.

I'd be looking into the pressure differentials, especially if that negative is typical throughout the house, which is likely. Cooking smells must linger forever.

Twayne

Right; and a smoldering fire could kill everyone silently.

Perhaps, but every nook and cranny of the basement that passes any outside air at all will still be pulling in, and heating, cold air for no good reason.

Wick? I'd advise against that for anything you want to run for long periods of time. Lots of gases collection.

Propane or NG much better unless I misunderstand what you mean.

But ... what's to remove the combustion gases from the house? With negative pressure, nothing.

IMO anyway,

Twayne

[Oren]

Check out the price for fire wood :-/

[Steve B]

Kerosene $9 a gallon today at HD. $37 for 5 gallons.

Zowie!

[Steve B]

$4 a cord where I live.

[Red Green]

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in news:hhl0j4$d5p$ [e-mail]:

That was my experience.

Not suppose to let it run out. That's called burning the wick out to clean it of residue...so it doesn't develop smell while burning normally. Instructions tell you do do that. Instructions? They come with instructions?!

Haven't run one in 4-5 years. It was a buck.69 then.

Pets love 'em. Never had one complain about the smell.

[Chris Hill]

Under $3.50 at the local convenience store. Anybody buying it at Home Depot is an idiot.

[Phisherman]

Kerosene heaters stink and greatly increase risk of fire. They are not recommended--ask your local FD.