Considering converting to pellets, have some questions

[bcarton]

Our wood stove is very old technology, and our chimney the same. I wanted to fire up the old stove this year because we have electric heat which is suddenly going to rise sharply. Long story short our existing setup is neither as efficient or as safe as current technology, and the cost to upgrade the chimney is high because before a new liner can go in, the old tile has to come out. A pellet stove vent could fit easily, however.

I'm thinking of doing the vent myself, but I have a couple of probably dumb questions. The best place for a new stove is right where the old one is - on a hearth, with a masonry chimney on the other side of a brick heart back wall, and that chimney is in a garage. So, here come the questions:

1) I've been reading that an outside air kit is always recommended, even when it's not required. As dumb as this sounds, would air from the garage be considered "outside air?" I could run the intake to right where the old cat door is. The cat is long gone. Later, I could hire someone to do a cleaner-looking install through the brick into the garage.

2) I read this article and it scared me. I have no idea whether our current install follows recommended practice. Without tearing down brick, I can't tell what's going on there. I'm guessing that the current installation is hazardous. Can I safely run the pellet stove vent through my 6" pass-through, or do I need to tear that out the bricks and rebuild around the old passthrough according to this article? https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/passing_a_chimney

Once I get out to the old flue, it's a straight shot up to the roof. It looks like it would be dead simple to drop a liner down the chimney, as long as it's less than 6.5" OD.

I'm sure I'll have a million more questions if I move forward with this project, but that's it for now. Doing the vent myself might make it affordable for me to get a lower-cost ($2,000 or less) stove in this year. Otherwise, I may just wait until next year before converting.

Thanks!
Brian

 

[johninwi]

no on using garage air for oak, possible gas fumes or other combustables

the distance up the existing flue may require 4" vent, the install manual will have that

that's all i know for certain

 

[xSpecBx]

Agree with the above about the outside air. The manual on my quadra fire explicitly says the air can't come from an inside wall or garage.

I think the general rule of thumb for the liner is 4" for anything over 15' but the manual will tell you exactly what you need.

 

[bcarton]

Well, dang it. My long term goal is to have a pellet stove and a wood stove, at opposing ends of this too-large house. The current install can't really be used, as it not only is truly out of date, but was never installed properly. It's a 7" stove going into a 6" flue. I thought I might save some cash on a DIY pellet install. However, I don't want to compromise on a quality, or safe install, and it's a long run to outside air.

So, I guess I'll cough up for a 6" liner and a new 6" wood stove, a "value" model. With the cost of electric, it looks like I'll recover the cost of the install in one season. Providing the chimney guy can ensure a safe wall pass-through, that is. If not, than no stove for me until spring.

Hopefully I'll get a new wood stove setup this fall. Most likely, I'll put a pellet fireplace insert at the opposite end of the house in th spring. Two seasons of investing,then I'll start saving a ton of money on heat costs.

Thanks folks, really appreciate the benefit of your knowledge and experience.

I absolutely want to get off electric heat, as it costs too much to keep this house not-quite-warm. Didn't mind when I was younger, but heat feels good these days.

 

[Big papa]

You could install this year without the OAK and install it next year to save some cash for now

 

[Big papa]

I'm running my stove this year without an OAK for the same reason.but I will be installing one next year

 

[xSpecBx]

You can also run the oak to the top of the chimney. The exhaust will need to be some distance above the oak, but it is possible.

Is the chimney a masonry chimney on an exterior wall? I believe you can run the oak through the clean out hatch. I would double check me on that but I believe a manual I read said to do that.

 

[bcarton]

The chimney is a masonry chimney inside the garage. This is the floor plan, the wood stove that I want to replace is the red star on the left:

I may have figured it out. It depends on the requirement for the OAK. If I can go 20-25 feet without a lot of expense, I can run the OAK out the back of the garage, but still going through the cat door. The back is UP on the floor plan.

The stove in the FR really kind of bakes that room, but airflow around the rest of the house is great once the heat gets out of that room. If I upgrade to new technology, I'll use minimal or no electric heat on all but the coldest days. If I have wood or pellet heat at both ends of the house, I'll never use it again. My thought process is that with at least one wood stove, I'll have some heat even with zero power. The Ice Storm of 2008 taught us some hard lessons about the electric grid here in southern NH.

 

[Caleb Joens]

From what I read you will likely have to go up to a 4" liner, but you can run your oak down the chimney beside it if you can get it to fit. That is the set up I am doing and it has worked great so far. Make sure your oak is away from your exhaust. I have seen where people put a 180 at the top of the oak and run the oak 18" below the chimney top.

 

[Polar Bear]

Why not run your OAK into the garage then against the east wall until you punch a hole in the north wall? It's just a clean 2" silver pipe. Anyways its a garage.

 

[briansol]

Before you buy a pellet stove for THIS season, make sure you can actually find a supply of pellets. It's my understanding that your area is hit pretty hard and finding bags for sale my prove difficult this late in the game.

That said, IMO, the OAK is required.... even if the manual says otherwise. It's night and day difference in drafts around the house and makes the unit at least 20% more efficient by cold wife standards.

Since you won't have room for both intake and exhaust in the 6", and sourcing behind from the garage is a no-go, it might not be the best spot to put it.

You mentioned you wanted to put a stove at either end of the house. Maybe this is a good opportunity to place a new pellet stove with a direct-vent to outside wall on the opposite side of the house, and later rebuild the masonry/etc for a replacement wood burner. A pellet stove doesn't need a whole hearth-- just a floor pad and some clearance to walls by a couple inches.

 

[mik_kane]

Call a company that sells venting and ask them what you need to properly vent what you want to do. They are very helpful and will give you a price for what you will be spending.

 

[mik_kane]

Why not run your OAK into the garage then against the east wall until you punch a hole in the north wall? It's just a clean 2" silver pipe. Anyways its a garage.

You can run PVC pipe against the wall and change over to metal flex into the stove

 

[hossthehermit]

You can run PVC pipe against the wall and change over to metal flex into the stove

Wow - may wanna be careful with statements like this ............

 

[mik_kane]

Wow - may wanna be careful with statements like this ............

View attachment 141878

For an OAK? What is wrong?

 

[hossthehermit]

Some people interpret code to require an OAK to be made from non-combustible material ......

 

[SKOAL MAN]

Some people interpret code to require an OAK to be made from non-combustible material ......

But it can go through combustible materials with zero clearance, lol!

 

[bcarton]

Don't worry, folks, I'll make sure the local building inspector approves. Still not sure which way I'll go with this project. Thanks for your help!

 

[railfanron]

You may want to check and see if the existing chimney chase can be your outside air. A 6" chimney will support a 4" flue liner and still leave room for the fresh air. I don't see a need for a separate drop pipe for the fresh air. Finding a chimney top to accommodate will be the problem although I believe they are made.
Ron

 

[briansol]

contact swilliamson on here if you need a double decker cap. fresh air on the bottom, exhaust on the top.