Using Direct Vent stove as b vent??

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donzter

New Member
Nov 20, 2009
2
lake ontario shore
Can I use a direct vent stove as a b vent ? Just hooking to the 4 inch exhaust outlet with an aluminum liner & running that up my masonry chimney & out the top, and allowing the air (room air) to be sucked in through the rear of the stove? It's an older masonry fireplace flue in good shape.
 
not to code, not reccommended but it would probably function. Lots of showrooms do it that way with DV fireplaces. They just run a few 4" flex pipes to a class A. It all happens behind the wall so no one is the wiser. None of them will admit it here. Wait, I see a black Limo pulling up in front of my office.
 
donzter said:
Can I use a direct vent stove as a b vent ? Just hooking to the 4 inch exhaust outlet with an aluminum liner & running that up my masonry chimney & out the top, and allowing the air (room air) to be sucked in through the rear of the stove? It's an older masonry fireplace flue in good shape.

I wouldn't. You've got a chance of dumping CO into your home if something inhibits the natural draft.
You also don't have a heat sensitive spill switch to shut er down if excessive heat builds up due to
the draft inhibition.
Hook it up correctly, with a co-axial to co-linear adapter & the co-linear liner kit & "live long & prosper..."
 
Sure you could... you could also vent it with 4" cardboard tubes taped together. Would either be safe... not really.

Why don't you just use direct vent pipe till you get to the masonry flue and then use a stove liner kit which should be a 4" line and an adaptor that lets the fresh air just suck in from the space around the liner in the flue. Check with your dealer for approved parts for you stove, they should have something like that.
 
Agreed, I wouldn't either. There are no safety shut-offs for a reverse draft like there are with a b-vent and direct vent appliances are allowed to burn twice as dirty with an AFCO of 400 verses 200 for a b-vent.
 
Thanks for the good technical info, thats what I was looking for. You guys have talked me out of killing myself and anyone else in the house, I have some space limitations so ..( not being a big DV fan) I will narrow my search for a good quality, small type b gas stove.


Don
 
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