Installation Issue

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Dojistar

Member
Jan 10, 2008
42
Central MA
I just installed my pellet stove and had the inspector come over to take a look at it.

He said everything was fine except for the door being too close to the pipe. It is within 4".

The door is non-functioning and can't be opened, nailed shut,but he still would not pass it because it could be made functional again.

He said I need to raise the pipe up so it is at least 1" above the door. Not an issue except that it is now within 4" of the attic vent. The pipe manufacturer states that the outlet can not be within 4" of a gravity air inlet.

So my question is, can I put a 90 degree elbow where the T connector is now, add 2" of pipe from the elbow to get my 4", then put the T connector back on and and have the old 3" rise up to the outlet. (See Images)

Thanks!
 

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I just installed my pellet stove and had the inspector come over to take a look at it.

He said everything was fine except for the door being too close to the pipe. It is within 4".

The door is non-functioning and can't be opened, nailed shut,but he still would not pass it because it could be made functional again.

He said I need to raise the pipe up so it is at least 1" above the door. Not an issue except that it is now within 4" of the attic vent. The pipe manufacturer states that the outlet can not be within 4" of a gravity air inlet.

So my question is, can I put a 90 degree elbow where the T connector is now, add 2" of pipe from the elbow to get my 4", then put the T connector back on and and have the old 3" rise up to the outlet. (See Images)

Thanks!

I'm betting you meant 4' (four foot) rather than 4" (4 inches)?

Rather than a 90º pipe, what if you used a couple of 45º, one installed at the existing T connector, then one or two lengths of pipe, then another 45º to bring it back to vertical, then the termination, however high you would like to make that?

That should get you far enough away from the attic vent and the door, the 45º adapters will be a bit less restrictive (though will look like a single 90º on paper), and the added lengths of pipe should help with the draft, cancelling out the two 45º?

Or am I crazy here?
 
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I would also use a 45 but would turn the T on a 45 rather
than use 2 45s this is what I had to do with my pipes to correctly
reach the 6 in . SS connection . It also reduces any restriction
then you can terminate when ever you like .
 
I would also use a 45 but would turn the T on a 45 rather
than use 2 45s this is what I had to do with my pipes to correctly
reach the 6 in . SS connection . It also reduces any restriction
then you can terminate when ever you like .

Excellent. I never thought about just rotating the T Connector 45º.
 
If you think you'll never use the door again, why not remove it and build a wall? That will provide better insulation anyway!
 
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I'm betting you meant 4' (four foot) rather than 4" (4 inches)?

Rather than a 90º pipe, what if you used a couple of 45º, one installed at the existing T connector, then one or two lengths of pipe, then another 45º to bring it back to vertical, then the termination, however high you would like to make that?

That should get you far enough away from the attic vent and the door, the 45º adapters will be a bit less restrictive (though will look like a single 90º on paper), and the added lengths of pipe should help with the draft, cancelling out the two 45º?

Or am I crazy here?


That's a great Idea. Never though about using 45 degree pipe. My biggest concern with adding angled pipe, was with code enforcement. Would they allow it. I can't find anything in the manual that says no.

Si I will be picking up some 45 Degree pipe tomorrow. THANK YOU!
 
That's a great Idea. Never though about using 45 degree pipe. My biggest concern with adding angled pipe, was with code enforcement. Would they allow it. I can't find anything in the manual that says no.

Si I will be picking up some 45 Degree pipe tomorrow. THANK YOU!

You'll want to keep in mind the EVL when installing the vent:

Equivalent Vent Length: The equivalent vent length for common pellet vent components are:

• 90° Elbows or Tee: 5 EVL Units
• 45° elbow: 3 EVL Units
• Vertical Pipe or Liner: 1⁄2 EVL Unit • Horizontal Pipe or liner: 1 EVL Unit

The total allowable equivalent vent length is:

• 20 EVL for 3” pellet vent pipe or liner

• 30 EVL for 4” pellet vent pipe or liner

Due to the potential for any ash accumulation in horizontal venting sections, the maximum permissible horizontal venting length is:

• 4 ft. for 3” & 4” pellet vent pipe.

I pulled that out of an installation manual for my Harman Accentra...it should be the same for any stove.

You can see examples at this link, go to page 17:

http://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/Accentra_Install_Man_08326i.pdf



 
And good luck finding 45º bends...depending on the manufacturer you may need to order and wait for them to come in. Not all big box stores carry them on the shelf.
 
And good luck finding 45º bends...depending on the manufacturer you may need to order and wait for them to come in. Not all big box stores carry them on the shelf.

Lowes has 11 in stock now. I was kind of shocked by it myself. Home Depot had nothing.
 
3" pipe should have EVL of 15 or less; otherwise 4". He likely has 3' horizontal = 3; 90 t = 5; 90 at termination = 5. 13 already so be cautious... What is the clearance to the door at the moment?
 
3" pipe should have EVL of 15 or less; otherwise 4". He likely has 3' horizontal = 3; 90 t = 5; 90 at termination = 5. 13 already so be cautious... What is the clearance to the door at the moment?

I am at 2'- 2" now. Turning it 45 degrees would give me about 4"- 3" with the addition of 2 45 degree pieces or 1 45 and a turned T- connector. So I will be at 16 or 19 depending on how I install.

I am just unsure if the inspector would take the turned t-connector as a fail or not.
 
Problem #1.......

Better to incur the wrath of the installation inspection than to have to deal with an questioning insurance company later if things should ever go awry. I had no issues with the building inspector (I'm betting it was one of his least challenging appointments of the week), and less issues with the insurance company, just a two-sided form to fill out. No increase in yearly premium either.

Before you get all the pieces installed would you be able to contact the inspector, run the T-Connector at a 45º angle by him? I can't see why it would matter, the capped outlet is nothing more than a clean out, an access point to the rest of the stack in this configuration. Have him work out the EVL with you also. I'm surprised to see the limit of 15 on the EVL, Harman and Ravelli installation manuals both give a 20 EVL as maximum.

Dojo....we'll need pics to his once you get it all in place, it may be helpful down the road to be able to refer to this thread when the situation may arise again.
 
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