Air flows through the heater core to warm it up. Assuming the heater core is circulating water from the radiator, the problem is usually with the blend doors. These doors regulate air flow through the heater core and when they break, they usually block the input into the heater core and kill the heat. Check heatertreater.net for diagnostic information and an inexpensive fix.
It gets warmer and warm air always rises.
If there is no fan to pull the air in, fresh air must come into a convector heater from below. It is drawn in because the air heated by the heating element is warmer and therefore lighter than the colder air below it. So the warmer air rises to leave the convector heater from the top.
The Grand Cherokee is notorious for failures of the air flow control. However the Cherokee has the same basic problem. The blend door has a tendency to break, killing control over air flow through the heater core. The fix is fairly simple with the kit from HeaterTreater. Check the product at heatertreater.net.
One of the reasons a 2000 Jeep Cherokee heater would randomly blow cold air and then hot air and then cold might be that there is a problem with the hot/cold duct. The air or a vent might be inadvertently blowing periodically.
blend door failure is a common problem on 97+ Jeep Cherokee
normal fans can't because they make the air go so fast that it is cold, to get warmer you need to buy a specialist fan or heater :) Warm air in heater and blower fan is produced by a an electric heater installed inside which gets hot and this hot air is blown out by the fan
That sounds like a blend door problem.
Did you check the thermostat? If so, try the heater core. check the air mix door in the heater it may be stuck and letting outside air in
jack the front end up and support it then remove one of the heater hoses
Blend door probably broke inside the HVAC box.
This has much to do with how the air conditioner and the heater is vented. If the air conditioner draws its air from outside it could be picking up air / smell of smoke from the other family and then redistributing it into your home. A heater on the other had usually has a heater input vent within the house it is heating (it draws the interior air in and then heats it blowing it back out) as the air within the home will be significantly warmer than the exterior air.
I would think in warmer Air....