Outside Air Adapter for Defiant Encore

[robhale]

Hello again. Got another question for y'all:

I'm looking for an outside air adapter for my Vermont Castings Defiant Encore, Model No. 2140, circa 1991. I called WoodmansPartsPlus.com, in New Hampshire, because they have an adapter for a Defiant shown on their website (SKU 3180). The nice lady checked with Vermont Castings, and they said the part had been discontinued and the 3180 wouldn't fit my stove. It measures 7 7/8" x 7 1/4", according to the WoodmansPartsPlus website, whereas the outside dimensions of the air intake cover on the back of my stove appear closer to 6 1/4" x 6".

Does any one know where I might find a compatible adapter for the Defiant Encore, or has anyone had experience in fabricating an adapter to fit this stove? I'm thinking of possibly buying the 3180 part from WoodmanPartsPlus, and trying to modify it to fit. The part lists for $40, so it doesn't seem to be a big risk.

Also, does anyone have experience with outside air supply for a woodburng stove? In theory, it seems like a great idea, but I'm wondering about the practicality of installing the intake vent pipe through walls and floors, and whether it would actually result in reduced drafts and significant heat savings. My house was built in 1857, and it's not airtight.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The part shouldn’t be hard to fabricate, or modify the one for the other stove, as long as you have a bit of confidence. It doesn’t have to be a pretty job. It’ll be on the back, bottom of the stove. If you run into some issues, let us know. With pics, we will be able to help.

Here’s a multiple page thread that discusses outside air kits, pros/cons/when they’re required, etc.

Does Outside Air increase the Efficiency of woodstoves?

Outside air does not increase the efficiency of woodstoves. (A controversial post for my first one) Googling around about outside air increases in efficiency didn't yield any quantitative results. So the engineer in me decided to calculate it for myself. I looked up the heat capacity of air...

www.hearth.com

 

[Kevin Weis]

I used ordinary metal round air duct from Lowes. Outside an ordinary dryer vent. Only thing really fabricated was the screen for a critter guard (1/4" rat).

 

[Megunticook]

I installed an outside air supply for my Encore 2550. Personally I prefer that to having the stove draw in air from the room and send it up the chimney. My home is pretty tight so it made sense. Might be less of an issue in a drafty home like yours. But a stove can definitely create negative air pressure in the room which will draw outside air in through any leaks/seams in your building envelope. In tight homes I have read that a stove can lower the oxygen levels in a room but I haven't actually seen the data on that. In any case I think feeding your stove air from outside the home works well.

 

[Kevin Weis]

Don't think you can go wrong installing an oak. My house was built around 1880 and the oak made a big difference in the house being less drafty. Especially the room the stove is in.