Well, I've been playing in the snow the last few days, and it's finally raining, so it's time to put my head back into my projects. As per my other RMH thread, I'm working on designing a system for my house, and my original plan includes a fresh air supply to the firebox from outside. I've read some recent posting around the web on this idea, and would love to see some more discussion on this concept.
I haven't heard any significant negatives, other than safety concerns, which are easily nullified with good design. The advantages I can see:
1. The warm air stays inside the house
2. The ability to close off the firebox from the main house to eliminate smoke back. MAJOR BENEFIT in my opinion.
3. Better control over airflow.
4. The ability to preheat the incoming air via intake design. i.e. routed close to warm exhaust.
Disadvantages:
1. I honestly can't think of any, other than a little added difficulty in the design/install.
I've got some ideas I'll expand upon, but does anyone have any input, something I'm missing, etc?