OAK install question, is it possible to go up the chimney with an OAK ?

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RiddleMasterMorgon

RiddleMasterMorgon

Member
Dec 5, 2010
143
Fingerlakes Region, NY
I want to have an OAK installed, but my dealer tells me that is not possible in my case because my chimney has no connection to the outside (its in the middle of the house and sourounded by dining rm, bedroom, hallway and living room) and they usually go straight out and do NOT go all the way up the chimney to draw air from there.

Is that reasonable ? I somehow thought I have seen chimney caps with two liners running down, one for exhaust and one smaller ID for air intake - but I might very well be wrong. Is an OAK always straight out ? Does is depend on the stove and what the fan can draw ? Is there a certain chimney height limit ?

Any thoughts very welcome, thx
 
Riddle Master Morgon said:
Is an OAK always straight out ?
Click to expand...

Nope, and you can go up.

I'll let an insert owner chime in with correct details.
 
Im using my chimney as an oak...doesn't seem to be an issue... I have a T at the bottom as well with a plug - I can pull the plug if I need to on super windy drafty days - but havent really had to do that...
 
I just had one installed earlier this month by my dealer using my chimney,
 
Your dealer is wrong. You can go all the way to the top with your OAK but your vent pipe has to terminate above it -- that is, they can't be next to each other. Your code/manufacturer will tell you what this distance is. Or you can do what I did which is run your vent to the top and terminate your OAK within your masonry flue. You have to have a special cap at the top of your chimney with a screen around the edge to let air in and your OAK has to be at least 4' below the exhaust vent. Mine is a Harman P35i insert and you can go online and read the installation manual that explains this.
 
Here's what I did on my insert. Drilled an additional hole (sized for the O.D. of the OAK tube) in the "corner" of the top chimney flange plate, ran the aluminum OAK flex pipe all the way up the chimney, thru the hole, out, up, and down, away from and below the exhaust vent outlet. Oriented upwind (prevailing wind) of the exhaust vent. Exhaust gasses won't enter it, neither will rain, unless everything turns upside-down!

Sealed up the gap between the OAK pipe and the top flashing.

Being flexible tubing, the end does move around slightly in heavy winds. I'll be looking for a way to strap the end to the chimney. Also plan to insert a coarse screen into the opening.
 

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Great, thanks everyone, I will have another discussion with my dealer about this.

The backgroundstory is that they did not install the OAK during the initial installation (but charged me for it), I just figured this out lately due to an issue with my stove and now would llike to have it installed as originally planned.

So the option is, either its not possible for some reason and thats why it did not happen to begin with and they just charged it by accident
or
they forgot about it during the initial install and now dont want all the extra work to install it right and rather refund me the portion of the original bill - which of course is much easier to do than coming out and monkeying around my chimney. at freezing weather.

I take the refund, but its not the ideal solutions. But it looks like it should be possible to install an OAK, so I will nag them about it a little bit more.
 
chamas said:
Here's what I did on my insert. Drilled an additional hole (sized for the O.D. of the OAK tube) in the "corner" of the top chimney flange plate, ran the aluminum OAK flex pipe all the way up the chimney, thru the hole, out, up, and down, away from and below the exhaust vent outlet. Oriented upwind (prevailing wind) of the exhaust vent. Exhaust gasses won't enter it, neither will rain, unless everything turns upside-down!

Sealed up the gap between the OAK pipe and the top flashing.

Being flexible tubing, the end does move around slightly in heavy winds. I'll be looking for a way to strap the end to the chimney. Also plan to insert a coarse screen into the opening.
Click to expand...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938731&pf_rd_i=507846

Someone on here used one of these instead of just having the flex up there. I still intend to do it to for my inside chimney. My owner's manuals both say that the OAK had to be 12" above or below the exhaust, not 4 feet. It does make good sense to put it upwind of the exhaust.
 
Nice workmanship smwilliamson!

What did you use to cut the hole in the cap for for the OAK? I dulled a few holesaws cutting thru mine. (see post #6 above) Apparently, SS is tough stuff!
 
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