Technical Papers

The Stack Effect Phenomena

Wednesday, September 13th, 2023 by Jack Purdon
The Stack Effect Phenomena:
 
The Stack Affect Phenomena - Image 1
 
Hot air rises, right? Well as warm air rises through your home, it will eventually leak out the roof. New air must enter to replace the air that escaped, so the home will pull in air from your basement/crawlspace. Imagine a pulling offensive lineman on a power run play coming from the deep depths of your basement to come knock you down. Scary isn't it? That is how strong and fast the air from your basement can reach your living spaces. In some older homes, air can move from the outside, to the basement, to the roof, and back outside again in less than an hour. That means these homes are wasting ridiculous amounts of energy on heating bills just to have their "controlled air" leave the home within less than an hour. The stack effect also creates problems because around 50% of the air you breathe on the first floor comes from the basement/crawlspace. If your basement/crawlspace is dirty and contains harmful elements, you will end up breathing it in.
 
We can help you fix problems associated with stacking effects by encapsulating your basement/crawlspace and ensuring we keep that dirty, cold air out from your home. These solutions will pay for themselves in the long run, and you will wish you had the work done earlier, just ask our customers!
 
Quick Test:
In the Winter, go into your basement and open a window a bit. Feel the cold air blasting at you?
 
Now go upstairs - to the second floor if you have one. Crack open a window an inch or so. You don't feel any cold air blasting in. Why not? Because warm air is blasting out.
 
With low air pressure on the lower levels, your house sucks on the ground, then blows air out of the upper levels due to a high air pressure.
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