Do Wood Stoves Need A Fresh Air Intake Installed? - Ask the Expert Episode 286

Today's question is from Austen. "Hey Dan. If your wood burning stove has a fresh air intake, do you have to hook it up?" Well, um, so yes, probably. Wood stoves require fresh air to burn, because that's how fire works. And so, a wood stove is going to get air from somewhere. Certain wood stoves might not have to have a fresh air intake specifically connected to outside the house, since it can get enough air from inside the house. That's probably a smaller wood stove. But the bigger you get, the more air you're going to need, and some say you need the fresh air intake, you can't pull from the air in the house. So if a manufacturer says here is a fresh air intake, we would recommend installing it.
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Alare
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Hi..was thinking of installing a fresh air intake on my stove .however confused about where to install in primary air intake? (Bottom of the stove) or secondary on the top. My stove doesn't have a provison for an outside air intake sonit would be a Diy thing.
Rebekah Muller
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It may depend on what sort of stove you have. If possible, please consult the manual to see the best location to install a fresh air intake, or contact the manufacturer for their recommendations. If there is not a provision for a fresh air intake and you are having to install one yourself, it would be best to check and see that it does not interfere with the unit's warranty.
Steve
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I recently purchased an expensive wood burning fireplace insert designed for an outside air kit and had the kit installed in the hopes of drawing (as advertised) combustion air for the fire from the outside and not from inside HVAC treated air ....for better overall energy efficiency. After feeling cold drafts around the insert when I did not have a fire I asked the installer to return and after investigation we determined that although he connected the outside air kit to the side of the outside box of the insert per the instructions, that is where it ended.....at the outside box of the insert (not the firebox) and so provided a constant uncontrolled open airflow channel between the outside environment air and my heat pump processed HVAC air in my living area. A simple comparison to this set up would be to drill a four inch hole in the side of my house and leave it unobstructed year round, which none of us would ever do knowingly. My recommendation is do a lot of research to make sure you know what you are getting.
Ron Mayeda
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Hello Can my 5" air intake hose exiting my home have a 90 degree turn? Thank you Ron Mayeda
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