Thimble placement for pellet stove in corner

[lorbs21]

I am wondering if this corner install will work. I have a receptacle on one side and a cold air return where I want to put my thimble. In the cold air return is a drain pipe for 2nd floor shower,tub,sinks etc... I will have 9 inches from the stud to the start of the 4 inch drain pipe. Will this work? Does the thimble get to hot and melt the pipe? I would appreciate feedback. I also bought some stacked stones at auction for my back. Gonna make a hearth pad. Harman p43 pellet stove. Thanks guys! Sorry for the pics sideways can't get them normal

 

[TimfromMA]

The purpose of the thimble is to allow safe passage of the vent through a wall or ceiling. My thimble passes through fiberglass insulation with no problem.

To sum it up, you will be ok.

 

[Lake Girl]

Is the other wall an inner or outer wall? You do have another vent above - if it is part of the cold air return, it will compromise the function of the furnace as most of that airflow will be blocked off. Make sure you meet clearances for the window - running it up past roof line?

Drain located on an outer wall is not the best spot for it. Makes me wonder where are the water supply lines located?

 

[lorbs21]

Is the other wall an inner or outer wall? You do have another vent above - if it is part of the cold air return, it will compromise the function of the furnace as most of that airflow will be blocked off. Make sure you meet clearances for the window - running it up past roof line?

Drain located on an outer wall is not the best spot for it. Makes me wonder where are the water supply lines located?

 

[lorbs21]

My house is mostly a open floor plan. The other vent above is part of the cold air return as well. The other wall is an outer wall as well. The reason I don't want to put the pipe going out that side of the wall is bc that is where I get 95% of the weather. Coming from the west. We have such strong winds I am worried about backdraft coming in from the pipes. I have a wood burner in my basement with a 35-40 chimney on that side of the wall and I have a horrible draft and back puffing all the time. Air tight house.

 

[lorbs21]

Not worried about the window as well. I can make that a non opening window

 

[DAKSY]

If you can install the thimble in that opening & still put your stove where you want it, you should be good to go.
If you have 9" to the drain, you can still get another framing member in the gap & right against the PVC if heat is what worries you.
That will leave 7.5 inches of width & the 3" ICC Excel Pellet thimble (for exmaple) needs 6.5" x 6.5" minimum.
I would try to layout the stove footprint on a piece of cardboard. That & the location centerline for the exhaust pipe
is shown in the installation manual. Using the layout & the dimensions from the manual, you can get a pretty good
approximation of the appliance's install position.

 

[Lake Girl]

If the upper vent is also "cold" air return, it is possible that air movement through those vents prevents drain from freezing. Guess it depends on your extremes of temperature...

If you install an OAK, it should balance that system against strong winds. Pellet stove also has a combustion fan to push smoke out where a wood burner does not... Manual usually provides info on venting and prevailing winds...

 

[lorbs21]

I am going to have an OAK on this as well. I want to put it on this wall bc of all the BS I have had to deal with my wood burner in the basement. I have a outside air intake going to my wood burner as well and it doesn't help. (Bc of the high chimney and strong winds) I mean strong

 

[Lake Girl]

Can be done is not the same as should be done ... Just don't want to see you install the stove only to find problems with other house systems. Really odd to see two air returns like that... Do you have central air conditioning that utilizes that air return as well?

Have you consulted with local building officials? - if it doesn't fly with them, your insurance company won't be happy either.

 

[lorbs21]

I will put stacked stone as my backsplash all the way up. I am guessing I will have to keep the vents up and not cover them. Unfortunately that will look ugly with the new stones and two vents showing. So it looks like I will put the pipes on the other wall with the strong winds. Is there with a small fan on the pellet stove still back puffing problems ?

 

[Lake Girl]

What type of pipe configuration outside? Termination cap used may be able to minimize effect of winds... Is the problem with the wood burner due to size/length of chimney or just high winds? Usually high winds make them draft better...

No other spot in the floor plan that would not be on prevailing wind side?

Paint vents a color to blend with stacked stone so it's not as noticeable ...

 

[lorbs21]

I am going to put it in the corner and I'm guessing a 45 angle pipe then straight out and then up 4 feet with the termination cap on the end. Does that sound right? We are going to do the install ourselves. Dealers around here want 500-1000 for cutting a hole in the wall As far as the draft in my chimney. I even bought a special chimney cap for my wood burner (which has helped) but u can even still feel wind pushing into the wood burner when it's windy(of course no fire burning when you stick your hand in to feel the wind blowing down). Lol.

 

[lorbs21]

Also. This is the best place in my LR. The other corner has another cold air return setup the same lol. That is a good idea as far as painting the vents. My father in law restores old cars so I am sure he can do a nice paint job on these.

 

[Owen1508]

Is that the only inlet for your return air? If so you are not suppose to install a stove within 10 feet of that return air inlet (ref IRC 2012 sec. M1602.2 ) check with local codes. I would also be concerned with running the timble through the air return as that would restrict the flow and could damage the blowers that use it. The return air ducts are calculated when it come to the flow of air for the unit it serves. The window still maybe a concern (even if you make it non-opening) as there can be some seepage regardless. You may be able to do away with the higher vent and increase the size of the lower one to compensate, again check with local powers that be and codes.

.
If you have 9" to the drain, you can still get another framing member in the gap & right against the PVC if heat is what worries you.
That will leave 7.5 inches of width & the 3" ICC Excel Pellet thimble (for exmaple) needs 6.5" x 6.5" minimum.
I would try to layout the stove footprint on a piece of cardboard. That & the location centerline for the exhaust pipe
is shown in the installation manual. Using the layout & the dimensions from the manual, you can get a pretty good
approximation of the appliance's install position.

Good suggustion
As long as you keep you clearances required for the thimble you use it will be fine

 

[lorbs21]

This corner install is becoming more of a pain than I thought lol. We built our home 10 yrs ago. I have cold air returns throughout the house and they are in every bedroom and 2 in LR , 2 in entry way, and in DR. I don't know the codes around here. We are a pretty rural area. Do I check with my township office? Here are pics of my basement and the furnace with returns in the rear from my LR. The other pic is where the pipe goes in the return with the drain pipe

 

[wsar10]

Stove install aside....
I would be concerned about a waste line being within my heating system air supply...........Thats all bad !

 

[Owen1508]

https://archive.org/details/gov.law.icc.irc.2012

Here's the link to the IRC. Some towns have stricter codes. This at least will give you something to reference if your insurance company wants you to back up your install. If those are not the only returns in the house then the 10 foot rule in the IRC doesn't apply. Ideally read the OM well check with the codes as Daksy suggusted use a template and thing it though. My rule is always measure twice cut once, if you follow all the install parameters and clearances it will be fine.
If you have doubts post it here tons of knowledge in these forums