20x32 A frame cabin Central KY

[Bob S.]

    It always amazes me how much information you can glean from this forum.
    I would never have thought about a duct running from the back bedroom out to under the stove. So simple it would have to work.
   I think he could modify the heat shield that he has on the stove in some fashion.
   Who knows might even help keep the pipes from freezing.

[EaglesSJ]

first coat of stain on the new siding. Still need to put another coat to make it match the main part of the cabin. Progress is slow I know. I can only do what money allows these days

[archimedes]

looking good   

[Sassy]

Looks wonderful!  Great job 

[ajbremer]

That is very beautiful and very well done.

[OlJarhead]

Very nice!

Do you ever have problems with the draft of that chimney?  I won't lecture on it, but I'm curious about it's performance.

Thanks

[EaglesSJ]

When i had the other stove in here with that short straight pipe it sounded like a jet engine it drew so well. After I installed the new stove and added the two 90s it didnt draw as well. So I added another 3 ft piece of chimney to it and now it draws just as well as before the new stove and the added elbows. I was under the impression that a chimney had to extend past the top of the house for it to draw. However I dont see how this thing could possibly be any better than it is right now. I NEVER have any smoke when i open the door and it always burns good. Even lighting a small piece of paper wadded up it will try to suck it up the chimney.

Perhaps it is because the wind comes from that side of the house most of the time? I wish I knew the reason. Regardless Im thankful that it does.

[EaglesSJ]

I will also add that it doesnt take long at all. Perhaps 30-45 minutes from making a new fire for the smoke to disappear from the top of the chimney and it to burn nice and hot creating full combustion with all the gases.

[OlJarhead]

Good to hear.  I've seen others done similarly and wondered about the draft.  Having it in the windy side is likely a big help!

[EaglesSJ]

Contemplating adding an outside air kit to my wood stove to see if I can get more heat out of it. Whats the consensus on this? Does an OAK give you more heat by sucking less air from the room into the stove or is it a waste of time unless your stove has trouble with draft?

[MountainDon]

I'm not certain on this..., I'm thinking out loud.   Species vary in heat content by virtue of their weight, density. A 6 inch round of oak contains more BTU's than the same size stick of aspen because there is more wood fiber in the log. So, it seems to be that per BTU either wood will consume the same amount of air. Does that sound reasonable, or not? Anyone?

If that is correct then the heat output of the stove is dependent on how much air it can intake and exhaust. A load of oak will last longer than a load of aspen. The longer burn time produces more BTU in total but perhaps there is not all that much difference in the number of BTU's per hour? 

Does your stove burn brighter / better with a nearby  window opened?

We have a fresh air intake. I did notice the stove performed better. The stove also performed better with a window slightly opened. I guess I got the cabin fairly well sealed against air infiltration. Theoretically a fresh air inlet directed right to the stove intake should result in a warmer cabin. I can't say I noticed our cabin being warmer. But our stove works better.

Another point to keep in mind is that ideally, according to the stove manufacturers specs we should have an extra couple feet of chimney, so that could have made a difference too. I wanted to add chimney only as a last resort as I didn't want to deal with the extra pipe length/height come time to clean the chimney.

[Don_P]

Draft is a tricky thing, I think the best they can do is give best practices.
The whole time we've been working the mason and I have been really concerned over whether we would have adequate draft. The mountain rises steeply behind us which can cause a roller and the saddle we're on gets windswept from several directions.

We needed some heat and were still ~10' below the peak. I didn't want to risk flames up the wall, there is cement board up but I put a metal shroud over the top of the flue so flame can't jet up. Inside we needed to give the mason room to work so the pipe rises about 8 feet vertical out of the stove and then runs 8' horizontal. This shouldn't have drawn well at all. We didn't have a thing to worry about. I'm not saying it draws but you just open the door and drop logs in the neighborhood  . The only time it has smoked is when we poured cores and forgot to remove the board covering the flue  . When wind hits that side it sure seems like we would get a backdraft, go figure.

[EaglesSJ]

I'm not certain on this..., I'm thinking out loud.   Species vary in heat content by virtue of their weight, density. A 6 inch round of oak contains more BTU's than the same size stick of aspen because there is more wood fiber in the log. So, it seems to be that per BTU either wood will consume the same amount of air. Does that sound reasonable, or not? Anyone?

If that is correct then the heat output of the stove is dependent on how much air it can intake and exhaust. A load of oak will last longer than a load of aspen. The longer burn time produces more BTU in total but perhaps there is not all that much difference in the number of BTU's per hour? 

Does your stove burn brighter / better with a nearby  window opened?

We have a fresh air intake. I did notice the stove performed better. The stove also performed better with a window slightly opened. I guess I got the cabin fairly well sealed against air infiltration. Theoretically a fresh air inlet directed right to the stove intake should result in a warmer cabin. I can't say I noticed our cabin being warmer. But our stove works better.

Another point to keep in mind is that ideally, according to the stove manufacturers specs we should have an extra couple feet of chimney, so that could have made a difference too. I wanted to add chimney only as a last resort as I didn't want to deal with the extra pipe length/height come time to clean the chimney.

I agree with the theory on air consumption. Cracking a window does  nothing for the fire. However with the air intake opened all the way I can start to feel cool air being pulled through seam where the knee wall meets the pine. It also comes in from under the kitchen stove as there is no knee wall behind this area. (didnt want to waste lumber covering an area that would be covered with cabinets and the stove.

[MountainDon]

I would install a fresh air delivery system with that...

[EaglesSJ]

We are closing off the vaulted ceiling and turning it into a guest bedroom. Got most of the floor done tonight. Were going to add a dormer out from the roof as well.

[PorkChopsMmm]

Good to hear. Looked like a lot of usable space up there. How is your solar doing? We moved to within a few miles of our cabin... move in is in May. Until then I have a lot of work to do!

[umtallguy]

whats your cabin cost up to now?
excluding the solar setup

[EaglesSJ]

about 34-36k.

[tommytebco]

REGARDS OUTSIDE AIR.



Purpose of outside air supply is to avoid using warm air to feed the fire. The draft you refer to is sucking  the air you want to be warm and replacing it with outside air from cracks, vents or open windows. The air feed brings the cold air direct to the fire, leaving the warm inside air to get even warmer.

A good idea in my opinion.

[EaglesSJ]

any idea where i can get some 2" flexible tube to make the "outside air kit" out of? lowes, walmart, local lumber place are all a no go

[rick91351]

2.5 inch is a can do at Rockler or Woodcraft.

[MountainDon]

Why so small?  My memory partly fails me on the exact size, but I believe the VC Aspen fresh air kit we bought used standard 4 inch flexible aluminum dryer vent pipe. The kit did not include the flex vent, only the adapter and mounting screw. The pipe I bought at either Big Orange or Big Blue, right off the shelf. Think that was 4 inch. On the outside I mated that to a standard aluminum dryer vent hood with the flap removed. There are special in-swing vents but I never bothered with ine. I did install a double layer of 1/4 hardware cloth with an insect screen between them.

Yes definitly a 4 inch pipe... I remember buying a new 4 1/4" hole saw.

[Redoverfarm]

My Hearthstone had a 3" to the stove.  I used rigid 3" metal (24") and an adapter to 4" PVC through the wall.  The biggest concern is insects and mice so you had better do as Don suggest.  Not that they will get anywhere except into the stove but it could restrict your airflow.

[MountainDon]

Ok. Curiosity got the better of me. I looked back in my topic. I did use a 4 inch dryer vent hood. I also used an adapter from 4 inch down to 4 inch so I could connect 3 inch aluminum flex to the stove adapter.  I don't remember where I found the adapter but I've had the local vehicle exhaust shop make adapters in the past... but this one is store bought.

[rick91351]

Ok. Curiosity got the better of me. I looked back in my topic. I did use a 4 inch dryer vent hood. I also used an adapter from 4 inch down to 4 inch so I could connect 3 inch aluminum flex to the stove adapter.  I don't remember where I found the adapter but I've had the local vehicle exhaust shop make adapters in the past... but this one is store bought.

MD outside in the dryer vent, is that where you mounted the small fan to help pull the air?

The woodworker supply outfits use the 2.5 inch on a vent fixture mostly between the router tool fence and the main dust collector in a router cabinet.  This pulls the waste and dust way from the tool.  It does restrict a lot of the pull there.  I would not think it would work very well on a stove but  guess you don't know until you try.