How-To: Install a stove in a direct vent application

[smwilliamson]

For all you DIY'ers out there please take note on a few things for direct-vent applications. For those who do not know, Direct vent is basically installing out through an exterior wall, with or without an outside air connection.

1. If you are a homeowner doing the install yourself, put a call in to your local building department or other authority and ask them what paperwork you need to fill out and what they will be looking for when they inspect it.
2. Never start an installation until you have all of the venting, hearth pad and the stove onsite.
3. READ YOUR INSTALLATION MANUAL FRONT TO BACK A FEW TIMES OVER A FEW DAYS. If you know what stove you are going to get, go online, print out the manual and read it while your saving your pennies or waiting for delivery of your purchase.
4. Choose your hearth placement carefully. Take a few pictures from inside and outside, print em up and draw it out. Make a sketch or two of how you envision the installation.
5. Interior things to consider: A) The hearth pad or other non-combustible material under the hearth must extend beyond the left, right, rear and front side of the stove per the UL listing on the stove; B) Combustible materials such as wall board, trim, furniture, drape etc.. must not be closer to the stove's left, right and rear side than the UL listing's recommended minimum distance and there should be at least 3 feet distance horizontally from the front.
6. Exterior things to consider: A) Your venting termination needs to be at least 4 feet from any opening door or window unless the installation manual will allow for a reduction with the use of an outside air kit. Not all do. Some require the kit and still give no reduction.
7. DO NOT INSTALL IN AN ALCOVE OR ZERO CLEARANCE APPLICATION UNLESS THE UL LISTING PERMITS IT. ALL STOVE VARY AND SOME ARE NOT LISTED AS SUCH.
8. When positioning you stove inside the house for a direct out application (no interior rise), do a dry run (set the stove on the hearth) at the minimum distance allowed by the manufacturer. Look good? Now, can you get behind the machine to make the connections to the vent? No? Well then you may want to move it off the wall a touch. Personally, I like to have my units at least 9" from the wall so I can get behind the stove with tools if needed. Most thimbles (wall pass through fire stops) will require a circle or square to be cut that is 7-10 inches wide. If you have a stove with a very low take-off, make sure it clears any low obstructions such as baseboards or baseboard heaters. Additionally, make sure your hole will clear hidden obstacles too, such as studs or wiring.
9. Now that you have found where you want the stove, attach a short vent pipe to the stove if your are going straight out or fabricate ALL of the interior pipes if you are going up and out and then back the stove up until your pipes meet the wall flush. Circle the pipe with a pencil on the wall, this is where your vent is going out. Use an arbor drill level to make your inside and outside center hole.
10. Get busy and fashion out the hole that your thimble requires. A slightly bigger hole than you need (1/4") will make your life easier. When the hole is cut and clean, attach your thimble through the wall. Place a length of pipe through the thimble and then admire your work.
11. Clean up inside and then go outside to make all of the required vent connections.
12. When your outside venting is complete, head back inside and connect the stove. Before you seal, or affix the interior venting, make sure your hearth, stove and vent are aligned properly, then seal the connections.
13. Add pellets. Clean the stove. Remove fingerprints from trim metals and glass. Remove and combustible material from the fire box such as literature,Plug her in and start her up.

 

[Lousyweather]

1. we drill completely through the wall once the center of pipe has been found- gives you a starting point outside. Also use a thimble template with a hole in the center- this allows you to precisely align the template to the hole in the wall.....seems to work well.....

2. When cutting out the interor wall coverings, be sure to make a shallow cut, as you never know what you'll run into in the wall (wires, plumbing, etc).... a deep cut guarantees at a minimum to make your installation a few hours longer if you dont be careful.

3. make sure there is power for the stove within reach of the power cord for the stove

4. dont mix different brands of pipe....they generally dont mate up well

5. seal all joints, particularly where the pipe weets the stove

6. on initial startup, check for leaks with a flashlight- pay particular attention to where the pipe meets the stove


Great post Scott....!

 

[mepellet]

Another thing to add about the hearth pad is to make sure that it is the correct type for your stove. (Ember or Thermal protection)

 

[Don2222]

Hi Scott

Interesting that you like 9 inches to the back of the unit for an install. I found that if the exhaust pipe goes strait thru the wall and up the outside of the house, then the back of the unit can be 3" to 4" from the wall. However if the vertical rise is in the house or building, then 8.5" to 9" is needed when using the proper standoffs to support the vertical venting. So does this mean that in most of your installations, you are installing inside vertical venting? I hear the draft is much better and the pipes do not get clogged with pellet ash as easily? Also do you prefer 3" or 4" venting? I have seen many dealer installs that have a 3" to 4" strove adapter and use all 4" venting. Much more costly. However less back pressure, so sealing the joints is not as critical.

 

[smwilliamson]

No, it means I like enough room to get my drill in behind the stove to connect and disconnect the venting without having to bend the venting and scratch the hell out of the hearth pad just to make a visual inspection of the venting every year when I come back to clean it.

 

[Don2222]

No, it means I like enough room to get my drill in behind the stove to connect and disconnect the venting without having to bend the venting and scratch the hell out of the hearth pad just to make a visual inspection of the venting every year when I come back to clean it.

Which is better 3" or 4" venting?

 

[Lousyweather]

Which is better 3" or 4" venting?

depends on the EVL of the pipe.....greater than 15' EVL would be 4", generally

 

[Don2222]

depends on the EVL of the pipe.....greater than 15' EVL would be 4", generally

Yes, that should be the case but I have seen 4" for less than EVL 15 and wonder why it was done that way. Dealer makes more money!

 

[Lousyweather]

Yes, that should be the case but I have seen 4" for less than EVL 15 and wonder why it was done that way. Dealer makes more money!

I know capitalism is a very evil word these days, Don....but you might be right......maybe the dealer did it to make more money, I just dont know. We keep both, but 4" sales and installs are EXCEEDINGLY rare!

 

[AbetterChimneynm]

Another thing to consider when installing a stove is if you do the 9 inches from the wall instead of the 3-4 you will have plenty of room to work on the stove should it break.....Nothing worse then trying to R & R a motor with no room

 

[smwilliamson]

Another thing to consider when installing a stove is if you do the 9 inches from the wall instead of the 3-4 you will have plenty of room to work on the stove should it break.....Nothing worse then trying to R & R a motor with no room

precisely.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Absolutely great Post

I have installed 4 stoves here at the ranch, all of them are direct vent too.
I really like having plenty of room to crawl behind the stove to work on the beast, cause sooner or later your gonna need to.

Snowy

 

[Snowy Rivers]

I might add here, one needs to make sure that you do not exceed the recommended horizontal run on the vent.

Mine is right at the limits speced out in the manual.

Its easy to use the leaf blower to suck out the pipe in a jiffy so no biggy.

Long horizontal runs will tend to fill up with fly ash, so one needs to keep an eye on it.
This stove will run fine for about 3 weeks between pipe cleanings.

Just AN FYI

snowy

 

[Lousyweather]

I might add here, one needs to make sure that you do not exceed the recommended horizontal run on the vent.

Mine is right at the limits speced out in the manual.

Its easy to use the leaf blower to suck out the pipe in a jiffy so no biggy.

Long horizontal runs will tend to fill up with fly ash, so one needs to keep an eye on it.
This stove will run fine for about 3 weeks between pipe cleanings.

Just AN FYI

snowy

this is good info for a couple reasons:
1. Snowy realizes he/she is on the outside edge of horizontal run (usually 4')
2. Snowy also realizes with that horizontal run, the pipe must be cleaned frequently, and is done! (thats rare)

 

[smwilliamson]

And we get a peek inside her home. Thanks for sharing!