OAK and wind blowing out flame

[Brian_YZ]

I've been reading over the last couple of days and am slightly confused.
I have a US Stove King 5510 (https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/46097/) and got it all dialed in at the end of last season so it would be ready to use this year without issue. It is working/burning fine. Several times last year during some strong winds, the flame would become lazy and on a few occasions, blow out and blow smoke back into the room via the air intake. I figured I would hook up a OAK and possibly build hood around the vent cap to solve that problem.

So now the new burning season is upon us here in Kansas, and over the weekend the winds have been sustained at around 30 mph and gusting to 50-60 mph from the NW. Needless to say, my problem has returned. Having the vent on the NW corner of the house doesn't help either. I quickly built a temporary hood/wall around the vent outlet yesterday to try to prevent direct wind from working its way down the exhaust pipe. It helped a little, but still getting some small amount of blow-back. I planned on hooking up an OAK regardless. I think even with an OAK, any smoke/smell that will get pushed back out the intake pipe will surely get drawn back in (but won't be blown back into the room right?)

Anyways, I need to fix the main problem of the wind overpowering the draft of the vent.
My setup: stove is angled in the corner, 45 degree then goes through the wall about 2 feet, then up about seven feet.

From what I've read, I plan on going vertical about another 5-6 feet to get above the roof line and install a vertical vent cap.
Will this hopefully solve my wind issue?
I'm also getting close to the 12ft of vertical that is the max for 3 inch pipe. Don't really want to have to change over to 4 inch pipe just because I'm a few inches over the limit.

Thanks for any advice you guys are able to offer.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I've been reading over the last couple of days and am slightly confused.
I have a US Stove King 5510 (https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/46097/) and got it all dialed in at the end of last season so it would be ready to use this year without issue. It is working/burning fine. Several times last year during some strong winds, the flame would become lazy and on a few occasions, blow out and blow smoke back into the room via the air intake. I figured I would hook up a OAK and possibly build hood around the vent cap to solve that problem.

So now the new burning season is upon us here in Kansas, and over the weekend the winds have been sustained at around 30 mph and gusting to 50-60 mph from the NW. Needless to say, my problem has returned. Having the vent on the NW corner of the house doesn't help either. I quickly built a temporary hood/wall around the vent outlet yesterday to try to prevent direct wind from working its way down the exhaust pipe. It helped a little, but still getting some small amount of blow-back. I planned on hooking up an OAK regardless. I think even with an OAK, any smoke/smell that will get pushed back out the intake pipe will surely get drawn back in (but won't be blown back into the room right?)

Anyways, I need to fix the main problem of the wind overpowering the draft of the vent.
My setup: stove is angled in the corner, 45 degree then goes through the wall about 2 feet, then up about seven feet.

From what I've read, I plan on going vertical about another 5-6 feet to get above the roof line and install a vertical vent cap.
Will this hopefully solve my wind issue?
I'm also getting close to the 12ft of vertical that is the max for 3 inch pipe. Don't really want to have to change over to 4 inch pipe just because I'm a few inches over the limit.

Thanks for any advice you guys are able to offer.

You likely are already over the limit for the 3" pipe.

I haven't gone looking at the manual for your stove but between the 45 degree, the T, the 90 degree to the cap, and the horizontal piping you are at an EVL of 15. Part of the reason your setup is sensitive to the wind is because of that. I have no idea about the internal air situation in your home is, however are there any other air suckers operating it is possible that they are contributing to the problem as well.

 

[imacman]

IMO, the location of the pipe facing the NW (prevailing winds), is going to make any set-up problematic. Possibly getting the pipe above the roofline, using 4" pipe, and a round termination cap that doesn't act like a "ram air scoop" may help the problem.

 

[Brian_YZ]

The manual states not to use an adapter to go from 3in to 4in in certain situations, but I see a lot of different stove and venting setups on the web that are nowhere near "to code" I'm reading now that 45 degree elbows are not to be used.
The one and only reason I will not let the stove run when I'm not at home is I'm afraid the wind will pickup during the day and blow the flame out, which could lead to some bad scenarios...

I can't change the location of the stove due to windows, doors, etc that limit where it can be placed. Given that, would it be beneficial (help my wind situation) to come off of the Tee where it goes vertical with a 3in to 4in increaser, then go up 12 ft with 4in pipe and terminate with a vertical cap above the roof line?

 

[imacman]

....would it be beneficial (help my wind situation) to come off of the Tee where it goes vertical with a 3in to 4in increaser, then go up 12 ft with 4in pipe and terminate with a vertical cap above the roof line?

Could only help the situation, IMO.

 

[imacman]

The manual states not to use an adapter to go from 3in to 4in in certain situations....

Maybe I missed it, but I did not see that stated anywhere in your stoves owners manual. What page/section did you see that?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The manual states not to use an adapter to go from 3in to 4in in certain situations, but I see a lot of different stove and venting setups on the web that are nowhere near "to code" I'm reading now that 45 degree elbows are not to be used.
The one and only reason I will not let the stove run when I'm not at home is I'm afraid the wind will pickup during the day and blow the flame out, which could lead to some bad scenarios...

I can't change the location of the stove due to windows, doors, etc that limit where it can be placed. Given that, would it be beneficial (help my wind situation) to come off of the Tee where it goes vertical with a 3in to 4in increaser, then go up 12 ft with 4in pipe and terminate with a vertical cap above the roof line?

If you remove the 90 degree elbow you can add 3 more feet of vertical pipe before the cap and be at an EVL of 15 and the wind will not likely come into play anymore. Whether that additional length clears the roof properly I don't know.

Above an EVL of 15 for 3" pipe is the point that most stove manufactures would want 4" piping used for the entire run starting at the stove. You need to also understand that some stoves can actually handle more 3" pipe than others so the determining factor is in the stoves installation instructions.

My red flag detector goes off at 15.

About setups you see on the web, if folks want to be on the winners platform at the Darwins that doesn't mean you want to be correct? You are already concerned about things as they are now.

 

[Brian_YZ]

I'm sorry, I misread the Dura-Vent manual where it states not to use a pipe that is SMALLER than the flue outlet.

When I ran my current venting situation by the local stove dealer before I installed the stove, he told me I would have better drafting if I added a few feet of vertical stack before my exhaust bend and outlet... which I added. If making the vertical pipe shorter will improve the draft (which I'm not having a problem other than the wind), I still feel when the wind hits the back of the house and redirects up the stack I'm back where I started.

I don't have a problem going to 4in to solve this problem, which is what I plan on doing based on everyone's feedback.

The main reason I'm concerned about trying to make the venting as close to what the manual states is in case I ever go to sell the house I don't have to tear everything apart due to something being 1 in to close to this or that, etc.
On my way home every night I go past a house that seemed to have a fire around the venting outlet... turned the whole side of the house black. Now this season he has 25 ft of 3in pipe going vertical with the horizontal cap mounted vertical as a perfect wind scoop. I'm just trying to be a little safer than this guy.

 

[imacman]

.......On my way home every night I go past a house that seemed to have a fire around the venting outlet... turned the whole side of the house black. Now this season he has 25 ft of 3in pipe going vertical with the horizontal cap mounted vertical as a perfect wind scoop. I'm just trying to be a little safer than this guy.

Yeah, DON'T that.....he really has no idea what he's doing.