# Venting a Wood Stove...



## vickers (Jan 16, 2013)

Is there a safe way to vent a wood stove in an all-electric home with no chimney? Ive seen pictures where a piece of plywood with a hole cut in it in a window to vent. is this safe?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_510121-850-...ang&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=vogelzang&facetInfo=

I appreciate the insight. Thanks.


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## vickers (Jan 16, 2013)

UncleJoe said:


> I have a box stove similar to the one pictured at your link. You don't need a brick and mortar chimney but you will need something. You could use the plywood through the window method and use double insulated stainless steel pipe for a chimney. Lowe's has a "through-the-wall" kit that will keep the wall from getting too hot.
> 
> I have single wall black pipe from the stove to the kit then SS through the wall and up the side of the house. In the last pic you can see where the pipe comes out of the house. You can also see that the stickers are still on the pipe which means the outside of the chimney never gets hot enough to discolor it. I could have gone through a window as you're considering but opted to cut a hole in the wall instead.
> 
> ...


Very helpful. Thank you. did you install yourself?


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Here is the 'through the wall' kit.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_208969-8517...&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=chimney+pipe&facetInfo=

here is the pipe.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_37620-85178...&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=chimney+pipe&facetInfo=


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## piglett (Dec 10, 2010)

i myself like some sort of chimney that goes up through the roof
it can be a double wall SS pipe as long as it goes through the roof
why you ask?
because i have had much better luck over a chimney that sits outside
an outside chimney gets colder faster
so you will have much more buildup
& it may not draw as well
so you may not get max. heat out of your stove
or you might get lots of down drafts


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

I have a question for you guys.. If I put a wood stove on my first floor in my dining room, put a through the ceiling triple wall fitting in. Can I switch it back to single wall pipe and install one of these in the pipe on the 2nd floor. Then go out through my roof with triple wall for the rest of the way?
Just wondering if this fan would be too far away from the woodstove and would cause buildup in the pipe.
Really bad idea or would it work to add a little extra heat in the 2nd floor?


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Yes, you could make that work but a stack robber is not the best idea. They cool the exhaust gasses and cause increased creosote production. This would increase your possibility of a chimney fire.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

jeff47041 if you just switched to single wall pipe for a distance you would receive alot of heat off it. That 
'magic heat' or whatever has to be removed each time you want to clean your chimney. also any chimney residue that breaks off inside your chimney will fall and be trapped by that devise, possibly causing a complete or partial blockage.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

If you burn your wood in it's actual burn range 200°F-600°F box temp with excess air instead of smoldering it the btu release is much more efficient and the stack stays a lot cleaner. needing to clean the chimney means you need to burn the fire hotter.
Stack temp at the exit point should remain above 200°F to stop condensation


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

hiwall said:


> j...any chimney residue that breaks off inside your chimney will fall and be trapped by that devise, possibly causing a complete or partial blockage.


It does have a little "slider-knob-tube-cleaner-thing" to address that issue


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

These are still by far my favorite if you have room for one. The top barrel work well with horizontal tubes welded in and a fan blowing through:










Kind of like this, but larger tubing


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## piglett (Dec 10, 2010)

jeff47041 said:


> I have a question for you guys.. If I put a wood stove on my first floor in my dining room, put a through the ceiling triple wall fitting in. Can I switch it back to single wall pipe and install one of these in the pipe on the 2nd floor. Then go out through my roof with triple wall for the rest of the way?
> Just wondering if this fan would be too far away from the woodstove and would cause buildup in the pipe.
> Really bad idea or would it work to add a little extra heat in the 2nd floor?


really no need for one of those because heat goes up
so it will tend to be warmer upstairs than downstairs


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

vickersja said:


> Is there a safe way to vent a wood stove in an all-electric home with no chimney? Ive seen pictures where a piece of plywood with a hole cut in it in a window to vent. Is this safe?


I would do it in an emergency only. 
You can BE safe, but it'll always be ugly.

The pictures you saw MOST likely had a piece of sheet metal the pipe went through to prevent contact of the hot pipe with the plywood.


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## piglett (Dec 10, 2010)

UncleJoe said:


> While this can be true of the brick, clay liner chimney, it's much less of a factor with the newer insulated, double wall models. We have both; the one pictured above and a brick/clay type for the fireplace. Starting a fire in the cold stove with SS is much easier than starting one in the cold fireplace insert. A single piece of paper is enough to get a draft going on the stove where the fireplace can take longer and produce a little back drafting into the room.


you are correct Uncle it is less of a factor but it "can" still cause problems
a friend of mine went with a SS setup on the outside of his house
worked great till it got down into the teens outside
then the dam house filled with smoke to the point that all the doors & windows has to be opened, not a good thing when it's below zero outside 
it just wouldn't draw no matter what he did


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

piglett said:


> not a good thing when it's below zero outside
> it just wouldn't draw no matter what he did


A powerful hair dryer set to "high" and pointed up the flue will get it to draw. I had to do that once.


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## piglett (Dec 10, 2010)

LincTex said:


> I would do it in an emergency only.
> You can BE safe, but it'll always be ugly.
> 
> The pictures you saw MOST likely had a piece of sheet metal the pipe went through to prevent contact of the hot pipe with the plywood.


back when my grandfarther was a boy the 1 roomed school house would put the stove in the middle of the room & run a long stove pipe out the side of the building. 
it gave off extra heat but had a downside
when the boys got to fighting like boys tend to do they might knock the pipe down. the teacher who was a large man would get upset & grab a switch.
then when the boys in question got home they had to face their farthers who would again punish them for causing trouble & knocking the pipe down 
my grandfarther figured out quickly to NOT knock the pipe down but not everyone was as bright


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## piglett (Dec 10, 2010)

LincTex said:


> A powerful hair dryer set to "high" and pointed up the flue will get it to draw. I had to do that once.


it think it also depends on weather you want a woodstove for just SHTF backup or if you have a large supply of firewood & want to heat your home every winter with that setup

i grew up in a house with an outside cement block chimney:soapboxrant:
lots of buildup & plenty of chimney fires over the years
but anything beats freezing to death


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

vickersja said:


> Is there a safe way to vent a wood stove in an all-electric home with no chimney? Ive seen pictures where a piece of plywood with a hole cut in it in a window to vent. is this safe?





piglett said:


> it think it also depends on weather you want a woodstove for just SHTF backup or if you have a large supply of firewood & want to heat your home every winter with that setup


Vickersja - Can you tell us your intent or usage for this stove (what piglett was saying)?

If you're going to use it regularly, I'd take a different approach compared to what I'd do for emergency heat.

If it's for emergency heat, have you considered something like vented or ventless propane instead? (I think a vented propane is much safer than a wood stove pipe going out a window).


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

piglett said:


> you are correct Uncle it is less of a factor but it "can" still cause problems
> a friend of mine went with a SS setup on the outside of his house
> worked great till it got down into the teens outside
> then the dam house filled with smoke to the point that all the doors & windows has to be opened, not a good thing when it's below zero outside
> it just wouldn't draw no matter what he did


This may not be the problem but in extreme cold the chimney cap can ice up to the extent that it affects the drafting of the flue. Much of the exhaust gasses are water vapor and this water ices up the chimney cap where even a little wind will cause a down draft.

If the chimney was not tall enough and the wind was from the exact wrong direction that will also cause a downdraft in the flue.


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## piglett (Dec 10, 2010)

Caribou said:


> This may not be the problem but in extreme cold the chimney cap can ice up to the extent that it affects the drafting of the flue. Much of the exhaust gasses are water vapor and this water ices up the chimney cap where even a little wind will cause a down draft.
> 
> If the chimney was not tall enough and the wind was from the exact wrong direction that will also cause a downdraft in the flue.


i hate a chimney cap
they tend to cause more problems than they solve


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## vickers (Jan 16, 2013)

ZoomZoom said:


> Vickersja - Can you tell us your intent or usage for this stove (what piglett was saying)?
> 
> If you're going to use it regularly, I'd take a different approach compared to what I'd do for emergency heat.
> 
> If it's for emergency heat, have you considered something like vented or ventless propane instead? (I think a vented propane is much safer than a wood stove pipe going out a window).


Hey ZoomZoom. Yes, for emergency heat only. Looking at different options. Have an electric only house with no gas.

Yes, I have considered propane, more like a Mr. Buddy heater or something like that to keep a room warm. But I had not considered a vented propane heater. Was really concerned with long term sustainability. In my neighborhood, Im not able to bury a propane tank, and my thought was that in a long term situation without power, I can always find a tree to cut down.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

UncleJoe said:


> I figure I'm going to find that out tonight. We're forecast to drop down to about -5F. This is only our third year with SS and it's never been this cold. We'll see what happens.


Keep the fire going so the stack never gets cold. As long as the stack interior stays warm you won't have draw issues.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

vickersja said:


> Was really concerned with long term sustainability. In my neighborhood, Im not able to bury a propane tank, and my thought was that in a long term situation without power, I can always find a tree to cut down.


If you are doing any tree cutting, it will most likely be green and not make good firewood at all. The cutting process will attract a lot of attention to you.

Get the Mr. Buddy and a 100lb (preferred; or 5ea - 20lb) propane tank, with a long hose and adapter. That will keep you warm *weeks* longer than any of your neighbors.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

vickersja said:


> Hey ZoomZoom. Yes, for emergency heat only. Looking at different options. Have an electric only house with no gas.
> 
> Yes, I have considered propane, more like a Mr. Buddy heater or something like that to keep a room warm. But I had not considered a vented propane heater. Was really concerned with long term sustainability. In my neighborhood, Im not able to bury a propane tank, and my thought was that in a long term situation without power, I can always find a tree to cut down.





LincTex said:


> Get the Mr. Buddy and a 100lb (preferred; or 5ea - 20lb) propane tank, with a long hose and adapter. That will keep you warm *weeks* longer than any of your neighbors.


I'd go with what LinkTex is suggesting. An indoor ventless propane heater.

If you're going to go with the Mr. Buddy, I suggest you don't get one with the blower (that requires A/C or batteries to operate).

I also have a couple of these wall-mount units._ Be advised that heaters like these require a little more gas plumbing than the Mr Buddy or other free-standing units._
http://www.gwheaters.com/heaters/gwp10t.html
From the specs, running off a 100# tank:
431+ hrs. on low setting 216+ hrs. on high setting
If you ran it on low for 24 hours per day, that's 18 days off a single 100# tank.

If you have a choice, use the 100# tanks instead of the 20#. There's more gallons of propane in a 100# than there is in (5) 20# tanks and the cost to fill is about the same as (4) 20# tanks.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

ZoomZoom said:


> If you have a choice, use the 100# tanks instead of the 20#. There's more gallons of propane in a 100# than there is in (5) 20# tanks and the cost to fill is about the same as (4) 20# tanks.


Maybe even a little cheaper; here it's about $5 cheaper to fill the 100 than it is to fill 4 - 20's. Definitely a "5 for the price of 4" deal 

Some folks prefer 20's because they are smaller, lighter and more common - despite the higher price per pound of gas. I used to refill my 20's from an inverted 100 before I got my big bulk tank.


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## piglett (Dec 10, 2010)

LincTex said:


> If you are doing any tree cutting, it will most likely be green and not make good firewood at all. The cutting process will attract a lot of attention to you.
> 
> Get the Mr. Buddy and a 100lb (preferred; or 5ea - 20lb) propane tank, with a long hose and adapter. That will keep you warm *weeks* longer than any of your neighbors.


i have one of those "Mr. heaters"
it's the smaller 14,000 btu unit
on the instructions it said to never put it on a 100lb tank
i think the flow rate it too high or something like that
it however works great on a 20lb or even my 40lb tank
i think said it will run for 40 hours on low "8k btu" setting

we ended up using it a couple nights in the livingroom last winter when it was super cold & windy
all we had was some 1/2 seasoned firewood to burn 
the old house it a little drafty so i ended up leaving it run all night
i would not have done that in a modern "tight" house without cracking a window a little. waking up dead isn't something i was looking to do.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

piglett said:


> waking up dead


That doesn't happen very often.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

piglett said:


> on the instructions it said to never put it on a 100lb tank
> i think the flow rate it too high or something like that
> it however works great on a 20lb or even my 40lb tank
> i think said it will run for 40 hours on low "8k btu" setting


I wonder why.... propane is 160 psi whether it is in a 1lb throw-away bottle or a 500 gallon bulk tank, the standard pressure never changes.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Some "safety" person decided that 100# tanks are too efficient. Propane pressure is related to temperature and boil off rate , but as LincTex stated the pressure in a 80% tank at the same temperature is the same, when you start to draw vapour off a smaller tank may lose pressure because it can't boil enough vapor off. there are vast quantity's of catalytic propane heaters running off of 100# bottles :brickwall:


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