Outside Air Kit - Oak - My research after investigating

[Don2222]

I know this is an old thread with much debate but here's my experience. House was gutted and remodeled out in the country and not much wind break, 60 yrs old on a slab but pretty efficient from the windows to insulation. Unfortunately it's isnt perfect. I have a Winslow pi 40 sat into an old but awesome looking brick fireplace. I was getting the draft and air leaks that people were speaking of so I rented a 2" boring bit and heavy duty hammer drill, bored through 15" of wall and threaded 2" flexo pipe for exhaust work from advance auto which cost $16 and connected to the stove. I siliconed where the pipe and brick are on the outside and siliconed in place a 3" drain cover over the pipe for bugs and mice which I got at lowes for $3. As I type this THERES no draft what so ever as compared to before and the glass is as clean now as this morning when I cleaned it, which it would be greying up a bit by now. It's in the 30's and my stove is on 1 and its 74 in a 1950 sq ft house. I can't say the stove is burning any better but I can say the house is a few degrees warmer from front to back due to no drafts. Total cost including the drill rental was about $70.

Now that you have a fresh air pipe, you can stuff the damper shelf and all around the flue liner with 100% fire proof Roxul insulation to prevent that nice heated warm room air from going up the chimney$$

 

[Noname]

No chimney to worry about. We hacked it off during the remodel and roofed over it so no heat loss. The old metal damper is still in there and closed up.

 

[tlc1976]

I first tried my stove with no OAK. It would barely run. It could get so little air that opening the air intake damper did nothing. I would get a steady stream of smoke not from the pipe joints I sealed, but from the factory pipe joints. So I sealed every single possible overlap and rivet hole on the interior pipe. Then I ran it and finally no more pipe smoke, but a few hours later it errored out and all the smoke sucked back in the house through the hopper. All piping was done meeting every requirement and I have 6 ft of rise outside so there should have been good draft. So I said enough of this foolishness and I installed an OAK (homemade with flanges from work, 2" automotive solid and flex pipe.) No more issues, runs perfectly to this day at any setting, full control of intake damper. Night and day difference. House is about 30 years old but I learned it was built very well. I was skeptical at first because my old house is just a few years older and was draft galore even when I moved in 17 years ago (used to have to put blankets over the windows). I can only imagine how airtight newer houses are. But I did date someone in 2003 who had to open a bathroom window in order to run the fireplace.

So anyway my experience made me a firm believer in an OAK. Makes sense, it's the most surefire way to balance the air debt created, do it once and forget it. So later if you go through and seal up all the air leaks or replace the leaky windows in your house, no worries.

Also you have to heat the air that comes in regardless, so might as well do it at the source. Having the air intake at the appliance makes that the coldest spot, so that's where you put the heat. Same logic to why heat registers and radiators are usually under windows. One might think it's counterintuitive, but you take care of the coldest spot first.

 

[alternativeheat]

On my P61 I used metal dryer vent flex hose.

 

[bogieb]

I know this is an old thread with much debate but here's my experience. House was gutted and remodeled out in the country and not much wind break, 60 yrs old on a slab but pretty efficient from the windows to insulation. Unfortunately it's isnt perfect. I have a Winslow pi 40 sat into an old but awesome looking brick fireplace. I was getting the draft and air leaks that people were speaking of so I rented a 2" boring bit and heavy duty hammer drill, bored through 15" of wall and threaded 2" flexo pipe for exhaust work from advance auto which cost $16 and connected to the stove. I siliconed where the pipe and brick are on the outside and siliconed in place a 3" drain cover over the pipe for bugs and mice which I got at lowes for $3. As I type this THERES no draft what so ever as compared to before and the glass is as clean now as this morning when I cleaned it, which it would be greying up a bit by now. It's in the 30's and my stove is on 1 and its 74 in a 1950 sq ft house. I can't say the stove is burning any better but I can say the house is a few degrees warmer from front to back due to no drafts. Total cost including the drill rental was about $70.

Welcome to the forum Noname!

Yeah, many people comment that they don't need an OAK because their house is leaky so none of their appliances will struggle for ari. My house was leaky (it's better now although it is still fairly leaky as I get work done on it), and that is why I installed an OAK. Took away the majority of drafts that I felt when the stove was running. Did it help my stove breathe better? Nope, but did make my house more comfortable to live in.

 

[OhioBurner©]

My house is still plenty leaky with OAK, really it made no difference in temperature or perceived drafts unfortunately.

 

[Tonyray]

without an OAK, aren't you using the "air going back to the stove" that you paid to heat.?

 

[OhioBurner©]

To a certain degree, yes. Whether or not that makes any noticeable difference will depends on a few things. Right now, with my stove off most of the time, it's actually cooling my house slightly via natural chimney effect since the stove is a heat exchanger and pulling in outside air, warming it, and then venting up the chimney. If I was really ambitious I'd go out and plug up the intake every time but I'm not that ambitious and know I'd end up firing up the stove forgetting about it half the time lol.

 

[BUBIBEAR]

To a certain degree, yes. Whether or not that makes any noticeable difference will depends on a few things. Right now, with my stove off most of the time, it's actually cooling my house slightly via natural chimney effect since the stove is a heat exchanger and pulling in outside air, warming it, and then venting up the chimney. If I was really ambitious I'd go out and plug up the intake every time but I'm not that ambitious and know I'd end up firing up the stove forgetting about it half the time lol.

 

[BUBIBEAR]

I don't have enough time to bother with this .Total misinformation .

 

[Pete Zahria]

Right now, with my stove off most of the time, it's actually cooling my house slightly via natural chimney effect ...

Here is another experiment.
Go outside and feel the little amount of air coming out of your
chimney with the stove off.
Now go back to it when the stove is on.
All that rushing air coming out of your chimney
was replaced with an equal amount of cold air coming into the house..

Dan

 

[bags]

I know this is an old thread with much debate but here's my experience. House was gutted and remodeled out in the country and not much wind break, 60 yrs old on a slab but pretty efficient from the windows to insulation. Unfortunately it's isnt perfect. I have a Winslow pi 40 sat into an old but awesome looking brick fireplace. I was getting the draft and air leaks that people were speaking of so I rented a 2" boring bit and heavy duty hammer drill, bored through 15" of wall and threaded 2" flexo pipe for exhaust work from advance auto which cost $16 and connected to the stove. I siliconed where the pipe and brick are on the outside and siliconed in place a 3" drain cover over the pipe for bugs and mice which I got at lowes for $3. As I type this THERES no draft what so ever as compared to before and the glass is as clean now as this morning when I cleaned it, which it would be greying up a bit by now. It's in the 30's and my stove is on 1 and its 74 in a 1950 sq ft house. I can't say the stove is burning any better but I can say the house is a few degrees warmer from front to back due to no drafts. Total cost including the drill rental was about $70.

I am all for OAK's because they work. Glad you see the results. You'll get that $70 bucks back in short order cost wise and that's no including the extra comfort.

 

[OhioBurner©]

Here is another experiment.
Go outside and feel the little amount of air coming out of your
chimney with the stove off.
Now go back to it when the stove is on.
All that rushing air coming out of your chimney
was replaced with an equal amount of cold air coming into the house..

Dan

I'm familiar with how they work, thanks. And right now my stove is 4F cooler that the room, but not enough to cause me to worry about it. This year I've basically switched the pellet stove to secondary, for use when it's below freezing, so it's mostly been off so far. Luckily I at least insulated the OAK pipe, something many forget about, since it is a rather long (in my case at least) pipe made out of aluminum with lots of little ridges (think about it like many more square feet of 'heat exchanger').

I don't have enough time to bother with this .Total misinformation .

If you're going to call someone a liar you better have the facts to back up the claim. Realize I've not called anyone a liar, and support OAK use, just playing devils advocate that the improvements are only slight and in some cases not perceivable. Some people just like to exaggerate that they'll use 1/2 the fuel because they are running an OAK. I'm hoping maybe at the end of the season it'll equate to a bag or two of fuel for me saved, even if I can't readily feel the difference.

 

[Pete Zahria]

I'm familiar with how they work, thanks.

cool.

Some people just like to exaggerate that they'll use 1/2 the fuel because they are running an OAK.

which is also an exaggeration...


Dan

 

[Tonyray]

cool.

which is also an exaggeration...


Dan

before we got and OAK, we would sit on the floor at times and feel the cool draft crawling along the floor.
PROB air going back to the stove].
that ended when we installed the OAK.. That's my total expirience with/without an OAK.

 

[doghouse]

To OAK or to not OAK. I understand the differing of opinions people have. I OAK because I understand the benefits. What I don't understand is that people say that their homes are leaky and drafty and do nothing about it. Imagine the benefits if they sealed up their homes.

 

[Pete Zahria]

To OAK or to not OAK. I understand the differing of opinions people have. I OAK because I understand the benefits. What I don't understand is that people say that their homes are leaky and drafty and do nothing about it. Imagine the benefits if they sealed up their homes.

It may be, that everyone doesn't have the resources to do it.
If you burn an extra ton of pellets that runs you a couple of hundred bucks.
That doesn't buy one replacement window. Or entry door.
Sure there are a lot of things you can do that "help" and many have already
done those... but can't do all the stuff necessary to do the whole deal the way it should be done,
to save that 200 bucks.
Just a thought.

Dan

 

[bogieb]

To OAK or to not OAK. I understand the differing of opinions people have. I OAK because I understand the benefits. What I don't understand is that people say that their homes are leaky and drafty and do nothing about it. Imagine the benefits if they sealed up their homes.

I can only work so fast on my house. I have replaced all but 2 windows, all the doors (and installed storm doors), the roof, all insulation and sheetrock to exterior walls (including plugging up the 9" gap from the plywood to the top of the wall) - except for the 2 walls in the kitchen and 1 tiny closet.

I have insulated my unfinished basement, reinsulated and resheetrocked the garage, sealed up numerous other areas.

My big area of leakage is now the ceiling to the main floor as that is all acoustical tile instead of sheetrock. I also need to enhance insulation in my 2.5' tall (at the tallest) attic.

I have been here 3 years and work 2 jobs. If you want to come help me do the physical labor of demolition and installation as well pay for more materials for further improvements at the same time - you are welcome to

 

[tlc1976]

Insulating the OAK pipe is something I'm thinking of doing. There were times last winter when it was -20F or so, and I had frost on the outside of the pipe in the house. Kept a towel on the floor behind the stove to catch the drips when the frost melted.

 

[Mt Bob]

Insulating the OAK pipe is something I'm thinking of doing. There were times last winter when it was -20F or so, and I had frost on the outside of the pipe in the house. Kept a towel on the floor behind the stove to catch the drips when the frost melted.

Same thing out here,didn't want to insulate,kinda defeats having the incoming air preheated a little,so I put a y valve at the wall connection,if I see frost forming,I flip the lever and use house air for a bit.

 

[dozerdean]

They sell a oak & exhaust that is combined together that heats ur outside air as it enters ur stove. Trust me a oak does make a difference!!

 

[Tonyray]

Insulating the OAK pipe is something I'm thinking of doing. There were times last winter when it was -20F or so, and I had frost on the outside of the pipe in the house. Kept a towel on the floor behind the stove to catch the drips when the frost melted.

Have been down to zero degrees and never saw any ice or frost on my OAK.. Wonder why some people do get that condensation and others don't..

 

[Mt Bob]

Have been down to zero degrees and never saw any ice or frost on my OAK.. Wonder why some people do get that condensation and others don't..

Hi Tony.Don't know imagine id has to do with humidity.Never happens to me unless it is colder than -15.But having the valve on mine,sometimes I use inside air just to change some air inside the cabin.

 

[Tonyray]

Hi Tony.Don't know imagine id has to do with humidity.Never happens to me unless it is colder than -15.But having the valve on mine,sometimes I use inside air just to change some air inside the cabin.

ok.. prob condensation or humidity...

 

[tlc1976]

That was the only time I saw it, -20F or colder. Typically winter has low humidity in the house, but when you've got that kind of extreme temperature difference (and I'm sure the velocity of that cold air coming in makes it even colder yet), it will find moisture somewhere.