The Stack Effect

The "stack effect" is when warm air moves upwards in a house. This happens in summer and winter.  Warm air rises - because it's lighter than cold air. So when it rises, what happens? It escapes out of the upper levels of our homes. But we can't create a vacuum in our homes, so when air escapes, new air has to come in to replace the air that escaped. Where does the new air enter the house? ...at the lower levels, through crawl space vents and up from the earth. The stack effect actually causes your house to suck on the ground.

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