Combustible Air

[devonhubb]

Would it be feasible to burn outside air, as opposed to inside air?

I bought a used Triton woodstove and it is basically a box inside a box. The combustible air comes in the stove via a 6" pipe opening on the back of the stove.

My thinking is that I could run a piece of ductwork thru the wall to the outside & that way all of the air going up the stovepipe is not pulling cold air in around the doors & windows. Does that make sense?

Or is it more work than it is worth? Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks!!

 

[jjett84724]

People do this sort of thing a lot. Go for it. Just make sure it's sealed up tight, so no carbon monoxide leak could possibly get into the house. If it's possible, have one of the local businessmen check it for you. Well worth the couple of bucks he might charge, IMO.

 

[demographic]

Its a better way of doing it as far as I have read, it stops the stove from sucking cold air through your home to feed it and creating draughts.

 

[coog]

This is an option on many new stoves.I have a Jotul Oslo hooked up this way in a very tight (foamed) house.Go for it.

 

[Sprig]

Its a better way of doing it as far as I have read, it stops the stove from sucking cold air through your home to feed it and creating draughts.

Yep, this and the above post are right on. I think a bit depends on how much yer house sux too
(for example my old POS cabin sucks air from everywhere, so I'm not overly concerned about 'outside air' , but if I lived in a house with decent sealing I'd def. look into outside air sources esp if a large place)

My rambling 0.02$ on a rainy lazy day



Serge

 

[Dibbs]

From a scientific point of view cold air is better for combustion as colder air also has a higher oxygen content.

 

[barkies]

not higher O2
its just more dense:greenchainsaw:

 

[Dibbs]

not higher O2
its just more dense:greenchainsaw:

LOL, we could argue all night, but, we're both right, we just explained it differently!

 

[ericjeeper]

wait a minute....

He is describing a wood burning furnace.. The 6 inch inlet if not routed in to the firebox. It is routed to around the firebox to be forced to heat a house..
Heck with a six inch inlet to the combustion chamber a man alone could not carry enough wood to feed it..

 

[barkies]

I like to see a good attitude

no need to start a peeing match

good reply


:agree2:dibbs

 

[coog]

Good catch.The supply on my Oslo is something like 2.5".
Never mind...

 

[mga]

He is describing a wood burning furnace.. The 6 inch inlet if not routed in to the firebox. It is routed to around the firebox to be forced to heat a house..
Heck with a six inch inlet to the combustion chamber a man alone could not carry enough wood to feed it..

lol...i thought the same thing. would the inlet pipe drawing air from the outside have to be the same size as the chimney? i don't think so, since any air currently being drawn in from the vents are not the same size. so, maybe 6 inch is too big. maybe a 4 inch or even a 2 inch would do it.

but, i'd put a damper on it or at least have some way to control the air flow into the wood burner.

in any event, since it's a guessing game, i'd begin with a small pipe and work up from there. for the thru-the-wall application, a pvc pipe could be used then convert it to metal near the burner.

 

[ray benson]

It seems like a good idea till you research it. Here is a thread where TreeCo found some very enlightening info on using outside combustion air.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=57723&highlight=combustion+air

 

[devonhubb]

It is a six inch inlet with a damper that goes into the firebox. The flue going out the top is six inches as well. It also has a damper.

The is a blower on the bottom of the stove that moves air from the room, around the firebox, and out a plenum on the top of the stove. There are two outlets on the top of the stove, one for the flue & the second for forced air.

Thanks for your help guys. I am going to duct this stove thru the wall and burn outside air. With the door open, it currently smokes a bit. I'm hoping that it won't smoke as bad with the new set up.

 

[Davej_07]

As a Sheetmetal worker, I can say its always best to have outside combustion air whenever possible.
As a woodburner, I can say you wont regret not having cold drafts when its 10deg outside.

Dave

 

[Labman]

Go for it. I only play at wood burning. My fireplace burns much better since I punched a hole through the back out to the garage.

My gas furnace isn't designed to have air ducted to it. My crawl space is too tight to provide it with enough air. Using the space between 2 joists, I ran a duct from outside to near the furnace.

Many modern furnaces are set up to duct outside air to them. If your wood burner has a 6'' round hole, it sounds like it is. Do youhave an istalation manual?