To OAK or not to OAK

[BigJohnfromCT]

I know there has been a lot posted regarding outside air kits and it seems to me that it makes perfect sense to use non heated air for combustion BUT the guys that installed and service the stove said they don't recommend them. They said they really don't make that much difference. I've got a Mount Vernon AE heating a 3000 sqft house with 12 - 14' ceilings. The stove runs flat out night and day. I burn Hamers exclusively (5+ tons). 5 tons in the garage since late August. Any thoughts? Thank you.

 

[Harman Lover 007]

Here we go.......

 

[St_Earl]

OAK? yes, please.

 

[jjk454ss]

I just got a classic bay and the dealer told me not to bother with an OAK. Unless you have negative pressure or something.

 

[midfielder]

Oak is generally good for red wine and makes a decent pellet too . . . To OAK or not? To.

 

[BigJohnfromCT]

Here we go.......

 

[St_Earl]

dealers always say that.

 

[BigJohnfromCT]

Im sorry I don't understand your reply. "Here you go..."

 

[BigJohnfromCT]

But why? To sell more pellets? My dealer has been in business over 20 years. That tells me he's not out there zooming people. Push comes to shove I'll buy my pellets elsewhere.

 

[Nick of PA]

I just had my heatilator cab50 installed with an OAK/wall thimble made by harman. Little more expensive, however did not need to cut a second hole in wall as intake for the OAK is built in to the wall thimble. Nice clean look and seems to be working well. This stove is my first and man what a difference over the oil/hot water radiator. It pumps out some serious heat.

 

[St_Earl]

it's somewhat a mystery why. but a certain consensus is that the job is not a profitable one for them.
there are tons and tons of threads on this topic.
use the search function and you can read till you go blind.

normally i would try and type out a decent reply. but it really has been thoroughly covered. : )

sadly the kit for quads (and my heatilator) are among the most expensive.
it's highway robbery as far as i'm concerned.
if you can fab up the little collar piece, the rest of the parts can be sourced from a hardware store.

i got mine for a little under $100 but i don't remember where. the best price i see at a glance is $119. and what you get as far as actual hardware is worth a tiny fraction of that amount on it's own.

still, i wouldn't go back now i have one.

 

[Bob Sorjanen]

definitely OAK. too many drafts without it!

 

[reallyte]

Get the Russo one for 60$

 

[DneprDave]

My Whitfield's OAK inlet is open to the inside of the stove, so it can pull in room air. I really didn't see the point in running a pipe to the outside, when It sucks inside air too.

Dave

 

[St_Earl]

Get the Russo one for 60$

the quads and heatilators need the little collar piece since the inlet is just a hole on the back of the stove with no way to clamp the hose to it.

i really didn't have the tools (welder) to fab one up. though i think even with a hacksaw, drill and some jb weld, it could be done.
i thought about going that route, but just caved and ordered a kit.

 

[krooser]

I have found that most dealers and installers don't own a pellet stove... they are clueless.

 

[fmsm]

Best thing I did! No drafts and less pellet usage!

 

[P38X2]

It's bizarre to think a dealer wouldn't promote using an OAK. For example, a Harman dealer using the Harman OAK thimble, would be making more money on the sale of the more expensive thimble, a length of fancy expensive OAK flex duct and the added labor of making the 2 connections. They're cutting the hole through the wall anyway. Square hole, round hole, what difference does it make?

The ONLY reasons I can think of for them NOT wanting to sell the OAK is A) because they think they'll be making the stove/installation sound more complicated than they think the customer wants to hear, and/or B) the extra expense on an already pricy investment for most folks. MAYBE C) An improperly summerized OAK can lead to rust in the stove.

 

[Aquion]

Has anyone ever had a dealer recommend an OAK?

My dealer tried to talk me out of getting one multiple times. I'm glad I got it though. Do it when you get the stove installed or you may have a hard time getting someone to come out and put one in later on.

 

[saladdin]

I just had my heatilator cab50 installed with an OAK/wall thimble made by harman. Little more expensive, however did not need to cut a second hole in wall as intake for the OAK is built in to the wall thimble. Nice clean look and seems to be working well. This stove is my first and man what a difference over the oil/hot water radiator. It pumps out some serious heat.

Thinking of doing the same with my cab50. You wouldn't have a picture of your oak installed would ya?

 

[StormPanic]

I think you will be hard pressed to find anyone on these forums that does NOT recommend using OAK. Either way that cold outside air is going to get into your house, either through the OAK where it will be used as combustion air, or through the drafts in your house where it will become air that your stove needs to heat. My stove ran like crap until I installed my OAK. Total no brainer.

 

[bdaoust]

I have a Harman P68 and I swear I read somewhere not to OAK because the P68 doesn't need it?

 

[P38X2]

Well no stoves really NEED it, unless they're welded inside a steel box. You don't NEED to have you're tires properly inflated. They'll roll just fine 10 lbs light, but you'll use more fuel

 

[MCPO]

Common sense dictates an OAK for obvious reasons . Let me ask this one question: Why would a company like Englanders who sell lower cost pellet stoves to dept stores and other big box stores include an OAK with each stove? If an OAK wasn`t important or justified or in some locales mandatory , they could easily cut their costs and increase profits.

 

[krooser]

Think of the safety factor.... do you want you stove eating up the oxygen inside your house? Think about winter family get togethers... more people in the house, a turkey baking in a gas oven and food being heated on the stove top, maybe a gas water heater located in the home... if you have a tight home you could face oxygen deficiency.

An old, drafty place won't face those problems but a newer, well insulated home with new windows, etc. could be a problem.