Finished Basement Venting Advice

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Vognorth

Member
Nov 7, 2012
38
Minocqua, WI
Newb here that just purchased a Lennox Winslow pellet stove. Plan is to install in basement family room (where we spend most time watching TV). Walls are insulated and sheet-rocked and the space is open concept, around 600 sq ft; goal is only to heat the lower level while we are down there. Vent will go up 7' and terminate out the sill. Questions are:

1) Will 3" vent be adequate to the task (EVL is 14.5)? I haven't purchased vent yet and want to do it right the first time - but don't necessarily want overkill.

2) Owner's manual states nothing about OAK in general, except that it's required in mobile home installations. Thoughts? Seems to be the way to go from reading up on this forum, but if I don't have to install one I'd prefer that. Plus I have no easy/attractive way to run it out except up along the vent pipe.

3) Anyone suspect negative draft issues due to basement install? I'll add that upstairs and downstairs are separated only by short run of stairs (no door at top of steps, etc).

Thanks for any advice! Currently waiting for stove and deciding on hearth designs (building my own) and vent options.
 
I did the same sort of installation a few years ago. Changed to a 4" last year, your evl will be close or at max. It will be cheaper to buy the 4" now and cut the larger openings. Keep in mind the separation of vent and OAK (OAK will probably be 3") you will have to add another 90 to get the vertical distance once your outside.
 
I did the same sort of installation a few years ago. Changed to a 4" last year, your evl will be close or at max. It will be cheaper to buy the 4" now and cut the larger openings. Keep in mind the separation of vent and OAK (OAK will probably be 3") you will have to add another 90 to get the vertical distance once your outside.
Great info - thanks! Did the 3" give you any problems - is that why you switched? Thimble for 3" vs 4" should be about the same dimensions, and the sill cut would be the toughest part of the whole install. How did you run your OAK - right along side the vent pipe?
 
I have about 900 sq ft of finished basement and my stove is in the middle of the room feeding into a chimney. No OAK, no issues.

The main concern about OAK seems to be that it is somewhat self-defeating to use already-warm air from the room for combustion, then blow it out the exhaust. I don't really care about that as long as I'm saving money on oil. A big part of my want for a stove was the aesthetics of a visible flame anyway.
 
I have about 900 sq ft of finished basement and my stove is in the middle of the room feeding into a chimney. No OAK, no issues.

The main concern about OAK seems to be that it is somewhat self-defeating to use already-warm air from the room for combustion, then blow it out the exhaust. I don't really care about that as long as I'm saving money on oil. A big part of my want for a stove was the aesthetics of a visible flame anyway.
Yeah, that is one thing I wondered about with OAK...is it needed for better combustion/stove performance, or simply to prevent sucking in cold air from spaces in the house. We have a fireplace upstairs without any outside air supply - but probably not the ideal scenario from an efficiency standpoint.

I may plan ahead for an OAK and run it if I have to down the road - but there is no aesthetic way to do so, seeing this is a basement family room install. I may end up getting the pellet addiction once the stove is run and see how everything works - nothing wrong with that either :cool:
 
Great info - thanks! Did the 3" give you any problems - is that why you switched? Thimble for 3" vs 4" should be about the same dimensions, and the sill cut would be the toughest part of the whole install. How did you run your OAK - right along side the vent pipe?
I put in 3" duravent multi-fuel vent originally, it was marginal on the eva and I wanted to add some verticle height outside. I changed it because I found the duravent to be a little subpar ( don't shoot me because I feel that locking vent pipe shouldn"t have to be taped and siliconed), so I changed to selkirk. The thimble comes with the kit, you can't put a 4'" vent through a 3" vent hole.
 
I put in 3" duravent multi-fuel vent originally, it was marginal on the eva and I wanted to add some verticle height outside. I changed it because I found the duravent to be a little subpar ( don't shoot me because I feel that locking vent pipe shouldn"t have to be taped and siliconed), so I changed to selkirk. The thimble comes with the kit, you can't put a 4'" vent through a 3" vent hole.
That sounds like a good way to go - did the Selkirk pipe require any sealant at all between sections, or was the built in seal good enough? I see they have a tee section that connects at stove with OA connection (unless I was looking at parts for the wrong stoves). That would save me from having to run flex up the basement wall and out, correct?
 
Where I live, the code only allows for multi-fuel vent. You should check the building code in your area, most cities only allow the use of single wall flex within a chimney. If you are on this site for more than two minutes you should see an ad for this venting with a built in seal. I would guess that if your putting the stove in a family room and don't want to see the vents you'll have to build a bulkhead to hide them. If you go to the Englander web site and look in the manual I think they have a rough sketch on how to do it.
 
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