Advantage of an OAK

[checkthisout]

I've got about the same problem- I would run an OAK however the pellet stove is in the basement, which is finished, and it's a poured concrete wall behind it. So I would have to either run an OAK pipe up the inside wall 4' (visible) and then out to ground level OR run the OAK straight out, then plumb a line through soil and have it pop out at ground level.

Option 2 is the cleanest looking, but man. What a PITA.

Another + 1 reason Sel-Kirk needs to advertise their direc-temp piping better than they do now.

 

[Threerun]

Well, there is a third and less costly method. Run a pipe out the window through a block-off plate.

Yeah- the misses would just love that, lol.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

I installed an OAK in the new hearth I built year before last.

I did not hook it to the stove though.

Our house has a fresh air "ADD VENT" in the mechanical room in the little space above the air handler.

This allows a small amount of fresh air to be drawn in and mixed with the room air.

I find that the pellet stoves do not seem to cause an real draft issues.

One Plus is that the nasty stale cooking smells go away quickly and the house does not get "stale"

Now if I lived in an area that sees very cold temps outside, I would probably not do it the way I do.

Also if your house is TIGHT the OAK is a must have to be sure of adequate fresh air.


Just some thoughts


Snowy

 

[St_Earl]

Well, there is a third and less costly method. Run a pipe out the window through a block-off plate.

Yeah- the misses would just love that, lol.

i've been struggling with this since we got our stove at the beginning of october.
some stoves are designed better to use an oak afaik.

mine would require taping or otherwise sealing places that cold air would leak through the stove when not running.
also the oak kit for my stove is way overpriced due to a collar that is needed in this design.
b.s. even if you do buy the kit.
no freaking way that collar doubles the price of the oak.
i'm sure i could fashion something. but our house is small and the stove is keeping things cozy as it is.

what i have actually started doing is cracking open the front door that shares the same wall with the back of the stove and opens out to our enclosed front porch.
it's 4 feet from the stove.
you can totally feel the air being pulled right to the stove. and the hot living room doesn't even cool down.
i'm going to stay w/ this manual oak.
i turn the stove down once i go to sleep. and i usually stay up till past 3 AM as it is.
my main need is to reheat the house during the day. and i've noticed a big difference in the farthest away room's rate of heat rise since i've been doing this.
i guess i'm just lucky the way the layout is here.

all this being said. the principle still persists. the draft from the living space is reduced as my stove pulls air from behind it/the enclosed porch.

 

[save$]

I have the same situation. For me, no question at all about going up and out. I painted my pipe black just like the exhaust. Not a eyesore at all. I have a few things on the self that catch the eye and draw away from the pipe. The benefit from the OAK far outstrips the negative of being able to see the correct venting.
I think it was mentioned that if you really think the second pipe is too much distraction, you can use the set up that is built right around the stove's exhaust pipe.

 

[Waterbug]

I wish it were easy for me to install an OAK. Seeing as how I had a wood burner, my hearth goes up the wall several feet. I think trying to bore a hole in the side or bottom for and OAK would be a P.I.T.A..

NAH Ten minuted with a hammer drill and another twenty minutes to do the rest of the install. Been there, done that !!
I have a new home which is very air tight. Without an OAK, the replacement air would come into my basement through an outside vent in the furnace area. It is an open 6" tube to the outside, required by code. That means that I would be continuously drawing COLD air out of my basement into the upstairs living area.