Question about vent pipe once outside?

[Nick Sterner]

Hello,

It's been a while since I've been back on the forum but as the nights are getting cooler it reminded me I need to figure out a couple of things with my stove.
Last year was my first year with a pellet stove. I had my fair share of issues but by the end figured out the stove and my problems. One thing that I need to resolve is my venting. Right now I have a Regency Hampton stove with 4" vent pipe going straight through the wall 24" with a turn down cap. My problem is that I live in 160 year old farm house that has plenty of leaks through the foundation and sill. What was happening was the house was sucking in the exhaust through the foundation. Over the course of the winter and 6 tons of pellets later I acquired a black film on everything in the house. I never smelled anything or saw smoke but anything especially plastic attracted this black soot. I know I need to get this vented up higher and I wanted to know if I could use regular stove pipe once out side? The 4" double walled pipe is VERY expensive!! I had several hundred dollars in just a couple elbows and straight pieces. Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks
Nick

 

[john193]

You should check with your local dealer but so long as you have clearance from combustibles you can go single wall. Do they make a double wall to single wall adaptor?

 

[Owen1508]

Nick I would say IMHO that you should stick with double and use the same pipe manufactuer as the orginial pipe. If that stove does not require any vertical (as it must not since you just have horizontal currently) you could get away with only 2-3 feet and a cleanout tee or elbow (maybe even a one foot section and a tee). I think for the few extra bucks (under $100) you'd be better off.

 

[TimfromMA]

Nick I would say IMHO that you should stick with double and use the same pipe manufactuer as the orginial pipe. If that stove does require any vertical (as it must not since you just have horizontal currently) You could get away with only 2-3 feet and a cleanout tee or elbow (maybe even a one foot section and a tee). I think for the few extra bucks (under $100) you'd be better off.

Agreed. You've gone through the expense of having the stove installed, don't cut corners and do it right.

 

[alternativeheat]

I don't doubt you had some kind of soot but I really find it hard to believe a stove vented to outdoors caused it and all the more so when you say you never smelled any smoke even.. Did you ever get any billowy ash in the house when cleaning the stove ? I could see that doing this.

I also don't know why a 24" horizontal direct vent would cost hundreds of dollars. How many hundred ?

 

[Owen1508]

I don't doubt you had some kind of soot but I really find it hard to believe a stove vented to outdoors caused it and all the more so when you say you never smelled any smoke even.. Did you ever get any billowy ash in the house when cleaning the stove ? I could see that doing this.

True there maybe another reason for the soot...ie draft fan gasket, bad seal on the vent pipe, etc.

 

[alternativeheat]

True there maybe another reason for the soot...ie draft fan gasket, bad seal on the vent pipe, etc.

Yes, I also could see that horizontal only vent plugging and or causing lazy draft which could contribute to a soot situation. In which case adding some horizontal should help out. But soot back feeding from outdoors through the entire house I can't buy without further investigation. I know strange things can happen but that's real strange !

Adding a 4-5 ft. vertical rise of double wall vent should not cost an additional multi hundreds of dollars. Maybe they went all stainless ?

 

[dlehneman]

The black soot is more likely from cleaning the stove, I know when I do that (which is often) I inevitably get black dust flying around the room and it ends up on everything. One of the very few things I don't like about having the pellet stove (but a small price to pay for the savings),

Vertical rise would be a good idea though, but I would think using anything other then double wall would lead to a lot of creosote buildup since it would condense quicker.

 

[Nick Sterner]

I don't doubt you had some kind of soot but I really find it hard to believe a stove vented to outdoors caused it and all the more so when you say you never smelled any smoke even.. Did you ever get any billowy ash in the house when cleaning the stove ? I could see that doing this.

Sorry, maybe I should have been a bit more clear. When I say soot I didn't mean a dust like soot. I had things like Tupperware in bottom kitchen drawers that were close to the vent pipe area that acquired a black film on them. Same goes for switch outlets near that area. They also got a black film on them.


I also don't know why a 24" horizontal direct vent would cost hundreds of dollars. How many hundred ?

What I purchased was:

1- 24" straight
1- 12" straight
2- 45 degree elbows
1- 90 degree elbow
1- Cap

This all added up to $450 ish dollars. It was not stainless but it was 4" and is the type of pipe that has the orange rubber seal inside. Not the Duravent twist and lock stuff. For me to add enough pipe to get where I think I need to be I was assuming another few hundred bucks?

Thanks for any help or advise!

 

[Nick Sterner]

What I purchased was:

1- 24" straight
1- 12" straight
2- 45 degree elbows
1- 90 degree elbow
1- Cap

This all added up to $450 ish dollars. It was not stainless but it was 4" and is the type of pipe that has the orange rubber seal inside. Not the Duravent twist and lock stuff. For me to add enough pipe to get where I think I need to be I was assuming another few hundred bucks?

Thanks for any help or advise!

Sorry, maybe I should have been a bit more clear. When I say soot I didn't mean a dust like soot. I had things like Tupperware in bottom kitchen drawers that were close to the vent pipe area that acquired a black film on them. Same goes for switch outlets near that area. They also got a black film on them.

 

[TimfromMA]

What I purchased was:

1- 24" straight
1- 12" straight
2- 45 degree elbows
1- 90 degree elbow
1- Cap

This all added up to $450 ish dollars. It was not stainless but it was 4" and is the type of pipe that has the orange rubber seal inside. Not the Duravent twist and lock stuff. For me to add enough pipe to get where I think I need to be I was assuming another few hundred bucks?

Thanks for any help or advise!

Did you get a cleanout?

 

[Nick Sterner]

Did you get a cleanout?

No clean out. I just pulled the pipe apart outside at my elbow and cleaned it that way.