BK Princess OAK

[DonTee]

I ordered a PE32 and am waiting for it to come in. Actually the dealer has the stove, but had to order the pedestal. Anyways, they’re saying I have to have an OAK per code. My building inspector did not mention that was required. My current stove that he inspected last winter (2021) does not have an OAK and he was happy with the install.

The dealer wants 229$ for the BK OAK. If the Princess is anything like my VC Encore I have now, the OAK would just be a piece of metal duct to the back of the stove and out the wall. Even with the vent cover outside it’s like 30$ in parts.
Can anyone with a Princess, or @BKVP verify what I need for an OAK. Or is the dealer just trying to sell me something else.

If it’s recommended I have one for this stove, and I can build it out of common ducting, I’d like to do that.

 

[marty319]

Cannot speak for bk but the oak for my osburn was ridiculous as well.i went through bedroom wall then down crawlspace to side wall,used the flexible dryer vent,used all last winter and worked well.maybe 30 in parts.

 

[DonTee]

I got the metal duct to do an OAK for my Vermont Castings encore, but once I figured out I wasn’t keeping it I decided to hold off on installing it.

The stove is right next to an exterior wall in my house. It’s just a few feet of duct to go from the stove to outside.

I guess I don’t have any issue with whether the OAK is code or not. Even though I think the dealer is BSing me. I just don’t want to pay over 200$ for the OAK if I can use parts I already have.

 

[BKVP]

Can you PM me contact info and I'll get into the code issue ASAP.

BKVP

 

[DonTee]

PM sent. Thanks.

 

[Diabel]

How tight/well insulated is your house? That will really determine if you need/want oak.

 

[Ashful]

How tight/well insulated is your house? That will really determine if you need/want oak.

Very tight house, you may need one. But I cannot think of any house, no matter how "loose", that would not hugely benefit from an OAK.

With 60 windows and 10 exterior doors, I have no issues with make-up air. But the far corners of my house would undoubtedly stay warmer, if I weren't drawing make-up air for two stoves through those many tiny window and door gaps.

 

[DonTee]

The house is newer and pretty tight. I most likely could benefit from the OAK, and if BK recommends I should install one I will. But that’s different from being required to install one by code.

I guess I would have taken it differently if the dealer had told me it was recommended. But they said it was required. I don’t think it is.
Anyways, I’m going to get the plate for the back of the stove that adapts it to a 3” duct. The run from the stove to outside air is less than 3’.
The plate costs 38$ instead of 229$. I already have the ducting and vent trim piece for the outside of the house that I need.

 

[marty319]

I think oak is only mandatory in mobile homes,at least here in canada.

 

[DonTee]

Yeah I looked up the OAK they wanted me to buy and it’s labeled as a mobile home kit. It’s part number Z1726B

 

[begreen]

In Washington State there is a requirement for an OAK in all installations in newly constructed homes.

This is a very old, but frequent topic here.

Outside Air Kits, Do you recommend them?

Recently, i have had lots of inquries about outside air kits, i know this has been discussed before, but i thought i would rekindle the discussion. Its my view, that they can be dangerous, expecially in a situation of a poor drafting chimney. I have had customers tell me that they have had smoke...

www.hearth.com

 

[DonTee]

I should look online to see if they changed it for NY. All the code books I have are at least 5 years old. I think as of 2021 it wasn’t required here, but not sure about 2022.

 

[Highbeam]

The oak was required here in Washington for my princess installation in an existing home. No problem, I think it’s a great idea. I think I got suckered into paying for the whole “kit” but all I used was the plate with the nipple.

 

[DonTee]

This is in my 2010 code book for NY. But I don’t think this would cover woodstoves. Or would it?

 

[DonTee]

I got an update from the dealer on the stove coming in. He said it should be by the end of July. Actually it’s the pedestal and fan that are coming in. He already has the stove in stock.
I’m excited to get it setup ASAP, so it will be ready for wood burning season.

Once I get the stove in the house I’ll use the existing parts I have to make an OAK for it.

Are you guys with OAKs putting any type of insulation around it? Rockwool wrap?

 

[BKVP]

Mine is not insulated. Total length is only 39".

 

[Ashful]

Nothing to add, other than to say each of these OAK threads makes me wish I had one on each of my stoves.

 

[bholler]

Nothing to add, other than to say each of these OAK threads makes me wish I had one on each of my stoves.

I didn't see any difference really when I hooked up one

 

[DonTee]

I’ve heard people talk about getting frost on their OAK. Maybe they had a longer one though. Mine will be right behind the woodstove, and short.

 

[BKVP]

I think I have posted this before...

Years ago with my King 1102 and King 1107, I could feel a cold draft moving towards the stove when I was laying in front of my stove. Once I added to OAK to my 1107, that draft disappeared entirely. When I modified my hearth and put a King 40 on the hearth, I ran the stove for 2 days with the OAK not connected. That draft was back! So, I reconnected it and never felt it again.

I do know that in the interior of AK, they do not favor the OAK kits for the same reason cited above, frost. The same hold true for pellet stoves where the air intake, connected to outside air can freeze up as well.

 

[begreen]

A cold air trap on the insulated outside air duct is recommended by some ZC fireplace manufacturers for cold climate installs.

 

[DonTee]

Fortunately we don’t get as cold as AK up here in NY. I was just thinking about total insulation efficiency. We go through all this trouble to insulate the house and put up a vapor barrier etc, but yet have a piece of thin wall metal tubing running from the outside to the inside. I think about the same thing with my dryer duct.
I’ll put the OAK in and shoot it with my IR thermometer this winter to see how cold the surface gets.

Interesting about the cold air trap. Kind of like an upside down sink P-trap.

I can only imagine all the places air is getting sucked into the house when the stove is running. And it’s even worse with the stove and dryer running. I actually noticed a performance decrease on my wood stove last year when the dryer was on. Many times I couldn’t get the temp I wanted, or not as quickly.

 

[begreen]

Fortunately we don’t get as cold as AK up here in NY. I was just thinking about total insulation efficiency. We go through all this trouble to insulate the house and put up a vapor barrier etc, but yet have a piece of thin wall metal tubing running from the outside to the inside. I think about the same thing with my dryer duct.
I’ll put the OAK in and shoot it with my IR thermometer this winter to see how cold the surface gets.

Interesting about the cold air trap. Kind of like an upside down sink P-trap.

I can only imagine all the places air is getting sucked into the house when the stove is running. And it’s even worse with the stove and dryer running. I actually noticed a performance decrease on my wood stove last year when the dryer was on. Many times I couldn’t get the temp I wanted, or not as quickly.

When I lived there upstate NY could get pretty cold. Sub-zero temps were not that uncommon.

 

[DonTee]

It’s cold for sure, but I think they get colder and for longer in Alaska. I remember last winter someone saying it was -30 in AK. Now that’s cold!

I should’ve recorded the days we got below zero last winter. Maybe I’ll think about it this winter.
The lowest low was -15 at my house.

 

[DonTee]

Whereabouts did you live in NY @begreen? I’m over by the tug hill plateau, about 15 miles inland of Lake Ontario.