Greetings from frozen plains of western Minnesota. We had a Castille Quadrafire professionally installed in our new home two years ago. Our house sits in what used to be an open field so our tree grove has a few years before it will block any wind. The stove was located in the corner of the family room on the north facing side of the house (Oops on my part). The main exhaust pipe was vented out the exterior wall and follows 4ft. up the side of the house and then is capped with a vent port. The intake is directly out the exterior wall underneath the exhaust pipe. For the fast two years, I have fought tooth and nail with that thing every time it gets cold and the wind picks up out of the north. We have cold air flowing into the house and so the stove has to be lit or we freeze in there from the draft. When the wind gets up over 20mph with a single digit or below temp the exhaust pipe and the bottom of the stove start to get frost all over it. Try to light it and the thing fills with smoke and blows into the house. Get it lit and the smoke blows into the house. Keeping it lit is pretty much impossible. I have been back to the installer on several occasions. I just had them out again and they basically said, "There's nothing we can do". They replaced the window gasket for me which I could have done myself and charged me $137.00. So, I'm at my wits end and will probably be talking to a carpenter about filling some holes when I pull the stove out.
The only other place in the house we can even use this stove is the basement but I don't have an exterior wall that I can vent it out. I'm wondering if it is possible to put the stove in a corner room in the basement and vent the pipe up to the ceiling and out between the floor joists approximately 8-10ft. to an exterior wall. Is it possible, will I set the house on fire, or should I just look at trying to find a new buyer for our Castille?
The only other place in the house we can even use this stove is the basement but I don't have an exterior wall that I can vent it out. I'm wondering if it is possible to put the stove in a corner room in the basement and vent the pipe up to the ceiling and out between the floor joists approximately 8-10ft. to an exterior wall. Is it possible, will I set the house on fire, or should I just look at trying to find a new buyer for our Castille?