snow flakes and oak screen

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dlh756

Member
Hearth Supporter
Feb 27, 2009
13
West central Ohio
I'm hoping someone has a solution to my problem. I have an Englander 10-CPM and have a problem when it snows and blows heavy my oak sucks up snow on the screen and completely blocks the air. Came home today and the burn pot was overflowing and a huge lazey flame that looked like it was going up the pellet shoot to the hopper. The stove was still running, didn't shut down.
The oak intake isn't under snow it just sucks up snow flakes onto the screen. Also when we get a heavy foggy type frost it will suck up in the screen and block all air intake. Surly I'm not the only one that has had this problem. Hope somebody can help me out.
Got a stove cleaning to do now.
 
I had the same problem last winter with my OAK inlet after a couple of the big snow storms....the inlet screen was completely blocked. I solved it temporarily by removing the screen. But once the snow stopped, I went to the hardware store and got some screen material that had larger holes in it.

Some sort of protective cover that blocks the snow but still lets air in needs to be put over it, IMO.
 
Thanks. I thought about taking the screen off. Defiantly need to make some kind of cover for it.
Replacing the screen with a larger size is a good idea.
 
Don't want to start this again but I don't have an OAK so I never had this problem!
 
is it a hooded vent?
i think i know the one though. just flat faced w/ no hood like a dryer vent usually has.
 
I was going to ask that. My OAK has a hooded vent cover and is 12" off the ground.

I have a spare 4x8 sheet of junk plywood out back, maybe I'll drag it around the side and put it there like a lean-to so the OAK intake has some protection if we get alot of snow.
 
John97 said:
......I have a spare 4x8 sheet of junk plywood out back, maybe I'll drag it around the side and put it there like a lean-to so the OAK intake has some protection if we get alot of snow.

Probably a good, quick & cheap solution.
 
imacman said:
John97 said:
......I have a spare 4x8 sheet of junk plywood out back, maybe I'll drag it around the side and put it there like a lean-to so the OAK intake has some protection if we get alot of snow.

Probably a good, quick & cheap solution.

Good old Yankee ingenuity! ;-)
 
Until the wind catches it. Around here, that's a recipe for trouble with the winds we get.
I like the dryer vent-type cover idea, I may have to do that for my OAK.
 
heat seeker said:
Until the wind catches it. Around here, that's a recipe for trouble with the winds we get.
I like the dryer vent-type cover idea, I may have to do that for my OAK.

Figured nobody wants to discuss not having an QAK!
 
Naw, we beat that one into the ground! :-)
 
This does bring up an interesting point for those using OAKs. Even if it's not snowing, but raining hard you will be pulling moist air into the firebox. I wonder if/how that might affect burn efficiency, especially on lower heat settings?
 
JoeS said:
Don't want to start this again but I don't have an OAK so I never had this problem!

Yes you do.

Its called your house, and there are so many places for the air to leak in that you'll never have that problem. And if the air wasn't leaking in, your stove wouldn't work. But you'll never have the problem of snow filling up all of the places your stove sucks unheated outside air from. So see, you actually do have an outside air kit that prevents this very problem, but you just didn't know it. Thanks for contributing.
 
DBCOOPER said:
JoeS said:
Don't want to start this again but I don't have an OAK so I never had this problem!

Yes you do.

Its called your house, and there are so many places for the air to leak in that you'll never have that problem. And if the air wasn't leaking in, your stove wouldn't work. But you'll never have the problem of snow filling up all of the places your stove sucks unheated outside air from. So see, you actually do have an outside air kit that prevents this very problem, but you just didn't know it. Thanks for contributing.

We could debate this forever but lets just say to each his own!

My home will never be air tight and quite frankly I don't want it to be since it really isn't healthy.

Oh yeah, thanks for contributing!
 
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