Considering purchasing a pellet stove

[jtcm05]

Hi all. I am new and in the process of putting a 2 story addition on our house. We are considering putting a pellet stove in the first floor family room as a supplemental source of heat to our oil/hot water heat and I have a few specific questions that I can't seem to find answers to searching the forums or in the FAQs. I am considering the Quadra-Fire Castile model due to it's ability to also burn corn, but was also looking at some Harmon models(more expensive). I am a little confused about the venting requirements of pellet stoves. I have read that simply running the vent pipe straight through the wall is not a good idea, but I am somewhat limited from going up through the roof with a two story house. I realize that local codes can differ, but do I have to run the vent pipe above the roof? Can I run it horizontally through the wall, then 90 degrees and up ,say, five feet or so? Or would it be better to run up inside, then out the wall? I want to make sure it vents efficiently above all else with no worries of smoke backing up into the house in the event of a power failure. Another question I had was regarding how exactly the transition is made through the wall. Do they make kits for this purpose? I am also considering waiting until spring or next summer to purchase it as, I'm sure now is not the greatest time to buy to get a good deal. This makes me wonder what I can do now in the construction phase to enable an easier install next summer. Like cutting the hole before the shell is sided, installing an outside air supply, etc. Thanks for the great forums.

John

 

[Czech]

It's my understanding that the benefit of having vertical vent is draft, if the power goes out it may draft better this way. I've seen both installs, mine Castile vent is up for 4' and out the wall, my neighbors is straight thru. I haven't seen a noticable difference but I haven't seen his tested with no power (mine does draft without). As far as going thru the wall, the part is called a thimble, basically make the hole and the thimble 'sandwiches' together from either side around the pipe providing needed clearances and finished appearence. Look at Quad's webpage at the manuals to get the idea. As long as you are with in specs, I don't believe running the vertical inside or out is an issue, although running inside may keep the vent a little warmer and thus helping to provide better draft. Not sure if that's significant or not, but I'm sure others will chime in. Good luck!
B

 

[HarryBack]

gimme out thru the wall, then up 4-5 feet, everytime, over going thru the roof. Yea, int he event the power goes out, you MIGHT have more natural draft if you go thru the roof, this increase might very well be mitigated by resistance to flow via the smaller pipe. The problem with roof installs is more difficult to clean, and the likelyhood of leakage is much greater. From a service standpoint, thru the wall is easier as well, plus with the added advantage of being able to bring in outside air.

 

[jtcm05]

Thanks for the replies. So, will out thru the wall and up five feet create sufficient draft for a well-operating appliance in the event of a power failure? I saw a kit from duravent at lowes with 3" pipe for $200 that looks like it has enough in it to do exactly what I need. Can anyone offer any info about common code requirements?

 

[HarryBack]

Heres the owners manual for the P68....if you go to page 7, there are general venting specs....not all of them, mid you, but a pretty good bunch of guidelines to follow. Please note that all stoves are different, and the inspector will rightly want to consult the owners manual when inspecting the unit, so make sure you follow the guidelines in whatever stove you purchease!

(broken link removed to http://harmanstoves.com/doc/p68m.pdf)

Good luck!