Installer want to install 3" pipe and run inside 5’ and then out? Is this OK?

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howdy

New Member
Oct 24, 2008
2
Middletown, NY

Hello. We are having a Harmon P68 installed late November. Previously we had installed a Majestic vent free gas fireplace into a zero clearance corner of our home and and had a custom built oak mantle installed.
Today I spoke with the installer who mentioned he will install the stove with the 3" pipe at 90 degree then going up 5 feet inside the house and then going thru the wall at the 5 foot mark to outside?
I assumed installer would vent out the back of stove directly to outside and then run it on the outside of house?
Is there a reason he would choose to run the pipe up 5' inside and then vent out versus the otherway?
If anyone can post a photo so I can see how the pipe would look inside the house, I would appreciate that.
Also any feedback is welcomed.
Thank you and be well,
Howdy
 
If you have a power failure, you will immediately lose the combustion blower, but there will be fuel sitting in the pot that is burning. By running the chimney the maximum practical height indoors, you get some draft that will help vent the smoke from the dying burn. If you go straight through the wall, the vertical portion will be outside and cold and be of no use whatsoever to assist in providing draft under such circumstances.

Believe it or not, most insurance claims related to pellet stoves are not for fire damage, but are related to damage caused by smoke that spilled into the residence due to a power failure of other operational problem (fault) with the stove.
 
Howdy,

I agree w/ Keith O. I'd start the vertical rise inside ASAP so a draft builds up before going horizontal.


BTW, welcome to the site (I'm over in New Windsor )...where did you get your stove?
 
Forgive me, but I'm a little confused. My stove pipe goes straight out throught the wall to the tee outside, then up three feet to the termination cap. How does the install that you guys are talking about differ from what I have in terms of draft?
And welcome to the site howdy :coolsmile:
 
howdy said:

Hello. We are having a Harmon P68 installed late November.
Today I spoke with the installer who mentioned he will install the stove
with the 3" pipe at 90 degree then going up 5 feet inside the house and
then going thru the wall at the 5 foot mark to outside?

Is there a reason he would choose to run the pipe up 5' inside and
then vent out versus the otherway?

Did you ask the installer this question? There may be a reason, but
we can't see the setup and your installer can. If you'd prefer the pipe
to go out then up, you may want to ask the installer if this can be done.

Maybe if you post pics of the room/location where you are contemplating installing the stove,
the folks here could better answer your questions.
 
Tailrace said:
Forgive me, but I'm a little confused. My stove pipe goes straight out throught the wall to the tee outside, then up three feet to the termination cap. How does the install that you guys are talking about differ from what I have in terms of draft?
And welcome to the site howdy :coolsmile:


I would have him install it like this.You don't want to see that ugly pipe sticking up inside.
 
I also went with my dealers instructions after showing him a pic of the install area.He suggested i go straight out the wall, as to not put the pipe thru the ceiling and thru the upstairs bedroom, unless i was willing to sheet-rock it in , and put an ice breaker behind the flu as it exited the steel roofing,.
So i opted for install #2 which was straight out the wall with a 45 elbow, and 24inch double wall pipe,into a 3 to 4" T with Cleanout, then 3 sections of 4" for a total of 12 ft height, and a cap on top.Seems to work fine and came out exactly far enough to clear my 12 inch soffit and fascia board.May not be prettiest or neatest being 12 inches from siding, but eliminated cutting a hole thru the soffit/Roof,and he said will not discolor the siding with soot/Heat.
 

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in regards to a power outage, it makes no difference if the vertical rise is inside or out. It will pull the smoke out either way. The advantage to having it inside is that you will get a good bit of heat radiating from the pipe. Its probably easier to clean if the t is outside, but other than that it is just preference where the rise is. Mine is outside and worked perfectly during a power outage a couple weeks ago. Just my .02
 
StoveMiser said:
in regards to a power outage, it makes no difference if the vertical rise is inside or out. It will pull the smoke out either way. The advantage to having it inside is that you will get a good bit of heat radiating from the pipe. Its probably easier to clean if the t is outside, but other than that it is just preference where the rise is. Mine is outside and worked perfectly during a power outage a couple weeks ago. Just my .02

My thoughts exactly, especially with the clean out on the exterior of the house. I just checked Harmon's manual and the outside rise is their #1 preferred method ;-)
 
If the vertical rise is outside, it will be much cooler and will be much less effective at producing draft. For normal operation, the draft is not required, but it is very helpful at preventing back puffing (smoke release into the house) when the stove shuts down unexpectedly and when the power goes out. Clearly, if the vertical space is not available, so be it. Generally, the stove outlet tends to be less than a foot off the floor, so in a normal building at least 4-5 ft of rise inside would be possible.

As if the "Evil Outside Chimney" has not been sufficiently discussed here is at least 1 take on it: http://www.napoleon.cc/woodsafety/chimneys/evilchim.htm Same principles apply to a pellet stove.
 
KeithO said:
If the vertical rise is outside, it will be much cooler and will be much less effective at producing draft. For normal operation, the draft is not required, but it is very helpful at preventing back puffing (smoke release into the house) when the stove shuts down unexpectedly and when the power goes out.
While true relatively speaking, it's also still very warm - there's 200 degree air going thru that thing inside or out. If the power goes out and the stove's on, then the pipe is warm (even hot) so it will draft fine. If the pipe is cold it's because the stove is off and you don't need the draft. A 6 foot rise will draft fine in even the coldest climates.
 
Thank you all for your feedback. We purchased our stove from Chimney Sweep in Middletown, NY and they have installation business called Men at Work.
At this time due to the configuration of our zero clearance and such a tight squeeze going up the 5' inside, we have chosen to go out and then up on the outside of the house. I prefer cleaning the soot on the outside of the house and not climbing behind the stove and squeezing in to clean and have soot in the house.
Thank you for your welcomes also. I will keep in touch and update as time goes by.
Howdy
 
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