I have a draft occurring in my 2 story home, usually on windy days. The main floor is fine, but in the master bedroom on the second floor, there is cold air entering the room from the air return vent. It's not much, but noticeable. In the basement (which is finished), cold air is coming from the heat registers, quite noticeably, and when the furnace isn't running.
I've made sure that all the obvious sources for drafts are sealed (doors, windows, etc). The house is ~15 years old and the heating system is forced air.
Can anyone suggest where this air might be coming from?
Best Answer
Are you sure the air is coming from the return vent ductwork itself? It's not coming from the edges of the vent where the ductwork is attached to the vent?
I would hypothesize that on windy days, your attic is becoming pressurized by air entering via soffit vents or roof vents that are on the windy side of the house.
Air would need to escape to the lower pressure areas wherever possible. In theory, this would be vents on the downwind side of your house. But if there are air gaps where ductwork meets a vent or where a ceiling light fixture goes, those would also be ways to equalize the pressure.
If your attic were becoming pressurized like this, you'd probably notice a large gust of air coming from the attic if you opened the access door to your attic.