OAK for next year

[JRA]

First year burning and wanted to ask the vets for some feedback on an aok. My stove has a fresh air intake and I am trying to obtain results from others that stated with fresh air and added an aok. Was your house warmer and did those occasional drafts and cold floor spots go away. Thanks.

 

[Dr.Faustus]

my oak made a big difference in the temperature of the house, however the stove is in my livingroom. there is only 1 large entryway to it. its about 8 feet high and 6 feet wide. what winds up happening is that as the upper level of warmer air exits the room headed for the rest of the house, the cooler floor air rushes in through the same door. so you do still feel a cold draft but its for air that was already in the house. the longer the stove runs the less this is a problem. a box fan placed at the edge of the door blowing towards the stove alleviates this completely.

I think if i put 1 or 2 thru the wall fans blowing into the stove room at floor level i shouldnt need the box fan anymore.

 

[Pellet-King]

I feel drafts, some come from heating ducts, which is sucking cold air from the 45 degree cellar, How can I install a oak in a masonary fireplace?, would getting the air from the cleanout trapdoor be anygood?, I really dont like the idea drilling a hole in the bricks as this could cause a resale issue.

 

[JRA]

I have a fireplace as well and two crowns at the top one for the pellet stove and one for the oil flue. Good question I should have asked that orginally as well

 

[Pellet-King]

I have a fireplace as well and two crowns at the top one for the pellet stove and one for the oil flue. Good question I should have asked that orginally as well

Same here, I have 20' of SS up to a cap do they make long runs of OAK to get fresh air from the top?
For years I always thought a Oak was a double lined pipe, like the Selkirk picture ad we see here, the exhaust went up the center pipe, and the outer pipe was heated and drawing air in.....

 

[Golfeur]

Since I put an oak I have less air flow in the house and it's more comfortable. I n, have not seen saving on consumption of pellets.

 

[TimfromMA]

This year, Ive made several changes. OAK, extra attic insulation, and hotter pellets. Im not sure which is primarily responsible but my pellet usage is down by nearly half a ton despite one of the coldest and snowiest winters in recorded history.

 

[dradam1]

would getting the air from the cleanout trapdoor be anygood

That is exactly what I did

 

[moey]

This year, Ive made several changes. OAK, extra attic insulation, and hotter pellets. Im not sure which is primarily responsible but my pellet usage is down by nearly half a ton despite one of the coldest and snowiest winters in recorded history.

Extra snow on roof as well probably.

 

[fmsm]

There are many threads about this. I used a cap from Duravent called the Prairie Cap. It is designed to run both your exhaust AND fresh air. Mine runs about 27 feet and was approved by Harman before installation.

 

[TimfromMA]

Extra snow on roof as well probably.

4' up there before I cleaned it off.

 

[Wilbur Feral]

Search for any of several rants / explanations I've posted on why you need an OAK. It's all about air exchange...

As for using the cleanout or holes in crown, or other methods in a chimney: as long as termination of vent is high enough that you don't suck back exhaust, all should work. Just seal around OAK pipe with Roxol, etc, or sort of defeats the purpose.

 

[moey]

I dont think anyone on here has said a OAK made things worse. Some say no difference most say something is better whether its fewer pellets or less drafts. For me my house seemed warmer but I have no scientific proof.

 

[Cory S]

An OAK just makes sense. Equal pressure in your home. More oxygen enriched combustion air. Less cold outside air being pulled through minuscule openings in your home. No more taking heated air from your living space and sending up the chimney.

 

[Pellet-King]

All new effecient furnaces now use oak, and no need for chimney as there just using pvc to vent and draw in fresh air

 

[biomass burner]

yeah this summer im thinking of just putting in a selkirk venting system

 

[Ledfoot]

First year burning and wanted to ask the vets for some feedback on an aok. My stove has a fresh air intake and I am trying to obtain results from others that stated with fresh air and added an aok. Was your house warmer and did those occasional drafts and cold floor spots go away. Thanks.

Newbie here to the Forum, but not to pellets. Currently have a QuadraFire Classic Bay 1200 (freestanding). Now I am installing a Harman 52i at camp.
The insert will be installed into an existing fireplace that sits in the middle of the building on the middle floor of a 3 level structure.
The 4" exhaust will go up the existing flue,(23 ft. vertical)
I was planning on just pulling the combustion air from the back of the stove.

My question is that it seems that it would be harder for the stove to pull air from 23 ft. of 3" pipe than from the back of the stove.???

My Quad at home has never had an OAK installed and has worked great for many years.

This is not a money thing either, I come from the "Do it right, or don't do it at all" world. Just seems like the physics don't work here???

 

[TimfromMA]

Without OAK, your stove sill suck combustion air right out of the heated air of your home then blow it right out the vent. This air is replaced by outside air being drawn in from all over your house causing cool drafts which then has to be heated.

 

[bogieb]

When I had the P61a installed (basement dweller), they didn't hook up an OAK. I could feel every place that air could come in on the main floor - my place was/is by no means "tight". A month after the original install, I installed an OAK, and the drafts decreased significantly. When I put in the main floor stove this year, I installed with OAK to begin with just off my previous experience.