OAK?

What dose the manual say ??

The pellet stove needs air to burn.....into the combustion area,and out thru the flue. With an oak, it brings air in from outside, and deposits ir back outside. Without the oak....it takes air from inside, that you’ve already paid to heat, and deposits it outside. What’s worse is it creates a negative air pressure in your house.....vacuum if you will. Low pressure in your house will draw cold air through cracks, leaks weatherstripping, from the outside....to replace that lost air and equal out pressures.....so you’re not only pumping warmed air out....but you’re sucking cold air in.

My Harmon XXV has OAK.

ridgeracing said:

I am also interested in replacing woodstove at my cabin with a pellet stove, but chimney is in center of cabin so OAK is not possible.

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Actually, it is possible. Nothing says the outside air has to come from a wall perforation. It can come from the crawl space under the house and out to the outside of the foundation. Or it can come from the attic space and down next to the chimney, etc.

I'm no certified technician or in any way an authority on anything legal or engineer oriented, but I've mostly come to the conclusion that OAKs are for houses that are air tight. Like stuffy air tight. Modern day thinking is to save energy, the house has to barely change air at all. I personally can not tolerate a house so tightly sealed and stuffed up. But most older houses and houses that were remodeled such that fresh air can get into the house easily like from the range hood or dryer vent etc., there is plenty air coming in to support combustion. In a very tightly sealed modern house however, there may not be enough fresh air coming in, the fire can not get the air it needs. So as stated by mikkeeh, the sealed house would become unsafe without an OAK.

The other safety reason of course is, that without an OAK, if your exhaust plumbing does not have enough vertical free run to the outside, to create a "stack effect" or as the name chimney implies, a "chimney effect" which can draw smoke out of the stove in a power outage, it can back up and into the house causing a lot of expensive smoke damage. Also, best check with your insurance company regarding heating source installation. Dont want to give them any more reason to deny a claim.
In my opinion.

Selkirk makes a vent that has exhaust and intake in one

Ssyko said:

Selkirk makes a vent that has exhaust and intake in one
View attachment 237233

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That's interesting so the air coming in is probably warmed and not dumping cold air on the Fire.

ridgeracing said:

I understand what you are saying, why do brands like Harmon etc. Not have them?

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Harmans have outside air capability.

Bixby also used a pipe in a pipe system but if you had a long pipe run it caused problems because the cold air coming in cooled the exh off which helped plug exh and also there was condensation build up which rusted the pipes

rona said:

Bixby also used a pipe in a pipe system but if you had a long pipe run it caused problems because the cold air coming in cooled the exh off which helped plug exh and also there was condensation build up which rusted the pipes

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There always seems to be a negative side to everything

ridgeracing said:

My stove is in basement and has a 20' 'block chimney, does not vent outside

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It vents to the outside at the top of your chimney. You need to read your owners manual. Englander Stoves require an OAK, if one is not installed your homeowners may cancel your insurance or if you have a fire it can be denied. Due to installation not compiling with manufacturers requirments. Up to you

Even wood stoves come with an OAK fitting,but,in some cases(maybe all?) an outside vent,somewhere else can pass regulations,no direct connection to the stove.Not really a problem unless house is tightly sealed.

You're heating your basement to >70°... on a bag a day... your floors are warmer.
Your upstairs is being warmed.. Are you happy with it?

If yes: stop here.
If no: do something different.

ridgeracing said:

I will check on model, but his dose not have ext air hook up. I no he has owned it for at Least 15yrs

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As you are standing in front of the stove remove sheet metal guards in the back on left side you should see a pipe approx. 2 inches in diameter back there. if you look at the tin pieces you will see where the tin has been made so you can twist a piece back and forth with a plier until it breaks off. This will expose the fresh air pipe and you can slip a piece of flex tubing over it.

Harmon’s do not have outside air but all Harman’s do.

2 tons a year?Dont worry about OAK. Just my opinion.

ridgeracing said:

I am guessing our house must have a lot of leakage. 1st season on pellet stove last year (2 tons) and now this year, stove seems to operate ok. Just curious what would benefit me from installing OAK.

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You would not be burning air that you have already paid to heat and blow it up your exhaust while pulling pulling cold air from outside into your house. You might as well just throw $20’s out your window....... Never mind being cold from the draft.

Maybe we need an OAK sticky or an entire forum for OAK s...

Whether the hot air in your flue comes from the house or the outside , you are paying for the pellets which heat it.
If you preheat this air with a concentric flue system the stove will be a percent or so more efficient : you will burn fewer pellets.
I prefer to have an OAK to avoid cold drafts around my feet , a question of comfort , but does this matter in a basement ?