Pellet Vent????? -Pellet vent pro vs ICC Excell Pellet vent.

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Quadrafire 52

New Member
Sep 5, 2021
13
Massachusetts
First time working with rigid pellet vent (previous installs used all flex liner ) Any thoughts on either Simpson Duravent PVP or ICC Excell Pellet vent or any other rigid pellet vent that may be better? Doing a up out and up w/fresh air intake basement install hoping to avoid any black soot on side of house.
Thank You
 
DuraVent was the first manufacturer to produce dedicated venting for pellet appliances. They essentially created this category of venting product. They have been at it a very long time.

Make two versions— a DIY product with rope-fibre gaskets and professional grade product that features Viton O-rings.
Get the pro grade if you can.

COVID has forced some manufacturers to narrow the bench so they can focus production on key product lines. As a result, local availability (can you get it?) may really be your deciding factor.
 
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DuraVent was the first manufacturer to produce dedicated venting for pellet appliances. They essentially created this category of venting product. They have been at it a very long time.

Make two versions— a DIY product with rope-fibre gaskets and professional grade product that features Viton O-rings.
Get the pro grade if you can.

COVID has forced some manufacturers to narrow the bench so they can focus production on key product lines. As a result, local availability (can you get it?) may really be your deciding factor.
Mine has the viton O rings, and that’s the only kind I’ve seen.
 
Whatever you decide, make sure you get some high temp silicon. Most of the time all you can find is red, which is annoying.

Put a bead on the inside of each connection before twisting together. Then wipe the excess off so you can't see the red goop.

If you're unlucky like me, you'll still have to buy some silicon tape, Shark Bite makes some that you can get at Lowe's. It's clear, and you can wrap it around the pesky connections that refuse to stay sealed. I put it on the seam of my cleanout, which even though it has the rubber gasket, still leaks without the tape. But I don't want to slather goop on it, because then it's very hard to get it off to clean the pipe.

The Shark Bite tape is a lot nicer than aluminum HVAC tape, because the glue in the aluminum tape I used doesn't like to get as hot as the pipe gets, and it makes a nasty mess. The silicon tape doesn't bond to the pipe, just to itself, so it's fairly easy to remove (and stretch and reuse).
 
I have Duravent Pellet Vent Pro, which works great (except for the cleanout for some reason). Make sure to follow directions, and don't poke the screws through the inner wall, or you'll chase smoke for the rest of your life (or until you replace all the ruined pipe like I did).
 
Two things, neither will interchange with the other, both have unique locking tabs and two, I never use silicone on my joints as I take mine apart every year and pressure wash it inside (with Simple Green and my pressure washer) to remove any sticky soot. All I use on my joints is silver never seize, especially on the 3-4 bottom cleanout Tee so I can remove the cap and dump the accumulated ash every few weeks.

You put silicone on the inner joints, it will never come apart and for me that is a huge no. If the joints are seated properly and twist locked correctly, there won't be any smoke (smell) leakage. If you have smoke (other than on initial startup, you have a combustion issue), either a clogged up exhaust tract, a filthy combustion fan or you are starving the burn pot for air.

A properly running stove produces little visible particulates (smoke). Only fly ash and a wood fire smell.

Only been doing this (biomass stove thing) for 30+ years now so I pretty much know from experience what works and what don't.
 
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Make sure to follow directions, and don't poke the screws through the inner wall, or you'll chase smoke for the rest of your life (or until you replace all the ruined pipe like I did).
Why would you screw the sections together in the first place? The interlock makes a very secure mechanical joint. Don't get that at all.
 
In the beginning I had smoke leaking from mine any place it could, even the factory seams and rivets in the 45 elbow I used. Got it completely sealed up, then the stove would just die so I realized I needed outside air. So hard telling if it would have leaked smoke with the outside air to begin with, but it’s nice knowing it’s totally sealed up.

In any case, I’ve had my stove almost 6 years and I’ve never had to take my pipe apart. I can clean the whole pipe by feeding my brush through the cleanout tee. I can feel it as it goes through the 45 in the house and stops at the stove. I run the exhaust fan while cleaning and it helps blow out the ash from the horizontal section as I disturb it with the brush. About 3-5 swipes and it’s clean. On the cleanout tee cap I use -45f to 450f silicone grease, so it always removes easily.
 
Don't have that option. My venting is 20 feet from the cleanout Tee to the rain cap, vertical 4"
 
ICC is the better venting but it's salty. Around here stove dealers won't use anything except ICC because of leaks. I personally have duravent but my venting is out then up so the only joint I have inside is the venting to the adapter and that I wrap with silicone tape.
 
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Far as I'm concerned it's all 'salty'.
 
Why would you screw the sections together in the first place? The interlock makes a very secure mechanical joint. Don't get that at all.
The "professional" installer I had didn't use an appliance adapter, and screwed the sections together. The expandable pieces are made to have screws to hold them in place, but in the replacement install I did, I decided not to put a screw in it.
 
I'm not at all sure why anyone would hire a 'professional installer' to install a biomass stove anyway. Maybe to clean it but install one, I'm the installer. Cleaner too. If you can read and comprehend basic instructions, you can install one as good as any paid installer.

I have, in fact did a couple installs other than my own for friends and family.