Stack Effect

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-026510",
  "term": "Stack Effect",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. Air, as in a chimney, that moves upward because it is warmer than the ambient atmosphere.\n\n2. Flow of air resulting from warm air rising, creating a positive pressure area at the top of a building and negative pressure area at the bottom. This effect can overpower the mechanical system and disrupt building ventilation and air circulation.\n\n3. The overall upward movement of air inside a building that results from heated air rising and escaping through openings in the building super structure, thus causing an indoor pressure level lower than that in the soil gas beneath or surrounding the building foundation.\n\n4. Pressure-driven airflow produced by convection as heated air rises, creating a positive pressure area at the top of a building and a negative pressure area at the bottom of a building. The stack effect can overpower the mechanical system and disrupt ventilation and circulation in a building.\n\n5. Overall upward movement of air inside a building that results from heated air rising and escaping through openings in the building super structure, thus causing an indoor pressure level lower than that in the soil gas beneath or surrounding the building foundation.",
  "subject": "Air",
  "references": [
    "Terms of Environment",
    "Indoor Air Quality Glossary",
    "I-BEAM Glossary of Terms"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/stack-effect/"
}