Redneck kinda oak kit.

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

Vg3200p

Minister of Fire
Nov 21, 2021
507
Clinton county indiana
Made a redneck halfway oak kit out of some flexible ducting I had laying around. It goes down to the basement and rums into a duct going to a floor register in a unheated 3 seasons room. Think it'll make any difference?

20221026_195934.jpg 20221026_200003.jpg 20221026_200009.jpg 20221026_200033.jpg
 
If the three seasons room is not so tight, it'll work. In principle. (And make that room colder.)

However, it is rather long, which may impede draft and make things worse - smoke rollout etc.

If the basement is not very tight, why not terminate there? That'd make the basement a bit colder but keep your stove room warmer
 
  • Like
Reactions: Beary
Nothing on this house is tight. Or square for that matter. The 3 seasons room gets much colder than the basement. it has 14 windows and a sliding glass door
 
A long pipe has more resistance to air flow. Try blowing on a toilet roll thingies or your garden hose.

So yes, a long oak will breathe less easily.

What is long and what is too long? I don't know. But if you have any smoke roll out, I suggest this is the reason.

If so, I'd simply terminate the oak in the basement.

I presume the duct is all metal (no plastic)?
 
Yes no plastic. It was old ducting I had laying around so if it causes problems I'll disconnect and move on lol. Didn't cost me anything. Figured it might be good for a degree or two of house temp though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stoveliker
Why?
If the oak is sealed well at the stove connection, and the three seasons room is leaky, the rest of the home will be a bit less cold, I think?

In any case, if it's not too long, then it won't make the temperature worse ..
 
Why?
If the oak is sealed well at the stove connection, and the three seasons room is leaky, the rest of the home will be a bit less cold, I think?

In any case, if it's not too long, then it won't make the temperature worse ..
If the house is leaky anyway the ammount of air the stove uses is a tiny fraction of the overall air exchange in the house. I doubt even a perfectly installed oak would make a noticable difference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gearhead660
Fair enough.
 
If so, I'd simply terminate the oak in the basement.
I don't think that is advised, or at least some stove manuals explicitly say not to do this.
Lopi states:
Must not be drawn from an enclosed space (garage, unventilated crawl space). May be drawn from ventilated crawl space or exterior of home.
IronStrike (Country, Montlake) states:
The fresh air must come from outside the house. The air intake must not draw air from the attic, from the basement, or garage.
 
Interesting. Tonight's my first burn with it. And she seems to be running really well. Just out of curiosity I pulled the pipe out of the duct work and put it next to a cobweb and it's pulling hard enough to make the cobweb move. I could feel a very slight draw on my hand
 
  • Like
Reactions: stoveliker
I don't think that is advised, or at least some stove manuals explicitly say not to do this.
Lopi states:
Must not be drawn from an enclosed space (garage, unventilated crawl space). May be drawn from ventilated crawl space or exterior of home.
IronStrike (Country, Montlake) states:
The fresh air must come from outside the house. The air intake must not draw air from the attic, from the basement, or garage.
Okay. Fair enough.

It won't be any worse than drawing from the (slightly less leaky?) Stove room though.

My point is to keep the cold air infiltration into a soace that's not used.

But if this would make it an install that is not according to the requirements, then it shouldn't be done. Even if only for insurance coverage reasons.
 
If I were to hazard a guess, the concern may be that sucking air from the basement may increase negative pressure there which could reverse draft on a furnace, boiler, or gas hw heater.
 
I have a drafty and unsquare house as well. Was thinking of an OAK but decided not to due to it not being very air tight. Newer houses that are more air tight benefit more from OAKs.
 
I have a drafty and unsquare house as well. Was thinking of an OAK but decided not to due to it not being very air tight. Newer houses that are more air tight benefit more from OAKs.
That only holds for the "need for combustion air"; tight homes may have trouble supplying that.
Every home, though, will have to have "make up air" for the air that gets sucked in the stove and pushed out of the chimney. It is this air that comes in from the (cold) outside. Hence an OAK also, in principle, benefits drafty homes.
In practice the magnitude of this benefit would depend on how much cold draft is already coming into the home versus the quantity that is being sucked in additionally because of the stove. I.e. if a stove uses as much air as already leaks in, you're gaining 50%. If the stove only uses 1% of the volume of air that leaks in without a stove present, you won't see a difference.