I just need a Yes or No answer

[cookinwithwood]

Hey guys ive read a ton about OAK's, im not asking for advice im just asking if my synopsis below is correct.

In your average house there are air leaks, and when you burn wood/pellets your stove requires air/oxeygen for combustion. So when your burning, the stove is pulling air from wherever it can ( through leaky windows, bad door seals and the like ), the stove is going to draw air from outside regardless. By using an OAK you take that cold air that was going to come into the house anyway and sent it directly to the stove. Does that basically sum it up?

 

[HotCoals]

Pretty much.
But of course you still have the leakage that acts like having a air con on.
Battle away!
You sound like a lawyer..just answer the question yes or no. lol

 

[cookinwithwood]

Pretty much.
But of course you still have the leakage that acts like having a air con on.
Battle away!
You sound like a lawyer..just answer the question yes or no. lol

Haha, i know there are alot of OAK questions that ask the same questions ( do I need an OAK ). So I was just makin it easy on every one

But on the Air Leakage topic, if the stove isn't attempting to forcibly draw air from existing leaks those leaks might turn out to not be leaks. If the house has an equal pressure to the outside then some leaks might not leak. For example a bristle style bottom of the door seal, with equal pressure nothing is trying to draw air through it.

YES or NO or THIS GUY NEEDS FRESH AIR haha

 

[madison]

I'll disagree, and say No.

It is my understanding, that the OAK does not necessarily make a direct sealed connection to the stove air inlet. So the OAK is supplying outside air to the room and thus, the stove. Not directly into the stove.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Yes.

 

[HotCoals]

I'll disagree, and say No.

It is my understanding, that the OAK does not necessarily make a direct sealed connection to the stove air inlet. So the OAK is supplying outside air to the room and thus, the stove. Not directly into the stove.

I never had a oak but find that interesting.

 

[Holiday]

That is then more like having a passive air vent in the vicinity of the stove. I think an oak would be best utilized connected to the stove.

 

[HotCoals]

Haha, i know there are alot of OAK questions that ask the same questions ( do I need an OAK ). So I was just makin it easy on every one

But on the Air Leakage topic, if the stove isn't attempting to forcibly draw air from existing leaks those leaks might turn out to not be leaks. If the house has an equal pressure to the outside then some leaks might not leak. For example a bristle style bottom of the door seal, with equal pressure nothing is trying to draw air through it.

YES or NO or THIS GUY NEEDS FRESH AIR haha

The stove aint sucking air that hard..trust me..lol.

 

[HotCoals]

Here's some good info.
It seems in Europe the OAK does not usually hook directly to the stove.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/qa-spotlight/how-provide-makeup-air-wood-stove


In part:
There is one reason that a duct dumping outside air near the stove might be better than a direct connection, Holladay says, and that’s the danger of fire.

“A few house fires have occurred in homes with outside combustion air intakes that connect directly to the wood stove,” he writes. “Here's the scenario for trouble: a gust of wind causes backdrafting, and hot coals blow into the air-intake duct. Some homeowners have used PVC for these ducts — a bad idea. Obviously, metal ducting is safer, but hot coals in the air intake duct are always scary.”

 

[begreen]

The jury is still out.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...it-make-a-difference.10388/page-2#post-218816

 

[DickRussell]

One criterion for my stove selection was that it have provision for direct connection of an OAK. I didn't want interior air going up the chimney all night after the stove burned out. I also didn't want a duct dumping raw air into the vicinity of the stove all the time, creating a cold spot in the room. Furthermore, the house is very tight, and by connecting the interior of the stove directly to the outdoors I greatly reduce the possibility of backdrafting when the clothes dryer or range hood gets turned on. As it is, I have to shut those off when lighting off the stove; once I get a good fire going, the draw lets us use other exhausting devices.

As for the backdrafting issue, both air intake and chimney are on the windward side of the house. I also can't see how my stove configuration could possibly backdraft so severely as to entrain hot coals into the fresh air duct. That would take a huge and sudden volume of air, driven by quite a pressure difference between chimney top and the air duct inlet. But I suppose it has happened in a few instances, somewhere else. People get struck by lightning, too. Anyway, my inlet duct is aluminum.

 

[Todd]

Put me down in the yes crowd, I think OAK is a good thing.

 

[HotCoals]

Some people have experienced violent puff backs in their stoves.
What can happen is there is a fire in the stove..back draft blows out the fire. Then what happens is a flame comes back and that ignites all the out gassing that was going on and bam!
It will mostly happen in the first few hours of a burn . Can sometimes happen from shutting a roaring fire down too fast.

 

[cookinwithwood]

Wow didnt know this topic was so interesting. I apologize I should have prefaced with I have a PSG Caddy and PSG sell's a fresh air intake. So as you can see the fresh air is DIRECT.

Without Kit
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With Kit

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[HotCoals]

Nice furnace!

 

[cookinwithwood]

Thanks we love it, last winter we heated our 1'600sf house built in 1920 on less then 8 face cord, it burns soooooo clean.

 

[Holiday]

I'd say yes on the furnace.

 

[HotCoals]

Nice to have oil backup in the same unit.
Do you know the efficiency of the unit when it is on oil?

 

[HotCoals]

I found it..seems like a great unit for the basement.

3 - MAX CADDY - Wood or combination furnace (oil and/or electric)

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[cookinwithwood]

Nice to have oil backup in the same unit.
Do you know the efficiency of the unit when it is on oil?

No I don't


In my honest opinion burning oil has 99% to do with the oil burner and 1% about the actual furnace. The gun on this furnace is a becket I believe, which is the same as say an Oneida Forced Air Furnace..... I know someone will say the furnace has more then 1%... its a figure of speech. If they made oil guns more like an injector in a diesel engine, where you get the fuel to an atomized state that would be awsome. But that would require 10k psi of fuel pressure and a way to compress the air into the chamber for a better combustion.... and I'm rambling, ill stop.