Fresh Air Intake?

[heat seeker]

I had to firmly ask for my OAK to be installed, and the dealer charged me an extra $100 - for another 20 minutes of work and a few inexpensive parts. Still, I'm glad I did for all of the here mentioned reasons. It also helps when the power goes out and the fans stop, since we get very little smoke in the house, even with a horizontal vent.

 

[LRRifleman]

I do not like the idea that the dealer is adding this to the installation cost I already paid.
I bought a portable (2400 watt) generator for the power outages, so I can keep my toddlers warm and the refrigerator running.
Fortunately, my stove will be a saving grace during power outages and when it comes to the gas bill!

 

[rona]

One good comparison is to ask why just about all of the newer furnaces oil, LP or Nat gas use outside air. The new homes are all tighter and when you have vent fans running in bathrooms, kitchens etc plus now your new stove there is a limit. I helped install a stove in a night club and when they turned on the kitchen fans and fans for the main rooms you could see the flame drop to nothing. We installed the outside air kit and it worked like it was designed too.
The sad thing is we as consumers don't know enough about these stoves before hand and there is sometimes a tuition to be paid after the fact. A dealer can minimize this learning experience but if he makes it to complicated he will miss the sale. I can see where it is hard to know where to draw the line as his competitor down the road may ignore the outside air and of course quote the lower price and get the sale.

 

[Don2222]

Hello

After putting in my Wood pellet stove OAK located right near my oil boiler
See pics of OAK below.

I put an OAK on the Oil Boiler so they would not fight for my heated air!! So I win LOL

See Oil Boiler OAK pics here!!
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/58408/

 

[dragracer300]

I didn't install a oak when i first installed my stove and my house always felt drafty so i installed the oak and man what a difference. I put a ball valve on mine to control the air and to be able to shut it off in the summer but i wouldn't run without it now.

 

[pur pony]

I just had an insert installed without a OAK.. i asked the installing dealer about it and said it is not needed. I also have my oil furnace which I use for hot water....

How are all of you installing your OAK? I have a vent built into the side of my fireplace/chimney. There is a round disc that spins off a threaded rod to give fresh air to the wood fireplace. I would like to tap off of this and use is as an OAK for my pellet stove.
Has anyone done this? Im guessing im going to have to make my own mounting part.

 

[briansol]

Do it. I am in the process of getting parts together to do mine. I wish my dealer had a clue too. Seems to be a common thread here.... wish i knew better at the time.

 

[battlesphoto]

I am going to both the town building inspector to see why they did not question this when they inspected my stoves.
Then I want to know why Home and Hearth did not install one when they put my two stoves in.
If the tech manual for installation states in big bold letters "it is highly recommended that an air intake be installed" why would they not do it???
Better yet why did they not even mention to me this to discuss????
Hell will be paid today. I am beyond angry.
Wasted Heat! No wonder we have been feeling big drafts! AND reduced oxygen in the house! I have two little ones!
Don't mess with Mama.
Again woke up to black glass, black back of firebox, clinker with damper wide open all doors closed tight and even tried new pellets.

 

[briansol]

Good luck. I don't think you'll get anywhere with it though....

 

[StormPanic]

Funny this is the 3rd or 4th person I have seen in the past week that bought the same stove I did and is having the same problem I did. I cannot recommend installing the OAK enough. I had the same problem with incomplete burn. The OAK fixed it immediately.

 

[StormPanic]

Here's a before / after OAK install of my stove flame for reference. Before = fat, lazy and slow, After = white hot inferno of destruction

 

[stovelark]

Hi all- I will tell you- wished more dealers would talk to customers about OA. I always bring it up if possible with a cust- there is add'l cost but most people don't mind the extra, espec after you explain benefits. Extra liners up fireplaces are a pain but can be done. Going out of the back of a fp or hooking into existing fp fresh air vent isn't particularly easy either. Another thing for serviceguys to remember about for maint (inserts), so it is more work. I will tell you tho, I have Selkirk DT on my EF3, but use inside air for my Empress, both work well. I also find the Empress a little more finicky with pellet quality than the EF3- but I will say there are lots more non OAK stoves running out there- a lot of installers like the single pipe install..... hate to say but its incumbent on the buyer to know and want outside air, it shouldn't be though, you'd think the sales folks would be the "subject matter experts" on operation. Good luck to all

Stovelark
Enviro EF3 FS pellet
Enviro Empress FPI AC pellet
Enviro Kodiak 1700 FS wood (still love my woodstove)

 

[briansol]

I fyou don't mind me asking, what do you think a run of that dual liner about about 20 feet would cost?

 

[stovelark]

Hi Brian- for an insert a 25' 4" ss liner kits goes for about $500. If you want 3" run of gas liner (alum, only used for intake air, thats about $50. Thats material cost, labor to deliver and install liner kit and stove, around another $600. If you want outside air added after install, you'd have to negotiate that labor cost. Some installers will balk at opening up that, remember the ideal fresh air would go full length of the chimney and terminate through the top plate of the exhaust liner, we cut 3-1/4" hole and bring the 3" fresh air liner through and 90 deg terminate with a rodent/bird screen. Obviously, much easier to do on initial install, as a backfit, will prob cost about as much laborwise as new install, espec if you need to break into the existing exhaust liner kit. Hope this helps. For your insert, if you have the fresh air shroud (looks like you do) consider a flexi conn pipe and go thru the back of the fireplace for fresh air, if thats what you want, that might be an easier backfit install. Hope this didn't add more confustion.

Stovelark
Enviro EF3 FS pellet
Enviro Empress FPI AC pellet
Enviro Kodiak 1700 FS wood

 

[briansol]

Thanks,
I'm against breaking the brick in the back. I've debated it and have decided against it. If not for the integrity itself, but also the fact that it leads out to an encolsed porch area (roof), not just an open outside wall.

I was thinking that this was the 2-in-1 piping kit. I think that's what I want to run.
(broken link removed to http://www.selkirkcorp.com/selkirk/Product.aspx?id=7428)
but i'm not even sure if it is available as an insert liner. 1 run up and out seems like the most logical thing to do i think. I hate my exhaust piping anyway, and would like to upgrade it to something that isn't a POS.