New to pellet stove need help with install

[akthor]

So I picked up a used pellet stove I have the manuals and have searched around the net but can't really find an answer to my specific questions.

My plan since I rent is to install the vent and the air intake thru a window. I will remove a panel much like I do to install the AC. Build a panel out of plywood and foam board to put in the place of the window. Put holes in it for the 3" stove pipe and the 3" air intake use the same wall thimble, vent, and house shield I would use for installing thru a wall.

This way I make no permenant modifications to the house (honestly the stove is in an inconvenient place but it's really the only and best place I can put it so I would like also to be able to remove it during the warm months)

My question is about venting, my windows are right around waist level with the bottom of the windows being at ankle level. So the vent pipe would come out of the stove there would be a 90' elbow then a 1ft vertical piece then another 90' elbow then a 3' horizontal piece out the window. Same deal for the air intake.

So will this configuration vent ok?

Thank you for any help ahead of time.

 

[Lousyweather]

what stove is it? consult the manual for info, as well as the landlord......might have issues with his insurance, etc

 

[jtakeman]

Might have issues with local code as well. I have seen basement installs where the whole window was removed, Patched and the thimble installed. But not half a window. Becuase whats left of the window has a chance to leak some, The worry is smoke/fumes may still enter the dwelling.

The vent is basically an up and out. As long as there are only 2 90's or tee's you are ok. But if you have to add another 90 to go up more, You will need to move up to 4" venting or your EVL will be too high. I would consider a tee or double tee on the back of the stove for easier cleaning. Cleaning after every ton or so is good practice to keep the stove burning properly. Having to remove the piping to clean is a PITA. The tee will allow you to brush the vent much easier.

Keep us posted.

 

[smwilliamson]

You will also run into issues with the wall thimble. It is designed to go through at least a 6" thick combustible surface. Plywood is less than an inch Going to be hard to cut both thimble sides to accommodate the thin sheathing and maintain UL. Does your landlord knwo you are doing this? His homeowners may not cover tenant modifications to the dwelling....then again, you could install a window mount pellet stove

 

[subsailor]

then again, you could install a window mount pellet stove

Haven't there been a lot of issues with the ones made by US Stove? Does anyone else make one? It's a great concept if they are safe.

 

[akthor]

Its a Magnum baby country i believe.

Landlord is my girlfriend she likes the idea of being able to remove the stove easily. She doesn't care what I do.

I live out in the boonies of Maine not worried about code if there even is one.

They are large sliding windows one half slides open the other is fixed. When I remove the sliding half I am left with a 24" x 36" opening. I will make the panel out of plywood with hard foamboard insulation sandwiched in between. I can make the panel as thick as the thimble needs it to be. I will caulk around it so there are no leaks.

But draftwise I'll be ok, it will vent good? Good idea about the T for cleaning.

 

[smwilliamson]

Up in the boonies in maine? Why even vent it at all? You folks are tough as nails...what a little wood smoke and emissions in the dining room...

 

[DexterDay]

The Baby Countryside has some burn issues from the Factory.

If your stove has the corn pot or the lower CFM combustion blower, you may need to do some work so it doesn't need several tendings a day (scraping and ash removal from ash build up in the pot).

Welcome to the Forums. Pics would help with the situation. If the vent terminates to low, snow could interfere with both the exhaust and OAK.

 

[subsailor]

I live out in the boonies of Maine not worried about code if there even is one.

Are you up in the County?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Pay close attention to the installation instructions in the manual.

The air intake should be below and to one side of the vent, the clearances should be in the manual. Make certain the non movable side of that window is sealed well and that the box plug you are making is of the proper thickness to allow the thimble to be used without modification. Your plug also has to be fastened somehow and sealed to the window frame around its entire edge.

The stove you have bought needs to be checked for what DexterDay has mentioned otherwise you'll have ash build up burning pellets and a potential burn back and hopper fire situation. A clean stove is a happy, warm, and safe stove.

You have to realize that most of us here are not in favor of such an installation, there are too many ways it can get dislodged or otherwise messed up.

Scott, I'm amazed that you even mention the window pellet stove.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Haven't there been a lot of issues with the ones made by US Stove? Does anyone else make one? It's a great concept if they are safe.

They have been a good number of fires involving them, there are threads on here including a couple that likely point to a probable cause.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

So I picked up a used pellet stove I have the manuals and have searched around the net but can't really find an answer to my specific questions.

snip ....

Clean the stove from stem to stern, side to side, and top to bottom, opening and emptying all ash traps, pulling and cleaning the blowers (have new gaskets ready). When you have that done and the stove back together find a leaf blower that can be used as a leaf vacuum and do the leaf blower routine on the stove's exhaust port (attaching the vacuum side of the blower to the exhaust port and keeping it aimed away from anything you don't want covered in ash). The cleaning should be done outside.

 

[akthor]

The manual basically doesn't say anything besides don't have more than a 5' horizontal run.

Is there a thread here in the forums that tells me what to look for to see if it has the problems Dexterday described?

I planned on a thorough cleaning before installing.

Not in the county more mid-coast.

 

[DexterDay]

Do a search on Baby Countryside or Magnum Baby Countryside. That will give you plenty to read and the problems that exist and what to do to fix or replace to overcome.

Does the stove has a Cast iron burn pot with holes in the bottom? Or a stainless steel pot with holes up to the top?

The Pellet pot, High CFM combustion blower, and an airwash Mod does wonders for that stove. My best friend has one and it runs like a champ now. But when it was new from the dealer, it burned terribly.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The manual basically doesn't say anything besides don't have more than a 5' horizontal run.

Is there a thread here in the forums that tells me what to look for to see if it has the problems Dexterday described?

I planned on a thorough cleaning before installing.

Not in the county more mid-coast.

The manual has a lot to say about venting starting on page 10, much more than just a 5' horizontal limit.

 

[akthor]

I mean nothing pertaining to the way I want to run the vent where the vent pipe would come out of the stove there would be a 90' elbow then a 1ft vertical piece then another 90' elbow then a 3' horizontal piece out the window. Same deal for the air intake.

I work overnites I'm at work so I am going to do a search on the baby countryside for the issues talked about above and I am sure I will have more questions.

BTW the woman I bought the stove from sold it because she had soot problems from the beginning but the stove did not not have the fresh air intake going thru the wall and outside. She says the stove people who installed it said she had plenty of fresh air in her house. Based upon what the manual says this makes no sense to me???





I bought the stove from her for $300 so hopefully if I can get it working right it will be a bargain.

 

[DexterDay]

$300 is a Bargain. Do a search and clean it.

The soot is a result of to much fuel and to little air. The OAK (outside air kit) will help any stove, but if its got leaks and a pot with to many holes (Which pot do you have? See my previous post.) ?

An air wash mod, along with the higher CFM combustion blower and Pellet Pot will make the stove come alive. Along with replacing the hopper gasket (have to remove body of stove), ash pan gasket, and maybe the Door gasket.

Do the dollar bill test on ash pan amd door gaskets. Open door, Place a dollar in, close door and pull dollar. If it pulls easily, then gasket needs replaced. Do this along all 4 sides. Then repeat on ash pan door. Air leaks are a burn pot by-pass and affect the combustion efficiency. Less air = Poor burn (sooty and Pellet build up).

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I mean nothing pertaining to the way I want to run the vent where the vent pipe would come out of the stove there would be a 90' elbow then a 1ft vertical piece then another 90' elbow then a 3' horizontal piece out the window. Same deal for the air intake.

I work overnites I'm at work so I am going to do a search on the baby countryside for the issues talked about above and I am sure I will have more questions.

BTW the woman I bought the stove from sold it because she had soot problems from the beginning but the stove did not not have the fresh air intake going thru the wall and outside. She says the stove people who installed it said she had plenty of fresh air in her house. Based upon what the manual says this makes no sense to me???





I bought the stove from her for $300 so hopefully if I can get it working right it will be a bargain.

You also have to pay attention to what is in the area where the vent exits the house, there are clearance requirements that affect venting a stove and they aren't just evl related.

About the soot issue, did she provide any specifics?

 

[akthor]

I have the pot with the holes going up the sides (two Pots actually)

About 5' between where the vent outside where it will exit the house and the soffit (edge of roof). Plus the vent will extend out past the roof line.

No details on the soot just that she had a fine layer of it on everything within the vicinity of the stove. She did say it burned well and the pot didn't overflow with unburnt pellets though sometimes she had pellets that didn't burn to white ot
R grey ash but were black. They were happy with the amount of heat it put out.

Is there a way I can tell what CFM blower is currently on it?

I definitely think I need to do all the gaskets they are look pretty mashed down and hard and inflexible.

 

[DexterDay]

Call Magnum (AES) and give them the specs of your blower. (#'s on the motor) and they may wanna know what type of blades/impeller is on the current unit. They make a high CFM impeller and motor. Some of my stoves have a shorter blades, but more of them. Quad is bigger blades, but less of them.

As for the pot. If its the stainless corn pot, things can be done to improve air flow, but the cast iron burn pot is the route to go. Already has fewer holes and they are all on the bottom, plus the cast stays hotter and helps facilitate combustion better than the stainless one.

My buddy has had his now for 2 seasons and its a good heater. But it took some work (gaskets, air wash mod, corn pot mod).

There is also a jumper on the insode of the control box, that you can either increase or decrease the feed. Just an FYI. The manual explains this.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The soot can be coming form a number of things, the usual suspects are poor sealing on the vent, usually at the stove adapter (this also usually results in a smoke smell that exists for some time after the venting is cleaned, the small leaks ash seal over time. this is not good). When the stove is running opening the door to scrape the pot can cause soot to escape. It is also possible that the area around the vent pipe on the outside isn't sealed and smoke and soot can come in that way. If the stove is vacuumed out without the proper vacuum filters being used a fine cloud of soot will be ejected out the exhaust of the vacuum. Moving around the house carrying an ash pan can also allow soot to "spill" out.