Pellet Stove 4" Vent Pipe Help

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tomsteele712

New Member
Apr 23, 2013
6
Southington, CT
Hi all. This is my first post (to go along with my first pellet stove). Just bought the 2000 sq ft US Stove 5502M. I have a few question regarding the regulations & manufacturer's recommendations for venting. (We're attempting a "horizontal" installation through a wall thimble.)

The manufacturer calls for a minimum of 3ft vertical pipe, and a maximum of 4ft horizontal (but that's with 3" pipe). What I'd LIKE to do is keep the stove in our basement. If you see the picture, you'll notice the basement is very oddly shaped. The previous owners made some weird decisions.... Anyways, the wall in the picture is the only place I can vent because the deck is above the slider (full width of house & cannot vent under a deck). This would call for roughly 7ft of 4" pipe at 45 degrees.

Setup would be 3"-4" adapter, 4" 90-degree Clean-out Tee, 4" 45-degree elbow (angled up), 7ft of 4" pipe, 4" 45-degree elbow (angled horizontal), 1-2ft of 4" pipe, terminator.

For the pros out there, do you see any issue with this? (We live in CT where we are 200 ft above sea level) I've read some horror stories about poor burning and not enough vent. Any help or input would be greatly appreciated as the stove is coming next week (12/23).

Otherwise, I'll have to do a standard through the wall installation in my living room (would like to avoid this).

Thanks!
 

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The 4" exhaust venting will need to meet the minimum clearance from any walls / objects that are combustible for the entire length of the 7 foot run. Once outside, you may need to have a 3 foot rise for draft in case of a power outage to stop smoke back.

Also, plan to add in an OAK (outside air kit) so that the stove can pull in fresh air to aid in burning the fuel / pellets.
 
Yes, in regards to manufacturer's minimum clearances to combustible surfaces, they will all be strictly followed.

The reason I was asking is because I've seen dozens of basement install pics that have the cleanout tee and vertical pipe indoors, then just a horizontal pipe going outside.

Because... technically I could try this setup, and the vertical would be in the house (see image):

3"-4" adapter,
4" 45-degree elbow (angled to the right)
3ft of 4" pipe (horizontal)
4" 90-degree cleanout tee
4ft of 4" pipe (vertical)
4" 90-degree elbow
3ft of 4" pipe (horizontal) - through thimble
Terminator cap

As for the OAK, with that distance... I feel like that would impede air flow. I was considering putting one closer to the unit (less than 4 ft away). However, fresh air is always in the basement because our oil furnace has a fresh air intake that constantly feeds the basement fresh air. Thoughts?
 

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Your second picture, this would be fine, I don't see a problem with it. Just remember, if there is a power outage, you might still need to add a 3 foot rise of 4" vent on the outside to stop any smoke back into the stove and house if the OAK is not fitted and you are drawing air in via the basement.

Check with the manual for the stove and see if the OAK is a requirement for that stove.
Edit: OAK is optional for this stove after checking it in the manual. Myself personally, I would install the OAK just to be safe. You might want to check building codes for your town / state to see if it is required regardless of the manual.

The horizontal run between the stove and the cleanout tee, to clean the horizontal part, the stove may need to be disconnected so that this section can be cleaned of ash once per month, just bare this in mind.

The rest can be done via the cleanout tee and the end cap outside.
 
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Actually, I see that Metalbest/Selkirk sells the Direct-Temp 4" vent kit & pipes with the OAK built in (6-5/8" outside diameter). I'll most likely go with this option and just "reverse" the horizontal & vertical in the pic. The cleanout would be right at the machine, with the OAK running on the outside of the pipe and exhaust on the inside. Then I can just run straight out with the terminator (again minding all clearances). I would just put 2 pipe hangers in the ceiling joists to support the pipe.
 

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Actually, I see that Metalbest/Selkirk sells the Direct-Temp 4" vent kit & pipes with the OAK built in (6-5/8" outside diameter). I'll most likely go with this option and just "reverse" the horizontal & vertical in the pic. The cleanout would be right at the machine, with the OAK running on the outside of the pipe and exhaust on the inside. Then I can just run straight out with the terminator (again minding all clearances). I would just put 2 pipe hangers in the ceiling joists to support the pipe.

Perfect solution.

Good luck.
 
The way that you have it in your picture works for me
The only thing I would change is loss the 45 at the stove and tip the
clean out T at 45 when installing it . I did that with mine two bring the
pipe up the center of the stove
 
The Selkirk kit & pipes I just ordered have 360-degree range of motion, so I won't even need a 45-degree elbow anymore. PLUS, because of the 6-5/8" pipe, it only requires a 1" clearance to combustibles. I'll only need to use RTV sealant on the appliance adapter. All the other internal seals are guaranteed not to leak (lifetime warranty). I bought (2) 4ft sections and (1) 2ft section to go along with the Selkirk 4DT-VPTA - 1604680 Direct-temp Termination Kit Up And Out Horizontal.

I'll actually be able to keep my stove over a foot away from the drywall now instead of the 8" minimum. Plus, having it in the back corner of the basement makes it MUCH less of an eyesore. I won't need a hearth pad for the living room (saves me $350), and I can just put the stove right on the concrete (tearing out the carpet).

A HUGE thanks for the assistance, guys. Our local pellet stove shops won't install/service stoves they don't sell... so dumb. (My wife thanks you, as well. Now she won't lose her recliner in the living room LOL)
 
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