DEALER REFUSES TO INSTALL OAK

[tonyd]

I wanted outside air for my Quad Castile and gave up. The stove has so many holes and gaps around the burn pot you will never suck air down the stack unless they are sealed. I don't think the stove was ever set up correctly for outside air. I think they are trying to save you money. I sold mine and bought a Accentra that is sealed and made for outside air. Works great.

 

[littlesmokey]

Wow... where did the OP go? This thread was totally hi-jacked.


IMO, you don't want the OAK anyway, if you don't run the stove 24/7 the OAK leaks cold air into the house, it is not air tight in any way.

HHHhhhmmmmm. Never thought of that. I would be a continuous air leak when off. There is no way to block it, right. Well, so far this year mine has been off more than on, and I don't have the OAK, so I have a stockpile of burnable air to deplete, right???? hh:

 

[tjnamtiw]

Wow... where did the OP go? This thread was totally hi-jacked.


IMO, you don't want the OAK anyway, if you don't run the stove 24/7 the OAK leaks cold air into the house, it is not air tight in any way.

Unfortunately, jtp is correct for the Castile and Sante Fe. Other stoves may have a completely sealed combustion system when hooked to an OAK but not for the Quads. If you create the often talked about negative pressure in your house with the clothes dryer or other appliance, the OAK is a clear shot INTO your house to feed the vacuum.

 

[amick780]

Wow... where did the OP go? This thread was totally hi-jacked.

Anyway... to the OP, yeah we have done one exactly like that. We ran alum for the OAK and stuck the cap tight down to the top plate. The exhaust we switched over to rigid pipe near the top and extended it up 2ft above the OAK cap to be safe. Was not a huge deal as far as I know. You should find out from the dealer if they don't want to do it due to a problem, or just because its going to be more work than they feel like doing.

IMO, you don't want the OAK anyway, if you don't run the stove 24/7 the OAK leaks cold air into the house, it is not air tight in any way.

That is correct an OAK is another leak into the house, but we are talking about a combustion fan pulling 50-80cfm of air out of a house constantly when the stove is running. Not quite the same as a clothes dryer running for 60 mins a few times a week pulling air through a OAK. I think the point that we are trying to make is why pull cold air into a house and reheat it when you don't have too. For about $100 bucks the positives out weigh the negatives.

 

[vgrund]

amick780, amen!

 

[Dr_Drum]

. . .For about $100 bucks the positives out weigh the negatives.

Generally I agree, but I have tried it both ways and for us it's a comfort issue. The stove was seriously lowering the humidity in the house and my daughter has asthma. I was getting nose bleeds, and we were all coughing. For us, it's better without the OAK, the stove doesn't seem to care, and I'm willing to pay the extra fuel cost. The room the stove is in stays at 80 easily on the lowest settings, and even then it continues to rise slowly. I can afford to use some of the preheated air. My house is well insulated so I think the stove may be pulling the air in through two positive flow drains in my basement, or maybe the unused fireplace, or perhaps a hundred other places?
Mike -

 

[CanadaClinker]

Wow... where did the OP go? This thread was totally hi-jacked.

Anyway... to the OP, yeah we have done one exactly like that. We ran alum for the OAK and stuck the cap tight down to the top plate. The exhaust we switched over to rigid pipe near the top and extended it up 2ft above the OAK cap to be safe. Was not a huge deal as far as I know. You should find out from the dealer if they don't want to do it due to a problem, or just because its going to be more work than they feel like doing.

IMO, you don't want the OAK anyway, if you don't run the stove 24/7 the OAK leaks cold air into the house, it is not air tight in any way.

I have my OAK made of PVC (so it doesn't sweat very much with condensation in the cold weather). I don't have it connect to the stove directly but come up to within 7 inches of the back of it. When the stove is sucking for air, I can feel the air come out of the PVC pipe and head into the back of the stove where the air intake is located. In the dead of winter when we are away during the day (and the stove is off), I have a cap that goes over the PVC pipe to stop the cold air from spilling into the room. It takes 2 secs to put on or remove the cap.

.....oh.....under the end of the PVC pipe I have a decorative tin to catch any condensation that drips....... ;-)

 

[krooser]

Here's what my OAK looks like.... the outside air is drawn in from around the exhaust.

Call ESES for a quote... 920-779-6647... they are a Selkirk dealer.

hopefully your exhaust gas & intake combustion air cant mix

There's a cap that fits on the end that divides the intake from the exhaust. .. I removed it to show the innards...

 

[krooser]

That tile hearth doesnt look to code

Passed inspection from my dealer... never seen any hot ash escape from my vent pipe inside my house.

 

[dobie daddy]

Why do you need fresh air?, cause your home is super air tight?
At least with the above setup it would be prewarmed air coming in not just cold outside air which would be stupid to waste heat when it's -10 out.
But any exhaust leak you could have a serious CO problem

I know this topic has been beat to death already. Either way you pay for heating the air for combustion. If I remember correctly it's a moot point.

 

[yknotcarpentry]

I don't think the combustion air neccessarily "needs" to be heated it is just forced air that is feeding the fire oxygen. if the outside air is being "heated" as it passes through the stove on its way to feed the fire well then that is just by dumb luck really of the fact that it enters the stove.

 

[Glosta]

I'm a newbie, so forgive me if this is a stupid question, but doesn't the design of the Selkirk system restrict the flow of exhaust?

For example. How efficient will the 2 1/4" exhaust system of your car opperate with a 1" pipe stuffed in the middle all the way back to the manifold? More restriction = decrease in overall performance. Correct???

 

[mnkywrnch]

I'm a newbie, so forgive me if this is a stupid question, but doesn't the design of the Selkirk system restrict the flow of exhaust?

For example. How efficient will the 2 1/4" exhaust system of your car opperate with a 1" pipe stuffed in the middle all the way back to the manifold? More restriction = decrease in overall performance. Correct???

The selkirk exhaust uses a 4in exhaust in the center and a 2in fresh air on the outside,I don't see how that is restricting anything when normally people run 3in exhaust.