I’m sitting here this morning and it is 18 degrees here in Vermont. The pipe attached to my outside air kit is ice cold to the touch. Am I wrong in thinking that the super cold air being drawn in will keep the burn pot and firebox colder so the convection air will also be cooler? My workshop wall attached to the house is 2 feet away. The shop never gets below 40 degrees so it would seem like a good idea to draw that air instead of the outside air. Any thoughts?
OAK
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Tonyray
Minister of Fire
My oak pipe is always icy cold. Doesnt seem to affect the heat output from my stove.. always blazing hot.
kenora
Member
Its -39c here and the oak in my place has an inch of ice on it.. I rigged up a cake pan under it to catch the ice when it melts.. but.. far better to have the oak then be pulling in air from the house you already heated and then exhausting that
. That depressurization means cold air leaks into the house...better to control the air supply with the oak...
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. That depressurization means cold air leaks into the house...better to control the air supply with the oak...
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m159267
Burning Hunk
May not make much of a difference but looking at it from a fire science perspective combustion air temperature and humidity will influence fire behavior.
johneh
Minister of Fire
A few years myself and a friend conducted the same experiment ob 2 stoves
the oak was used connected the outside temp.was -26C and the stove set. We burned the stoves
for a set time and checked the output temp My stove was producing 386 C his was 366c
the next day we did the same test burn without the OAK same time of day same outside temp
same pellets same length of burn
My stove 386C temp. his 365C temp .So draw your own conclusions my stove
produced the same heat with or without the OAK My friends stove 1C cooler without the Oak
Not scientific but I keep my OAK connected all the time Try it and see
the oak was used connected the outside temp.was -26C and the stove set. We burned the stoves
for a set time and checked the output temp My stove was producing 386 C his was 366c
the next day we did the same test burn without the OAK same time of day same outside temp
same pellets same length of burn
My stove 386C temp. his 365C temp .So draw your own conclusions my stove
produced the same heat with or without the OAK My friends stove 1C cooler without the Oak
Not scientific but I keep my OAK connected all the time Try it and see
tlc1976
Minister of Fire
I leave my OAK connected no matter what. It's the best way to keep the stove in a closed system and get it the most air it needs. It ices up in the coldest parts of winter but never a problem. I keep an old towel on the floor under it.
Any air pulled from your shop will be replaced with colder air from outside so the OAK will make your shop colder. Or choke the fire depending on how tightly sealed your shop is. You may also want to check building codes and see if you should even do that. I know my dad had to relocate his dryer vent when he built his attached garage, because otherwise it would breach the fire barrier between house and garage/shop.
The above experiment looks good to me. I figured the temperature difference was balanced out by cold air being more dense and oxygen rich and making a stronger fire. At least that's what they say about cars and cold air intakes.
Any air pulled from your shop will be replaced with colder air from outside so the OAK will make your shop colder. Or choke the fire depending on how tightly sealed your shop is. You may also want to check building codes and see if you should even do that. I know my dad had to relocate his dryer vent when he built his attached garage, because otherwise it would breach the fire barrier between house and garage/shop.
The above experiment looks good to me. I figured the temperature difference was balanced out by cold air being more dense and oxygen rich and making a stronger fire. At least that's what they say about cars and cold air intakes.
tbear853
Feeling the Heat
I keep OAK hooked up always. Why use my now heated indoor air to combust the pellets when there's free cooler denser oxygen laden air available?
Air temperature has a very direct influence on fuel combustion and fire behavior.
tbear853
Feeling the Heat
Yep, I think so, it's why I think cooler denser air is more gooder!
Never seen ice on it.
When doing fire behavior calculations that have an influence on flame height, rate of spread and intensity, air temperature is one of the first factors put in the equation. Undeniable science.
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