How do you know if you need an OAK?

[briansol]

You need an OAK for the following:

1. If the installation manual says that it is mandatory
2. If you live in a mobile home or are installing a unit into a closed area less than 500 sqft
3. If your flame is weak or goes out but when you open a window close to the stove the fire is restored
4. If your home has a second floor and the house was built in the past 15 years

Those are my guidelines. It never really hurts to have one, only helps, unless the unit is installed on the leeward side of a home.

4 would be the only one that applies. my house was built in 1997 and is a split level with the stove on level 3 (living/kitchen) out of 4 (bedrooms).

 

[mrjohneel]

The hard part is not determining whether you need an OAK (you do), it's convincing the guy installing it -- the one who keeps telling you he's done this for XX number of years and has installed XX number of stoves, and that he knows much more than you, and that you most certainly do NOT need one -- that you really would prefer if he puts one in. And when I say "the guy installing it," I mean, in my experience, every installer in the Greater Boston area. Good luck.

 

[briansol]

Well, i've had this for 4 years now so it would be a 'new order' purchase from the dealer anyway, or i may try and do it myself. I've yet to see a 'kit' for it yet.... my google prowess is failing me.

 

[smwilliamson]

Well, i've had this for 4 years now so it would be a 'new order' purchase from the dealer anyway, or i may try and do it myself. I've yet to see a 'kit' for it yet.... my google prowess is failing me.

Simpson part pvp4cas-wtpk4

 

[briansol]

https://www.google.com/search?q=pvp...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

0 results :/

 

[Evan_J]

It's all in how you search

Try this link.

http://www.amazon.com/DuraVent-4CAS-WTPK-PVP-Wall-Thimble/dp/B005EZ7158

 

[briansol]

So, this means i need to drill through my masonry? not happening.

 

[superchips]

So, this means i need to drill through my masonry? not happening.

Then keep a window open about 2" while it is running....lol

 

[Xena]

Had cold air running at floor level for the first three years.
Couldn't figure out why my feet were cold while sitting on
the living room sofa watching tv no matter what
the wall t stat reading was. Added an oak and the issue
was resolved. I'm a believer.

 

[John97]

So, this means i need to drill through my masonry? not happening.

My OAK was installed this way today. I have a 4" hole with 3" pipe running through it outside to a dryer-style hood vent.

If, in the unlikely event, the insert is ever removed and I need to fill the hole I'll do it.

 

[ShizzelDizzel]

So, this means i need to drill through my masonry? not happening.

What is your concern? Reapiring the masonary in the event your pipe is removed down the line or the work itself? It's not that hard really.

 

[THE ROOSTER]

So, this means i need to drill through my masonry? not happening.

I have done it on two of my houses, the repair is easier than you think. My father-in-law doesn't have an OAK on his stove and when you are there you can feel 60* air coming out of his registers from where the pellet stove is pulling for air.

 

[mikhen]

Just wondering, since my stove requires and expensive adapter for an OAK, will a fresh air vent right near the back of the stove have the similar effect of an OAK?

 

[briansol]

my fireplace is wrapped by a covered porch. I'm sure that even if i wanted to do it, it's not up to code.

(broken image removed)

 

[briansol]

I had a moment of inspiration this afternoon while thinking about this situation.

My firebox has a built in ash passage that goes to the basement for ease of cleaning the ash if using the fireplace as a normal fire place. The fireplace was barely used by the previous owners of the house and i never used it before putting in the stove so i assume its pretty clean in there. The vent is under where the stove sits, but there's a little bit of clearance where i could run a 'flattened' piece of pipe (i'm thinking like a vacuum at a car wash type head) to scoot under the chassis and over towards the intake. I probably won't even have to run a pipe through-- just open both vent traps at each level.


ok, so let's work backwards here. Note my house is a split level. top to bottom is
4 ----------------------- bedrooms
3 living/kitchen---------------------
2 -----------------------den/garage
1 basement ------------------------

The basemnt is only under the living space of the house. The den area is on a slab more or less and is basically the same level as the garage (down 2 steps) under the bedrooms
Here is the stove on the far wall of my main living space (level 3)

(broken image removed)

if we walk backwards, and go down 6 stairs to the den level hall, we see this view

(broken image removed)

In the den, we have this view. note the furnace return vent to the basement.

(broken image removed)


the previous owners had placed a piece of insulation on this return vent. I just left it there figuring they had trail and errored it.

(broken image removed)

Now, this vent leads to basically eye-level in the basement area, which is finished. But, the finished area is a sub-wall about 4 feet out from the foundataion. the furnance, electirc room, and oil tank are all in this 'space' between the finished area walls and the foundation walls. This vent is on the opposite wall of the firebox/furnace, but there is nothing hindering air flow.


So now if we go over to the furnace area, we see the ash return spout.
(broken image removed)

there's another one on the left, but i have no idea where that goes. My fireplace only has one hole in it and to the best of my guess, it is the one on the right.

(broken image removed)

I didn't take a pic of the stove area, as i would have to move my stove out of the way.
a quick browse around the web, and this is a similar looking item. it is on the floor of the fire place area.

So, what do you think? Can i get away with rigging some kind of air flow like this?

The lower den level is always cold due to being 6 steps down from the stove level, so effectively any air it sucks in from there wouldn't be heated already and is effectively similar to 'outside air'.
It could also promote circulation via suction and get some warmer air down to that level possibly as well.
Appreciate any thoughts on this.

 

[briansol]

I hate to do this being a holiday and all, but *bump*. I'd like to work on this on my day off tomorrow if others thing this is a solid idea. Merry Christmas!

 

[John97]

Going down the ash dump for an OAK has been discussed in a recent thread. It's a great idea as long as you're ultimately going to end up outside, i.e. through a basement wall.

You can't terminate the OAK in the basement. Under certain conditions, smoke and hot gas can be discharged via the OAK (during an abrupt shutdown due to a power outage).

 

[mr coffee]

Going down the ash dump for an OAK has been discussed in a recent thread. It's a great idea as long as you're ultimately going to end up outside, i.e. through a basement wall.

You can't terminate the OAK in the basement. Under certain conditions, smoke and hot gas can be discharged via the OAK (during an abrupt shutdown due to a power outage).

thats my plan for the Christmas break.. have my teen age sons shovel out the ash dump and I'll run some pipe.

 

[briansol]

Well that breaks that plan :/

 

[mikhen]

Going down the ash dump for an OAK has been discussed in a recent thread. It's a great idea as long as you're ultimately going to end up outside, i.e. through a basement wall.

You can't terminate the OAK in the basement. Under certain conditions, smoke and hot gas can be discharged via the OAK (during an abrupt shutdown due to a power outage).

So without an OAK, will the hot air and smoke be discharged in the living are where the stove is?????

 

[superchips]

Going down the ash dump for an OAK has been discussed in a recent thread. It's a great idea as long as you're ultimately going to end up outside, i.e. through a basement wall.

You can't terminate the OAK in the basement. Under certain conditions, smoke and hot gas can be discharged via the OAK (during an abrupt shutdown due to a power outage).

So without an OAK, will the hot air and smoke be discharged in the living are where the stove is?????

Depending on the natural draft of the exhaust, modle of your stove, Yes after a loss of electricity.

 

[briansol]

yeah, smoke already gets in the house on a power cut anyway, so what real difference does it make?

 

[superchips]

yeah, smoke already gets in the house on a power cut anyway, so what real difference does it make?

With your stove door shut, it would only be able to exit through the exhaust or through the OAK to the outside.
That's the diference.

 

[briansol]

That's simply not true. With the stove door closed-- nothing done besides the power going out, smoke sometimes gets into the house.

 

[heat seeker]

Smoke can also come out of the air wash vents, if you have them.