A couple of feet in our upstairs hallway wall is adjacent to the chimney and is 6-7 degrees warmer than the rest of the upstairs when the pellet stove is running. Is it acceptable to cut a hole and put a wall register in to allow some of the chimney heat to radiate into the upstairs? I know some people that have vents like this but wasnt sure about them being to code. Tried searching quite a bit but not sure the terms I should use. I would want to tightly seal it when the stove isn't used.
Cut chimney wall vent
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HVAC_Marc
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i would find out why the wall is so much warmer there first. especially being next to the chimney (that is used for the pellet stove?) the chimney may be breached and could be a fire hazard.
I thought it was a bit unusual for it to be that warm also. I spoke to the city inspector today (even though we are outside city limits) and he said it would be fine to cut the vent. So looks like if nothing else it will allow me to see if there look to be any issues. Besides the obvious, should I look for anything that would be an indicator of a breach?
HVAC_Marc
Member
staining, lack of mortar, water lines, smells, burnt areas, missing bricks, rotted steel pipe, and the like
shut down the stove. opening the wall will cause a fire if there is a breach due to increased oxygen circulation.
shut down the stove. opening the wall will cause a fire if there is a breach due to increased oxygen circulation.
Well I don't believe it's a breach. Where the fireplace is with the pellet stove insert the whole wall of that room, it's a corner slant about 6 feet wide and 7 feet high to ceiling, is the brick facing and the trim around the brick isn't sealed/caulked. So pretty sure the reason it's so warm upstairs in the wall is because the heats rising through the gap between the brick and trim. Does that sound logical?
I cut a horizontal hole about 1in x 4 in about 8 inches above the floor. I didn't expect a breeze coming out of it, more just a slow flow of warm air. Instead it's actually sucking air down between the cinderblock and framing. It's an old house so there isn't the 2in gap, just about 1/4inch. While I can't see a whole lot of the blocks everything looks good.The hole is about 5 feet from an open stairwell so is it likely creating a loop where the heat comes up the stair well and down through the hole in the wall? I stuck a lighter in there and verified that it does pull the flame down to the crack and not up to the attic, which I recently sealed with hi-temp caulk.
If a loop does sound likely, is it good/should I keep it and put a register there or would it be best to seal it back up (and caulk around the brick/trim downstairs)? We are having some drywall work down soon anyways.
I cut a horizontal hole about 1in x 4 in about 8 inches above the floor. I didn't expect a breeze coming out of it, more just a slow flow of warm air. Instead it's actually sucking air down between the cinderblock and framing. It's an old house so there isn't the 2in gap, just about 1/4inch. While I can't see a whole lot of the blocks everything looks good.The hole is about 5 feet from an open stairwell so is it likely creating a loop where the heat comes up the stair well and down through the hole in the wall? I stuck a lighter in there and verified that it does pull the flame down to the crack and not up to the attic, which I recently sealed with hi-temp caulk.
If a loop does sound likely, is it good/should I keep it and put a register there or would it be best to seal it back up (and caulk around the brick/trim downstairs)? We are having some drywall work down soon anyways.
HVAC_Marc
Member
that much of a draft is not normal. in addition, when the hole in the wall was not there, why was it warm? (since there was no hot supply air from the stairwell)?
I would suggest starting a thread in the pellet room of this forum in regards to properly venting a pellet stove, and include pics of what you are working with to help give info which may provide advice as to whether what you have going on here is safe.
pen
pen
Thanks. Will do. I also am waiting on a callback from a chimney sweep.
Kinda par for the course for this house. Lesson learned - don't buy from family
Kinda par for the course for this house. Lesson learned - don't buy from family
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