Can you install an OAK through a chimney??

[davescarp]

Hello all, have a pellet insert in the downstairs of a 2 story cape. Let's just say it struggles to keep my living room where it is installed above 60, stove is brand new avalon newport bay insert. although the house was built in the 50's with little (maybe even no) insulation, it has new windows and pretty good seals on all the outside doors, yet i can feel cold drafts across the room toward the stove. From what I've been reading here, I think an OAK will greatly help solve this problem, but...

How do I get to outside air if the insert is in a brick fireplace? The cleanout in the back of the fireplace floor leads down to an ash dump/cleanout near the basement floor roughly 8' below, so that doesn't really help. It's got to be >15' to the top of the chimney from the stove on the first floor. Can you make a hole in brick to get to outside air through?

 

[Xena]

My free standing stove is installed almost like an insert.
<<<<--- see avatar

Went through the ash dump into the basement, then out
the wall with the oak. Used parts from advance auto and
a dryer vent from ace hardware.
Works well. I added pics in post #15 this thread.

Have seen oak kits installed up the chimney too. Somewhere on here
I think member "hearth tools" posted some pics of an install like that.

 

[davescarp]

Thanks for info. Was thinking of doing the same, only was concerned about the length pipe from the outside intake, down to the bottom of the ash dump near the floor of my basement, back up the cleanout to the stove.. How much intake pipe do you have runnning? Thanks again, DAVE

 

[Xena]

Hi Dave.
Used approx. 17 ft of pipe from the stove to the outdoors. The first
6 ft is 2" diameter, then increased to 3" aluminum for the rest of the run.

 

[davescarp]

Sorry, should have read the post you linked me to more carefully! If you working OK at 17, i might be able to pull this off. Any chance you could post a pick of what it looks like in your basement? Thanks so much, you've been a big help. DAVE

 

[Xena]

Not much to get from the pics that I didn't already
explain but here's what I have for pics. It's pretty
easy and I did it myself except for cutting the hole which
I had the brother do.
The most time consuming was finding the parts. The job
itself was cake.