Newbie in need of help .......

[Mainely Saws]

I have been a member for a while but have never owned or even seen a pellet stove in operation . I have a 120 year old house with a 30+ ft tall interior chimney & I'm thinking of putting a pellet stove in the basement/cellar . I would like to use the unlined brick chimney for the pellet stove . Will this work along with running the OAK pipe in the chimney as well ?
I'm thinking of buying a used stove that doesn't have any frills on it , I don't even want a thermostat but I would like a stove in the 50,000 BTU range with a sizable hopper that I can run on low for a long period of time such as this one........

(broken link removed to https://maine.craigslist.org/app/5823218094.html)

My basement is uninsulated ( walls are are large boulders ,brick & concrete ) . I do realize that insulation would give me a good return on dollars spent . I plan on using the pellet stove for those bitterly cold days in January & Feb. . Any help on venting & a dependable stove would be greatly appreciated .........

Thanks ,
Bob

 

[Lake Girl]

The Big E requires venting and OAK run the whole chimney height with exhaust being higher. You can download the manual to see install options. You would likely be better to run it through the brick or a rim joist with thimble. 4"pellet venting is usually required for basement installs. OAK is usually a good idea as there is a higher likelihood of negative pressure in basements. There are thimbles with the OAK integrated.

 

[Mainely Saws]

Thank you for your reply Lake Girl . The chimney I am thinking of using is an interior chimney which is about 8ft from the nearest outside wall . Maybe I could exhaust into the chimney & then have an 8ft horizontal run in the joists to the outside wall for the OAK ? I don't necessarily need to exhaust into the existing chimney but I'm trying to avoid running any outside vertical venting because that side of the house faces the street & it wouldn't look very well .....

 

[NYBurner]

Mainley - I run mine the way you describe. 4" exhaust and 3" oak up the chimney, no issues. My intake is turned down about 24-30" creating a big separation from the exhaust.

 

[Mainely Saws]

Thanks NYBurner . is your chimney very tall ? Do you clean it from the top down ?

 

[Lake Girl]

Was thinking more about costs of liner and OAK for that tall a chimney when I mentioned the out the wall install.

 

[Mainely Saws]

Any suggestions on a used dependable pellet stove with no frills ? Enviro , Englander , etc ? Is an ash pan useful or just a hindrance ?

 

[Lake Girl]

What do you use for heating the upstairs? The reason I ask is that you might be better served by a pellet furnace.

Ash pan is extremely useful and the bigger the better. Pellet stoves do require maintenance. For some stoves, you can get hopper extensions on certain models (Harman, England). Venting directly into unlined chimney is not the best way to install. USSC require liner in chimney. For England and USSC stoves, an OAK is required for all installations. Definitely recommended for basement installs for other models.

There is a Harman on craigslist in Auburn but it is only 38,000 btus. The p series have a large ash pan and accommodate an hopper extension.

I would still recommend an out the wall vent system. It might cost a bit more but chimney cleaning and potential performance issues won't come into play.

 

[rich2500]

How big is the basement your trying to heat and are you only trying to heat the basement or the upstairs also.

 

[Mainely Saws]

Lake Girl , I used to heat the upstairs with a wood stove but switched to a Rinnai propane heater & I also have a Lopi berksire . The two of them will heat the 1000 sq ft . I just want to be able to warm up the basement/cellar ( and also warm the floors of the living space ) during the coldest of months & also as a backup heat source . The Lopi is vented into a chimney ( with appropiate liner & pipe ) where the wood stove was hooked up . I have a second chimney where the old oil burner was hooked up to & it would be a perfect spot for a pellet stove .I would need to put in a liner in the chimney if I hooked it up there . I will definitely have the correct venting pipe along with an OAK wherever the pellet stove is installed . My hesitation with an outside wall install is how it would look with all of the outside pipe . It would be on the side of the house that faces the street which is only 30 ft or so . How much of a rise would I need ? Also the house is white & i see a lot of black stains from pellet stoves vented ..
Cleaning the pipe would certainly be easier going through an outside wall compared to going up 3 stories to the roof . I'm in my 60's . I'll check out the Harmon for sale In Auburn .............

Thanks ,
Bob

 

[Lake Girl]

How big is the basement your trying to heat and are you only trying to heat the basement or the upstairs also.

From the sounds of it, the basement is not part of usable living space but is a source of heat loss or air infiltration.

 

[Mainely Saws]

Rich 2500 ,
The basement area is about 1000 sq ft ( 6 ft ceiling height) & I'm only trying to heat just the basement in the coldest months ........... with no heat at all down there it never gets close to the freezing mark & there have been years when it got down to -23 outside .

Thanks ,
Bob

 

[Mainely Saws]

Lake Girl ,
That is true , it's a 120 year old house & it's more of what I call a cellar but it does have a concrete floor .It is just used for storage & a hobby place in warmer temps . It is a heat loss & I know insulation should be a first step . I'm thinking of picking up a bare bones used stove for maybe $600 to $1000 , buying what venting I need & at least warming it up down there while I'm working on tightening things up .....

 

[Lake Girl]

Lake Girl ,
That is true , it's a 120 year old house & it's more of what I call a cellar but it does have a concrete floor .It is just used for storage & a hobby place in warmer temps . It is a heat loss & I know insulation should be a first step . I'm thinking of picking up a bare bones used stove for maybe $600 to $1000 , buying what venting I need & at least warming it up down there while I'm working on tightening things up .....

Is it a walk-out or stairs? Thinking of lugging bags of pellets down there. Some folks have set up a ramp through a basement window to speed things up but you have to be careful not to tear a bag open. Damp or fairly dry? Always best to at least put them on a pallet down there as moisture is not their friend.

 

[bogieb]

Is it a walk-out or stairs? Thinking of lugging bags of pellets down there. Some folks have set up a ramp through a basement window to speed things up but you have to be careful not to tear a bag open. Damp or fairly dry? Always best to at least put them on a pallet down there as moisture is not their friend.

Definitely keep pellets off the basement floor. Even if it seems to stay "dry" it will pull moisture up from the ground below and transfer it to the bottom row of pellets.

Also think about putting your stove on blocks to keep it from direct contact with the floor. When I put my P61a in the basement, I wasn't sure if it got damp/wet down there so I set it on cinder blocks. The delivery guys thought I was an idiot and told me that I didn't need the blocks since the concrete floor wasn't combustible. Please note that I didn't put a stove pad down, just 6 blocks for the stove to sit on that don't extend past the stove pedestal. They looked a bit chastened when I told them I was unsure if the floor got wet during the spring rains. I actually like it on blocks better anyway - easier access to the back parts of the stove because I'm not laying on the floor

 

[alternativeheat]

There is something about basement floors that just rots stuff. It's almost like a chemical reaction from the concrete. And if it gets damp as well, then you're double screwed. I know all about that, with having a life long battle with gutters and bad drainage . But I extended my downspout run off pipes now and put on gutter caps , so far no water down there. First time in heavy rain in 40 years I think that 0 water came in.

I need heat in my basement as well, contemplating pretty much as you are and beyond. I once had a kerosene heater down there and it did quite well but guess what it did ? Rotted Out from Sitting On The Basement floor !! Now sales of kerosene heaters are banned in this state, though you can buy kerosene , go figure..

 

[Mainely Saws]

My basement/cellar actually has an access door that is about 5ft tall that I can move pellets through . I do have dampness down at certain times of the year ( mostly springtime) as Alternativeheat has mentioned . My old furnace was installed on a raised concrete pad which is another reason I was thinking of venting the pellet stove into the existing chimney after lining it . This would be a costly install but cleaning the tall chimney would be very difficult for me so I would have the expense of hiring that out once a year . Maybe I would be better to install it on an outside wall as folks have suggested . If so , I will definitely have both the stove & the pellets up off the floor a few inches . I still need a way to hide the outside piping .....
Here is a pic of the house from a few years ago taken from the street . The stove would be in the original portion of the house where the chimneys are .....

 

[Mainely Saws]

 

[Handsonautotech]

View attachment 185683

I can not see your house behind that mansion in the picture.

 

[Mainely Saws]

It's actually an up/down duplex & I have a small business in the garage area ...........

 

[Lake Girl]

How close are the trees on the far side? Would they screen the visual of the exhaust while still being a safe distance away?

 

[alternativeheat]

It looks like you could come right out the driveway side of the house , straight out the top of the foundation or even sill plate, with a termination spout. You should already have enough vertical rise in the basement for some positive draft. Pellet stoves are pretty direct vent unless you just want to clear the peak..

I ran a liner up a chimney 26 ft total, from inside my fireplace to the cap. I clean it from inside the house, you just need a cleanout T.. I run a Rutland brush kit up the liner, I use an 18 volt drill to twist it as it goes up. Stop , add on a section, twist , stop, add on a section. I'd recommend 3/8" rods ( I used 1/4" but it's a little flimsy and I did snap a rod this year a little ways from the drill because the rod wound up on me twice. 3/8" wouldn't do that and actually that's the first time 1/4" ever did it to me) . Cleaning pellet liner is nothing like wood stoves. It's just a granular and or dusty ash. The brushes are relatively soft compared with wood stove liner cleaning. I drop the ash into a plastic bag and get maybe the quantity that you might get out of a small bag of flour or sugar. 4" vent pipe, you can run 4" flex liner 30ft without issue I would think ( you can with a Harman for sure).

 

[Mainely Saws]

It looks like you could come right out the driveway side of the house , straight out the top of the foundation or even sill plate, with a termination spout. You should already have enough vertical rise in the basement for some positive draft. Pellet stoves are pretty direct vent unless you just want to clear the peak..

I ran a liner up a chimney 26 ft total, from inside my fireplace to the cap. I clean it from inside the house, you just need a cleanout T.. I run a Rutland brush kit up the liner, I use an 18 volt drill to twist it as it goes up. Stop , add on a section, twist , stop, add on a section. I'd recommend 3/8" rods ( I used 1/4" but it's a little flimsy and I did snap a rod this year a little ways from the drill because the rod wound up on me twice. 3/8" wouldn't do that and actually that's the first time 1/4" ever did it to me) . Cleaning pellet liner is nothing like wood stoves. It's just a granular and or dusty ash. The brushes are relatively soft compared with wood stove liner cleaning. I drop the ash into a plastic bag and get maybe the quantity that you might get out of a small bag of flour or sugar. 4" vent pipe, you can run 4" flex liner 30ft without issue I would think ( you can with a Harman for sure).

Lake Girl ... The trees are about 6ft away from the house &would help to hide a vertical pipe .

Alternative heat... My concern on the driveway side is that I will end up needing some amount

of vertical rise & that exhaust would discolor the white siding over time . If I went the route of lining the chimney & running the exhaust there could I make a horizontal run of about 15ft in the floor joists to the outside for the OAK?

 

[Mainely Saws]

Lake Girl ... The trees are about 6ft away from the house &would help to hide a vertical pipe .

Alternative heat... My concern on the driveway side is that I will end up needing some amount

of vertical rise & that exhaust would discolor the white siding over time . If I went the route of lining the chimney & running the exhaust there could I make a horizontal run of about 15ft in the floor joists to the outside for the OAK?

PS - I have read where people use a blower to clean out their pellet stove vents , is this a realistic option ? I could do as Alternative heat has done and clean the chimney liner from the bottom up .....

 

[NYBurner]

Mainley - My is run up 3 stories (basement to roof). I believe this exceeds the 'recommended' distance for an OAK but I have not had any issues with the 3". I clean from top 1 time a year, but go up from the bottom about 15-20ft every other week. I also shutdown and clean the stove and exhaust path every week. I do not get much soot in the chimney.