Reclaiming heat loss on pellet vent pipe.

[MCPO]

Here`s an easy way to add a few feet of finned heat off your pellet vent.
Buy a box or roll of aluminum roof flashing and a good pair of tin snips.
Cut 6"+/- squares.
In the center of each square draw a circle 1" smaller than the OD of your vent pipe and another circle 1/2 " from the first circle
Cut squares in half
Cut out the inside circle drawn on each 1/2
Make a cut every 1/2" from the cut circle to the larger circle and bend the tabs back just a hair less than a 90 degree angle.
Place two halves on the vent pipe and staple them together or use aluminum tape (looks nicer)
Slide them into position spaced 3/8-1/2 inch apart. Do this as many times as necessary to achieve your desired length of heat extraction.
Have fun.

 

[Wet1]

Here`s an easy way to add a few feet of finned heat off your pellet vent.
Buy a box or roll of aluminum roof flashing and a good pair of tin snips.
Cut 6"+/- squares.
In the center of each square draw a circle 1" smaller than the OD of your vent pipe and another circle 1/2 " from the first circle
Cut squares in half
Cut out the inside circle drawn on each 1/2
Make a cut every 1/2" from the cut circle to the larger circle and bend the tabs back just a hair less than a 90 degree angle.
Place two halves on the vent pipe and staple them together or use aluminum tape (looks nicer)
Slide them into position spaced 3/8-1/2 inch apart. Do this as many times as necessary to achieve your desired length of heat extraction.
Have fun.

Let's see some pics John! :D

 

[crausch]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about the pics. I am having trouble envisioning what your describing.

 

[MCPO]

OK, I`m in a hurry but here`s a quick sketch. I`m sure you can figure it from this. Of course each piece has to be cut in half for installation on existing pipe installations.
Just follow my directions above and with the sketch and it will fall into place .

http://www.pbase.com/johnd1/image/107341852.jpg

 

[cac4]

Sounds like a bunch of work for....how much heat?

I have an out--then up configuration, so with the pipe on the outside, its a moot point for me. But just yesterday, when I was blowin the snow, I covered up the thimble and air intake area pretty good with the snow blower. I figured that it would just melt off of there within seconds, with the stove running inside. A few minutes later, I noticed that there was still some snow on it, and it looked like I might have clogged up the air intake, so I went up to it to investigate, and brush the snow off an area that I though for sure would be "warm". nope. So I put my gloved hand on the pipe to see how warm that was....couldn't feel anything. So I took my glove off, and just tapped it real quick, so as not to get burned...nothing. So I went ahead and really "touched" it. just warm. I could hold my hand on it indefinitely, just above the "T". I can't imagine that trying to reclaim this small amount of heat is really worth much.
I don't know...maybe my stove is just that efficient at transferring the heat from the fire.

 

[j00fek]

pellets stove pipe is double insulated, i wouldn't go to this much work for minuscule heat...

 

[MCPO]

The benefit might be there for those with more pipe exposed indoors .
All one has to do is equate this to the fin tubing on your forced hot water baseboard to see that it should work.
Just how effective it is would be far beyond my simple mechanical mind to calculate and best left to those with an engineering background.

 

[MCPO]

Sounds like a bunch of work for....how much heat?

I have an out--then up configuration, so with the pipe on the outside, its a moot point for me. But just yesterday, when I was blowin the snow, I covered up the thimble and air intake area pretty good with the snow blower. I figured that it would just melt off of there within seconds, with the stove running inside. A few minutes later, I noticed that there was still some snow on it, and it looked like I might have clogged up the air intake, so I went up to it to investigate, and brush the snow off an area that I though for sure would be "warm". nope. So I put my gloved hand on the pipe to see how warm that was....couldn't feel anything. So I took my glove off, and just tapped it real quick, so as not to get burned...nothing. So I went ahead and really "touched" it. just warm. I could hold my hand on it indefinitely, just above the "T". I can't imagine that trying to reclaim this small amount of heat is really worth much.
I don't know...maybe my stove is just that efficient at transferring the heat from the fire.

I would rather doubt your stove is that much better or more efficient than most other brands or models but that I suspect the exhaust heat is being rapidly cooled off the vent piping by the cold air as soon as it exits the interior of the house .