Greenhorn question

[BlueRidgeMark]

Good news!!! The wind has died down and now everyone is happy we are at our normal 75 degrees inside.

I think that settles it - you have a draft problem. I agree on the flue cap - lose that thing! Get something like this:

http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Chimney/Chimney-Caps-for-Metal-Chimneys

Yeah I need to work on the wiring..any suggestions on how to make the orange cord's exit from the conduit better? The power from the house to the outlet needs a small piece of conduit so that won't be hard to finish up. But that dang orange cord I just didn't have any good ideas.

Don't use it. Run the power into the woodstove directly. Hard connection. You DO have a breaker on that circuit, don't you?



If you think you MUST have an external plug in cord like that, run it out the side of a standard outdoor outlet box, using a clamp.

 

[chucker]

SIMPLE RULE OF THUMB IS 2 FEET ABOVE THE HIGHEST ROOF LINE THAT IS WITHIN 10 FEET OF YOUR PIPE, STACK,CHIMMNEY .... NOT JUST WITHIN 10 FEET AT LENGTH WITH A ROOF LINE ABOVE THAT !! THE PIPE HAS TO BE THE highest point on your roof to clear a free flow air stream.................

 

[Lugnutz]

I think that settles it - you have a draft problem. I agree on the flue cap - lose that thing! Get something like this:

http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Chimney/Chimney-Caps-for-Metal-Chimneys






Don't use it. Run the power into the woodstove directly. Hard connection. You DO have a breaker on that circuit, don't you?



If you think you MUST have an external plug in cord like that, run it out the side of a standard outdoor outlet box, using a clamp.

yup got a breaker..the reason for the external plug is this, global warming, tilt in the axis of the earth, too many chinamen...whatever, we don't get snow storms like we used to. Now it seems that our storms start with ICE. Ice takes down trees and powerlines so I have a small gen to run the fan on the stove. So I wanted the stove to be a plug in application so I can unplug it from the house and plug it into the gen.

 

[Lugnutz]

SIMPLE RULE OF THUMB IS 2 FEET ABOVE THE HIGHEST ROOF LINE THAT IS WITHIN 10 FEET OF YOUR PIPE, STACK,CHIMMNEY .... NOT JUST WITHIN 10 FEET AT LENGTH WITH A ROOF LINE ABOVE THAT !! THE PIPE HAS TO BE THE highest point on your roof to clear a free flow air stream.................

Thanx Chucker, thats more definitive than the thing I copy and pasted off of usstove.com. From the way it sounded, I needed to find 10ft distance between pipe and roof and then go 2ft higher.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

The wind chill is sucking the heat out of your flue pipe. More (uninsulated) chimney pipe will only limit your draft even worse in windy weather.

 

[Metals406]

yup got a breaker..the reason for the external plug is this, global warming, tilt in the axis of the earth, too many chinamen...whatever, we don't get snow storms like we used to. Now it seems that our storms start with ICE. Ice takes down trees and powerlines so I have a small gen to run the fan on the stove. So I wanted the stove to be a plug in application so I can unplug it from the house and plug it into the gen.

Best of luck with your draft issue. . .

 

[Dalmatian90]

When the power goes out, shut off the breaker in the house, and plug the generator into the outlet. . . Pretty easy to wire in, and not expensive

Isn't that substituting one code violation for another?

 

[Metals406]

Isn't that substituting one code violation for another?

Happy New Year!!

 

[mga]

The wind chill is sucking the heat out of your flue pipe. More (uninsulated) chimney pipe will only limit your draft even worse in windy weather.

excellent point.

a cold chimney is also the cause of poor drafting.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

If you're a sparky, speak up instead of making comments that don't do anyone any good,

He just asked a question.

maybe you can tell him how to not violate codes. . . Cause we all know the world will end, children will starve, and the moon will fall out of the sky if we don't always follow every code out there.

All that, plus, with your method there's a very good chance of forgetting to trip that breaker, thus powering the grid from the generator, and perhaps costing some lineman his life when he goes to work on a downed line that SHOULD be dead, but instead is energized by backfeed from a generator that is improperly installed.

It's happened more than once.


If you're going to set it up for generator use, you need a positive disconnect for the house wiring. It has to be a switch that will disconnect the house at the same time it connects the generator. ONE switch, so there's no chance of forgetting something.


NOT just because it's some stupid code, but because doing otherwise could kill somebody.

The current setup is at at least safe, even if not fully up to code.

 

[Dalmatian90]

I'm not a sparky, but the current electrical plug set up of his doesn't potentially endanger anyone other then his household.

The suggestion of yours to put in a male outlet and just throw breaker in the basement does.

Because someone can energize that outlet while not throwing the breaker, and if they do it would re-energizing the power lines outside of the home. Transformers work both ways, so you now have 7200 volts+ out on the street.

That's why they make transfer switches if you have money, or lock-out plate systems if you want to do this safely but at the lowest cost (http://www.interlockkit.com/ ), so you don't have to rely on someone remembering all the right steps.

 

[Lugnutz]

Been looking at double wall pipe, it can't hurt.

Question on the electrical, how is my plug in set up any different than running an extension cord out to the heater on my truck or all the guys that plug their deisel trucks in? Just curious.

 

[Oregon_Grown]

I am spoiled

Given it does not get that cold here.. Lows in the winter in the 20's but mostly above freezing with highs in the 50's... but dang I would not want to go outside to stoke a fire. I guess I am spoiled I had never seen that before. I had to ask why anyone would put their heater outside in the cold. hum...... My little (we are talking very small 20" by 24") wood stove will drive the temperature up to 80 in no time. I keep a big stack of wood and kindling in the garage. I use less than 2 cords of wood a year. I am just spoiled.

 

[Metals406]

He just asked a question.





All that, plus, with your method there's a very good chance of forgetting to trip that breaker, thus powering the grid from the generator, and perhaps costing some lineman his life when he goes to work on a downed line that SHOULD be dead, but instead is energized by backfeed from a generator that is improperly installed.

It's happened more than once.


If you're going to set it up for generator use, you need a positive disconnect for the house wiring. It has to be a switch that will disconnect the house at the same time it connects the generator. ONE switch, so there's no chance of forgetting something.


NOT just because it's some stupid code, but because doing otherwise could kill somebody.

The current setup is at at least safe, even if not fully up to code.

You are absolutely right. . . That is the proper way to do it, and if the breaker wasn't switched off, it would backfeed the line.

If wired the way I suggested, the breaker would have to be turned off in order to be safe. . . You're right in that the human element (forgetting the breaker) could be dangerous.

Staying in context, I don't believe all codes are stupid.

 

[Metals406]

I'm not a sparky, but the current electrical plug set up of his doesn't potentially endanger anyone other then his household.

The suggestion of yours to put in a male outlet and just throw breaker in the basement does.

Because someone can energize that outlet while not throwing the breaker, and if they do it would re-energizing the power lines outside of the home. Transformers work both ways, so you now have 7200 volts+ out on the street.

That's why they make transfer switches if you have money, or lock-out plate systems if you want to do this safely but at the lowest cost (http://www.interlockkit.com/ ), so you don't have to rely on someone remembering all the right steps.

You're absolutely correct. . . I will amend my original post.

The human element is the killer.

 

[Mastermind]

I have a setup alot like this one except it has 20" sheet metal duct work for return and heat, the fan is under the house in the return so it blows into and through the heater. But I only have about 5 or 6 ft of stove pipe on it, and it draws like mad. As was stated before with that much uninsulated pipe it will draw less and less as the air temp falls, just my .02 worth.

 

[Lugnutz]

Been looking at double wall pipe, it can't hurt.

Question on the electrical, how is my plug in set up any different than running an extension cord out to the heater on my truck or all the guys that plug their deisel trucks in? Just curious.

Ok no one has touched this last question..and I'm still curious

Looked into double wall and triple wall pipe..wholly crap!! Best deal I found on the net is 3ft double for 42 bucks which will put me somewhere around 200 bucks if I take it up higher than it is now..yeah I know..I'm #####in about how much its costin me to save money...ironic aint it?

 

[Beefie]

I agree that double wall chimney pipe would help with the draft issue. I like your thinking on the extension cord, being able to un plug it and then plug it in to a generator. I would add a weather proof outlet box were the cord comes out of the stove, that way the electrical connection is off the ground and protected buy the weather. And you still would beable to unplug it and plug the generator in.

Just my 2 cents worth:hmm3grin2orange:

Beefie

 

[rmotoman]

I only have 9 ft of double wall pipe and mine works fine.

 

[12vdzl]

Lugnutz are you talking about just plugging in your furnace blower fan to the generator ? OR are you talking about plugging your generator into the house electric outlet and backfeeding the whole house with the generator??

I refuse to comment on the electric wiring aspect of your posts, because i'm not a pro/certified electrician myself.

Good Luck with everything, hope you get it all figured out.