Louvered Doors & Air Flow

In homes where there are small Combustion Appliance Zones (also known as CAZ's), it is imperative that there is enough free air to keep all of the appliances running should they be turned on simultaneously. Appliances that fit this description are furnaces, water heaters and dryers. Each one of these takes in air to maintain the appliance's operation.

As a weatherization professional, it is imperative that we address this issue - for we are tightening the house to a point where if all of the appliances were running at the same time AND the area that they are located is small - there is a high chance that the appliance will backdraft. What is a backdraft?

A backdraft is a flame that is a sweep of air backwards; also, a condition in a fire where oxygen is depleted and the fire dies down until a door is opened and the fire flares violently from the intake of oxygen.

So you can see that if there is not enough air in a room, the fire will search out air - and this could cause a large potential problem.

A solution that is used quite often is the installation of a louvered door. This allows air to be naturally pulled from an adjoining room. Quite a few people state that they would just remove the door - however we need to take every precaution when weatherizing so that a family that purchases this home down the road does not install a door and go "poof." Poof, a fun word to use in a sentence...