Outside Air Intake

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c8089923

New Member
Jan 28, 2022
9
Patagonia, AZ
Before the cold weather kicked off, I installed a 4" outside air intake to the underside of my Pacific Summit stove. As part of the install, I added a rodent screen using some stainless steel screen I had from another project - McNICHOLS® Wire Mesh, Square, Stainless Steel,Type 304, Mill Finish, Woven - Plain Weave, 8 x 8Mesh (Square), 0.0930" x 0.0930" Opening (Square),0.032" (21 Gauge) Thick Wire Diameter, 55% Open Area Material. I was suspicious the the stainless steel screen was blocking the air flow... Today, I replaced the stainless steel screen with 1/4" wire cloth. It makes a huge difference. No more breeze coming through gaps around doors and windows. A 55% open area blocks off too much of the 4" duct to provide sufficient outside air for the stove. Don't be me...
 
That's a good observation. The 1/4" mesh screen should be sufficient.
 
1/4" should keep rodents out. Not sure on the details of your install, but it is nice to put them in with a accessible blast gate so that they can be completely closed off when not being used.