inside or outside pipe

[gyingling]

I am installing a enviro windsor freestanding in the lower level of my home. The outside wall is completely exposed so I have the options of sending the vent pipe straight out the wall or inside up and out. (I bought the stove complete, and vent pipe for up and out came with it.) Is there any reason why I should go straight out the wall and up? Is there a high risk of chimney fires with pellet stoves? How hot does the vent pipe normally get? My clearance to combustibles requirement for the vent pipe is 1". I am looking to place the vertical pipe about 6" from the wall.

 

[jtakeman]

Most will recommend at least a 3 foot rise. Helps in power outages with better draft.

 

[imacman]

...... I have the options of sending the vent pipe straight out the wall or inside up and out. (I bought the stove complete, and vent pipe for up and out came with it.) Is there any reason why I should go straight out the wall and up?......

Straight out & up, or up & out are the same, but either is better than just straight out. As Jay said, a pellet stove should have AT LEAST 3' of vertical rise to help the draft. In the event of a power outage, the rise helps get the excess smoke out.

 

[smalltown]

Here is my two cents worth. Installing my piping horizontally from my stove through wall would have been easier and quicker, but I decided to install my pellet stove with the approximate 4 feet of vertical piping on the inside for several reasons.
A. I wanted to be sure I had some natural draft occurring just in case I lost power to keep smoke out of the living room.
B. I don't mind the look of the flat black painted pipe in my living room and preferred it over any piping running up the outside of my home.
C. I thought that if in the future I purchased another stove the chances that the exhaust height would be even close was a stretch, and I didn't want to cut another hole in the side of my home. With the inside vertical piping all I need to do is lengthen or shorten my existing piping.

 

[imacman]

C. I thought that if in the future I purchased another stove the chances that the exhaust height would be even close was a stretch, and I didn't want to cut another hole in the side of my home. With the inside vertical piping all I need to do is lengthen or shorten my existing piping.

Excellent point!

That's all I had to do to mine when I switched stoves last summer.....but I already had one piece of adjustable pipe in my exhaust set-up, so it was just a matter of sliding the pipe about 1/2" to get it lined-up.

 

[flowercat]

The other issue with where to install is access for cleaning.

 

[freeburn]

Another thought is that you do get a few more btu's off that pipe when it is inside the house than outside. FWIW

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

Another thought is that you do get a few more btu's off that pipe when it is inside the house than outside. FWIW

maybe if single wall ss is used, other wise pellet vent doesn't put off much

 

[freeburn]

Another thought is that you do get a few more btu's off that pipe when it is inside the house than outside. FWIW

maybe if single wall ss is used, other wise pellet vent doesn't put off much

I disagree, when that stove is going for a while, it's hot, not red hot, but there is at least some BTU's coming off of it. Why not use them inside vs the cold get them outside?

 

[flowercat]

There are different ways to clean the vent. My configuration requires access to the T. Having it inside like I do has some benefit because I clean it in the warm house. The negative is I clean it in the house and have to be very careful. There are some BTU's received from the vent being in the house as it gets hot. After using it for years I have figured out a good way to clean it using a Sellkirk vacuum cap on the T that makes cleaning much easier. I run the brush from the outside and then attach a shop vac to the vacuum cap without taking the cap off the T. That being said I would install it in the house if I had to make that decision again.

 

[krooser]

Another thought is that you do get a few more btu's off that pipe when it is inside the house than outside. FWIW

maybe if single wall ss is used, other wise pellet vent doesn't put off much

I disagree, when that stove is going for a while, it's hot, not red hot, but there is at least some BTU's coming off of it. Why not use them inside vs the cold get them outside?

Not many btu's... I can touch my Selkirk vent pipe while the stove is running and not get burned...

 

[gbreda]

Here is my two cents worth. Installing my piping horizontally from my stove through wall would have been easier and quicker, but I decided to install my pellet stove with the approximate 4 feet of vertical piping on the inside for several reasons.
A. I wanted to be sure I had some natural draft occurring just in case I lost power to keep smoke out of the living room.
B. I don't mind the look of the flat black painted pipe in my living room and preferred it over any piping running up the outside of my home.
C. I thought that if in the future I purchased another stove the chances that the exhaust height would be even close was a stretch, and I didn't want to cut another hole in the side of my home. With the inside vertical piping all I need to do is lengthen or shorten my existing piping.

The other issue with where to install is access for cleaning.

I went inside, up and out. Also, my having it in the basement adds not having to worry about the clean out T and carpeting/flooring for cleaning during the heating season.

 

[defield]

I agree with Smalltown's points and especially appreciate the logical and clearly stated manner in which they were presented.

One other thought from years of buring wood ( Yes, I fully understand that pellet stoves are different than wood burners. ), is that an interior warmer vertical rise is likely to produce a better natural draft and less likely to have condensation or creosote issues.

Ranger

 

[gyingling]

I have been out of town since I posted my query, so I haven't had a chance to check it out. The discussion is great, very insightful. My access for cleanout is easy either way, inside or out. I believe I am going to go with the pipe inside, it just makes better sense in this situation. Also, I won't have a pipe hanging off the outside of my house.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

Another thought is that you do get a few more btu's off that pipe when it is inside the house than outside. FWIW

maybe if single wall ss is used, other wise pellet vent doesn't put off much

I disagree, when that stove is going for a while, it's hot, not red hot, but there is at least some BTU's coming off of it. Why not use them inside vs the cold get them outside?

i guess i should have said, "go with what looks best, the amount of heat is minimal, and shouldn't be a part of the descision in my opinion."

 

[vvvv]

I have been out of town since I posted my query, so I haven't had a chance to check it out. The discussion is great, very insightful. My access for cleanout is easy either way, inside or out. I believe I am going to go with the pipe inside, it just makes better sense in this situation. Also, I won't have a pipe hanging off the outside of my house.

iinside pipe retains heat longer & maintains a better/longer draft in case of power outage.

 

[cncpro]

I am thinking a good reason for out & up like I did is that if there are less joints then there is less chance of smelling smoke while it's running. There have been dozens of threads with people chasing a smoky smell and taping up the pipe joints, etc... Less joints = less chance for problems.

Another reason is that the stove can be located closer to the wall with an out & up configuration. Makes a big difference in a tiny house like mine (my stove is about 3-4 inches from the wall).

I really do like the possibility of different output height of a replacement stove as a great argument for up & out. For anybody with lots of space this probably makes the most sense.

 

[imacman]

inside pipe retains heat longer & maintains a better/longer draft in case of power outage.

I agree 100%. If it's cold outside, the pipe outside will cool off MUCH faster than one that's inside an already warm house.....it will maintain draft better & longer.

 

[gyingling]

For me, space is not an issue. The double wall pipe is supposed to be sealed at the joints with Hi-Temp RTV, so I not looking for any smoke. Someone expressed concern about the pipe temp., as they are from wood stove people.

 

[vvvv]

al foil tape seals joints too. paint the pipe black [hi temp] & it'll give off [radiate] more heat

 

[imacman]

For me, space is not an issue. The double wall pipe is supposed to be sealed at the joints with Hi-Temp RTV, so I not looking for any smoke.......

The smoke issue during a power outage isn't with the piping, it's with the stove itself. It backs down the pipe if it doesn't have any draft, and exits out of the stove into the room. All the sealant in the world on the pipes won't stop that.

As Blimp suggests, you might want to wrap the pipe joints with aluminum furnace tape and paint it black, just to be sure there are no leaks. Typically, the worst part of the install for leaks are the T's .

 

[gyingling]

For me, space is not an issue. The double wall pipe is supposed to be sealed at the joints with Hi-Temp RTV, so I not looking for any smoke.......

The smoke issue during a power outage isn't with the piping, it's with the stove itself. It backs down the pipe if it doesn't have any draft, and exits out of the stove into the room. All the sealant in the world on the pipes won't stop that.

As Blimp suggests, you might want to wrap the pipe joints with aluminum furnace tape and paint it black, just to be sure there are no leaks. Typically, the worst part of the install for leaks are the T's .

I was thinking about the smoking during regular use, I hadn't even thought about power loss.

Thanks for all the feedback from everyone. The information is very helpful as I aspire to be a pellet pig someday.

BTW, what are the requirements to be a pellet pig?

 

[imacman]

.....The information is very helpful as I aspire to be a pellet pig someday.

BTW, what are the requirements to be a pellet pig?

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/26445/