P22 outside air

[freonrick]

I have a new breckwell p22 and looking at it with the panels off I notice where I will connect the outside air to the outside of the stove.
The other side is open, nothing between it in the actual air inlet where the damper is. I take it I will add a duct to it also. The manual says nothing about it. I wonder if there was suppose to be a piece of duct already there? Otherwise the convection blower could pull a vacuum in that compartment causing the unit to back draft. What is your thoughts?

 

[MCPO]

Do you actually think the stove makers would go thru the trouble of casting an outside air connection on the rear of a stove if it wasn`t necessary? If so then Email me . I have a good financial proposition to share with you that will make you rich.

 

[CanadaClinker]

The exhaust blower on every pellet stove blows air/smoke outside. It gets that air from your home if you don't use an OAK (Outside Air Kit). The air in your home has been previously heated which has costed you $$ to heat it. Your are therefore blowing your $$ outside if you don't use an OAK.

A stove isn't smart enough to sort out the air it uses ie. warm room air ($$) from the drafty cool drafty air that gets sucked in through the cracks of your house (to 'replace' what's blown out via the stove). Therefore it blows out both warm ($$) and draft.

As far as the draft goes, if there has to be one for the make-up air for the stove (cause you can't have a total vacuum in your home), I would rather localize and position the draft at the back of the stove (using an OAK) rather than say pulling it from any crack in the wall from behind me and having that cool draft pass by me to get to the stove...Buurrrrr!

A stove using a thermostat on the wall, would come on less often using an OAK behind the stove as the room air wouldn't be cooled as quickly by a draft (air coming in through the cracks of the house for make-up air), so in the long run less stove operation, which means less pellets burned, which means $$ saved.

In a nut shell, I think that by using an OAK, you will save yourself ($$) and have a less drafty and therefore more comfortable home..... as for whether your stove can function properly with or without an OAK, that would depend on the engineering of the specific stove, but in no way affects the other 2 points made above about ($$) saved or draft location for your comfort ...... IMHO... ;-)

 

[freonrick]

What I found odd is the oak connection they put on the stove is not connected to any thing inside the stove. It is open to the space where the convection fan is and the actual air inlet piece is with the damper. The manual says nothing about tieing the two together. Even if I was not using a oak the two should be tied together so the combustion air could be drawn from the room and not the space the convection fan is pulling from. What I dont know is if they all come this way or someone robbed a part from it.

 

[CanadaClinker]

I think as long as the OAK duct is brought relatively 'close' (inches rather than feet) to the air pickup for the exhaust blower, the stove will pull mostly from that source and a tiny little bit of room air (from the area surrounding the inside area of the stove itself...the closer to the OAK supply to the exhaust blower intake the better).

Its can be thought of sort of like a closed circuit of a battery with a load attached. The stove exhausts air and wants it replaced. It will replace this air from the closest and easiest source (OAK) rather than from a spot on the other side of the house (because there is more resistance (work) to moving that draft air across the house than getting it from 1.5 feet away (OAK). Also, if the OAK duct is too small and or too long, then resistance of air flow through the duct goes up and the stove will begin getting its air from an easier location (which could be a crack in the wall 15 feet away).

The convection blower is also another closed loop system operating in 'parallel' with the exhaust air loop. If the convection loop robs some air from the exhaust loop (OAK) then the exhaust loop will ultimately make it up by taking some of the convection loops air (room air $$). That's why it is important to bring the OAK as close to the exhaust blower intake to mimimize the interaction between the 2 loops. The stronger blower (exhaust or convection) will dominate over the fresh air supply (OAK) if 'given the chance'.

However, a little 'controlled' fresh air mixing with the convection loop from the OAK will freshen the house a bit too, but too much will cost you $$ as stated previously.

I brought my outside air in via 2" PVC (1 1/2 foot long) to within a foot of the back of the stove. I want the -20 degree outside air to warm up just a bit before entering the stove exhaust intake (to prevent condensation build up on the metal of the stove and future rusting problems). When not running the stove, I put a cap on the pvc to stop the air infiltration into the home .......FWIW ;-)

 

[Breckwell Tech]

As long as the outside air is close to the combustion air intake. If you ask Breckwell you can connect those two pipes together using some pre heat carburetor hose from an automotive store. It is not required but it is recommended.

 

[freonrick]

I talked to Breckwell today and they said it would not be a problem to connect the two. He said he wasnt needed. I told him if the stove is off and it is 10 degrees out and the wind is blowing I have a 2 inch duct allowing that air to come into the house. Even if the stove is on and the wind is right I could still have more air come in than the stove takes out. If I get any condensation on the fresh air tubing I will insulate it. I have worked on many 90+ percent furnaces and boilers that is piped to fresh air for the combustion and it never a problem. Even some 80% boilers has ducted outside air for combustion works out. I will have to wait til next winter to see how it works out. I hope I wait a long time.