Outside air kits When & why

[70marlin]

I posted this on aonther thread but this is worth a thread of it's own.
This is one part of wood burning that I’ve never really understood. When & why do I really need one? My house a ranch with a walk out basement. Upstairs my non-cat hearth stone works well. It has never back smoked even in low draft conditions. My new wood furnace in the basement. 1st. burn had a bit of a back smoking issue even though it was a low draft condition. I’ve read on various post about the benefits of an outside air kit, also on other stoves they recommend one also they also asked for a barometric on my stove. I understand those, even though I didn’t in install one. “I couldn’t fine one to fit to my double wall pipe.” Any in sights on the OAK would be welcome and sourcing of a double wall barometric would be welcomed.

 

[nate379]

Because today's modern house is sealed so well that there isn't enough make up air to allow for proper stove airflow.

To give you an idea, I have a vent in my hallway that has openings in the wall's top plate so it pulls air from the attic. When I first moved in, it had been blocked and running the bath fans or dryer would cause neg pressure in the house and it was hard to close the entrance doors even.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

For sure running the drier and/or vents will take air away from the stove. Also stoves in the basement can sometimes be a problem getting a good draft. So if you are having problems with draft or finding yourself cracking a window open quite often to get enough air to start the stove going, or a lot of back puffing, perhaps then it is time to look at the OAK. We were thinking of putting one in again when we got this new stove but did not. We get along just fine without it and also do not want nor need a damper. I never was a fan of those barometric dampers either.

 

[roadman]

I'm thinking of installing an OAK. Can anyone give me recommendation on the max length of the pipe? I'm running an England 13 and thinking of running the pipe into my crawl space under house

 

[Highbeam]

Click on my sig link to see my OAK duct that was run just as you describe roadman. The crawlspace is the most perfect place to get the air since it is not effected by wind and is generally warmer than outside air. Plus the vertical delta means you get some natural draft through the intake tube to your stove. Try and get a good seal from teh OAK tube to the stove. Max length info would be from englander. Due to low flows, this max length would be pretty long I'd think, well over 10 feet.

 

[Highbeam]

For the OP from a few months ago. I actually find it to be pretty dumb to install a baro damper on a woodstove in your home. You know what happens when there is a chimney fire? It will suck that baro damper wide open and you will be feeding the chim fire tons of fresh oxygen. They look bad in the living space. They suck lots of warm room air into the chimney too. Like leaving a window open all the time. Maybe on a furnace in the cold basement but not on a stove.