Outside Air Question

[Lifeline25]

We had a dealer come and install a Fresh Air Kit on our pellet stove, but I noticed they didn’t actually connect the flex pipe to the fresh air inlet on the back of the stove. They left it about an inch or two away so room air can also get in. When I called them about this they said that’s normal.

Wouldn’t you want the outside air fully connected to the inlet? Otherwise when the stove isn’t in use I just have cold air blowing into my house now.

 

[Ssyko]

Yes it should be connected to the stoves intake tube.

 

[FirepotPete]

We had a dealer come and install a Fresh Air Kit on our pellet stove, but I noticed they didn’t actually connect the flex pipe to the fresh air inlet on the back of the stove. They left it about an inch or two away so room air can also get in. When I called them about this they said that’s normal.

Wouldn’t you want the outside air fully connected to the inlet? Otherwise when the stove isn’t in use I just have cold air blowing into my house now.

I would never have that "dealer" come and work on it again. If they don't know how a simple install of an OAK/FAK works I wouldn't trust them with the rest of the machine.

I guessing it's a dealer that sells USSC products. You called it a Fresh Air Kit (FAK) and US stove is about the only one that calls it that, the rest call it an Outside Air Kit (OAK). It's air from outside and fresh, one way or another.

 

[Mt Bob]

Always follow what the stove manufacturer recommends.Here is your install manual,page 18. https://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/Absolute63_3-90-999000i.pdf

 

[Tonyray]

We had a dealer come and install a Fresh Air Kit on our pellet stove, but I noticed they didn’t actually connect the flex pipe to the fresh air inlet on the back of the stove. They left it about an inch or two away so room air can also get in. When I called them about this they said that’s normal.

Wouldn’t you want the outside air fully connected to the inlet? Otherwise when the stove isn’t in use I just have cold air blowing into my house now.

That is just plain wrong. Should be connected to bring outside air right into the stove

 

[Deezl Smoke]

That's amazing. The fleecing of people by crooked contractors is disgusting . I bet if you called them to come hook it up, they'd try to charge you for it. It's one thing to make a mistake, but own up and fix it. When you called and asked about it and they said it was normal? I would certainly consider asking for their license and proof of certification.

 

[FirepotPete]

This could also cause a safety issue. If the stove shuts down you might get sparks out the back of the stove. It's a very small chance but there is a chance.
I wonder if the stove has a cap/plug on the interior that needed to be removed if the OAK is installed? If so, I would bet they probably didn't even remove it. You need to check if air is indeed going into the stove through the pipe the OAK should be connected to. If it is then you need to get it connected so no sparks can back out of the stove. If not then the interior cap is still in place.

 

[rona]

We had a dealer come and install a Fresh Air Kit on our pellet stove, but I noticed they didn’t actually connect the flex pipe to the fresh air inlet on the back of the stove. They left it about an inch or two away so room air can also get in. When I called them about this they said that’s normal.

Wouldn’t you want the outside air fully connected to the inlet? Otherwise when the stove isn’t in use I just have cold air blowing into my house now.

To give you meaningful advice you should always tell us what brand and model stove you own. In this case give the name of the store and location so the rest of us can avoid it. If that's considered normal then the public deserves to know it. There used to be some models that weren't designed to be connected to outside air and if you had one of them they would have a pipe from outside going into a small pail in back of the stove. When the stove was running you can feel the cold air being drawn from the pail into the stove. Cold air won't rise by itself so if the stove isn't running it stays in the pail. Actually old technology.

 

[Tonyray]

To give you meaningful advice you should always tell us what brand and model stove you own. In this case give the name of the store and location so the rest of us can avoid it. If that's considered normal then the public deserves to know it. There used to be some models that weren't designed to be connected to outside air and if you had one of them they would have a pipe from outside going into a small pail in back of the stove. When the stove was running you can feel the cold air being drawn from the pail into the stove. Cold air won't rise by itself so if the stove isn't running it stays in the pail. Actually old technology.

That,s interesting.

 

[rona]

That,s interesting.

A old plumber told me they used to do that with some furnaces several years ago back when they were building homes as air tight as possible.