Can I use Pvc Gas vent for the OAK? I need to go about 20' so what I was planning on doing was putting the 3" PVC behind the insulated wall and up an unused chimney. From the stove to the PVC i would run about 3' of metal Flex. any comments?
Pvc gas vent for OAK??
- Thread starter SKOAL MAN
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TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
ExhibitGuy
New Member
I agree - 4" pipe would work better... I just did that myself.. but used 3" my length was only 5 linear foot or so.- my profile pic shows the OAK going up the wall next to my vent stack.
Harvey Schneider
Minister of Fire
apandori
Member
PVC pipe is a NO No for a stove. If you have a fire and the Poly Vinyl Chloride Pipe (As in PVC) burns It will make fuming hydrochloric Acid and kill you. If the fire doesnt get you first. Stick with metal flex pipe. Companies spent Millions of $$ on engineering to keep us safe.
Harvey Schneider
Minister of Fire
All aluminum is permissible, never plastic.
the flexible aluminum has a much higher resistance to air flow than smooth walled rigid pipe. It should not be used for long runs.
So the PVC that the power cord is made of, the couch is made of, the water lines, the drain lines, the carpet is made of,all the kids toys and the wiring into the house won't harm me if there is a fire right? The gas vent would behind a fireproof wall and nowhere even close to the clearances allowed. I found some metal pipe that I am using but no pvc cold air makes no sense! Most CPVC have ignition temp. Of 500 degrees F or higher.
Snowmobileaddict
Burning Hunk
All of those things are not in the normal "combustion path" of your stove. Remember that pellet stoves are forced draft devices, so in the event of a power failure or combustion fan problem the flow can reverse sending hot exhaust out your OAK. Your particular installation may have lots of natural draft, but that's why pellet stoves always specify metal OAK vents.
A lot depends on how the stove is made but most manuals state metal or non pvc pipe. I would guess 12 inches of metal flex pipe would be enough to cover a stray spark. Heat rises and if your fresh air is lower then the exh I would say the threat diminishes. Good cleaning and maintenance habits will also play a part. Say a mouse managed to wiggle up in your fresh air and made a nest within a few inches of the stove. A spark could conceivable start a smolder there but I doubt you would see a raging fire. Each stove is built different mine has a 2 inch convulated rubber hose inside the stove that forces the fresh air from it up through a plate with lots of small hole under the burning pot. There is probably 4 inches of space between the rubber hose and the burning pot. The air has to circulate around the ash bucket to be sucked up through the small holes.
In the past 7 years I have been using this stove I've never seen any deteration of that above mentioned hose.
Harvey Schneider
Minister of Fire
One also has to consider that the next owner of the home may not appreciate the need for good maintanence and that an equipment malfunction can cause exposure of the OAK components to unexpectedly high temperatures. This is not unlike the use of high temperature foil tape on the outside of vent joints. The tape should never see more than 200F but, in the case of a malfunction, one would want it to survive the abnormal temperatures that it might see.
My personal feeling is that it would be unconscioncable to leave a potentially dangerous installation for the next owner.
Stick to the recommendations of the stove manufacturer and in accordance with local code requirements.
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