Harman Accentra 52i fireplace insert

Dex, I may need you to stop over for a few beers (code for: evaluate my stove)

 

I thought that one of the reasons for having an OAK is so you wouldn't be sucking all the warm air out of the house for the stove and drawing cold air in thru the cracks.

 

I don't think he is talking about the air used for combustion. He is talking about the air that is sucked in, heated and blown back out. Usually that is room air that is simply being recirculated . The oak is to suck outside air in for combustion instead of using room air and creating negative pressure which sucks in cold air from every crack in the house except your own! The insinuation is that the stove insert will be getting cold chimney air instead of all room air for recirculating like a free standing unit does. Hope this helps.

 

Got it.

 

I was gonna ask you about an OAK also Mad Dog. My ash trap comes out the front of the chimney (cast iron door), can that be modified to work??

 

all great input above! I'll sum it up......UL listed appliance= follow installation directions

Here is the install manual:

http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/ACC52i_I.pdf

cant see ANY installations without a ZC box where a blockoff isn't specifically listed (section 4, starting page 9). The OP may very well have one, so, all might be good. As for different models of stoves, well, the UL listing only applies to the specific model in question. Your stove may differ.

 

This is interesting to me, because I have a P68 that sits on a hearth in front of a fireplace. The pellet flue runs all the way to the top inside the old fireplace flue, similar to the OP. If you look at the P68 install manual, there are various documented configurations.

http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installManuals/P68.pdf

In figure 11 on page 11, a blockoff plate is required (flue does not go all the way to the top). My config is figure 12 on page 12; no blockoff plate mentioned there. I have to wonder if that was an oversight or what was the logic to exclude it, since they require it with the same kind of install for the 52i?? I have a blockoff plate at the top, where the pellet flue exits the fireplace flue, but there has never been one at the bottom where it enters the old fireplace flue. I have checked at random times over the years, when the stove was not running, and I have never noticed a temp difference in that area, so I don't feel like there is cold air sneaking down the flue area.

 

Is your chimney inside or on the outside of your home. Situations very. By the way, how do you like your p68? Do you use other heat with it?

 

The chimney is in the center of the house, not on an outside wall. The P68 is one of the best purchases we ever made. Our primary heat was the oil furnace, and that's why I originally bought the P68 in the first place - saving money on oil heating bills. We also have a Vermont Castings wood stove. We still burn the wood stove every year, but I am finding that we use it less and less in favor of the pellet stove, simply due to convenience reasons. We have an unlimited supply of free firewood, but the wood stove requires maintenance every few hours and can't last a whole night, whereas the pellet stove will run for days with little to no maintenance. These days, we primarily burn the wood stove when it's 15 degrees or colder outside, so both the wood stove and pellet stove can work together to keep the house warm.

 

That

is just sweet! Also why you chimney isn't cold. Had it beenon a exterior wall, the chase would be cold.

 

There is a blockoff plate at the top.

Great, thanks for explaining the difference between the two setups.

 

Guys, sorry to dig up this old thread. I was planning to install my OAK earlier in the fall and never got around to it. Well, I'm back to it - hoping to get it installed this weekend. I ordered an exhaust adapter to reduce from 2.75" Harman flange to 2.5", and also ordered a 2.5" 6 foot flex pipe. The high level plan is to attach and run the flex pipe up into the same 8" SS fireplace liner where my 4" exhaust flue already runs. I will simply move the 4" flue gently to the side, making enough room to run the 2.5" OAK right along side it, just a couple of feet up. I will also attach some aluminum screen to the end of the OAK flex pipe with a hose clamp, to keep out any debris that might somehow make it into the 8" liner. I know, it should never ever happen, but better safe than sorry.

I need to insulate the entrance to the 8" SS liner, all around the flue and OAK pipes so fresh air can only come from the outside and not from in the house, and also so no cold air will come directly into the house. Here's where I'm stuck: I can't find roxul / mineral wool / high temp insulation to save my life. Yes, they have it at Lowes and Home Depot, but only in car sized quantities. I only need a little bit, and can't stomach the thought of paying $45 for a massive bail when I only need 5% of it. I have called every hardware store and stove shop in the area and either they don't sell it, tell me they will get back to me when the stove repair guy gets back with the van (which they never do), or want to charge the same price as Lowes or HD, only for a single serving size! This is just insanity, of all the things to get caught up on? I have thought about using plain old pink fiberglass insulation because it's real easy to come by small quantities. It's one of those topics that triggers strong sentiments though. One person will tell you it's absolutely fine, another will tell you it will light on fire and your house will burn down the first time you light the stove. I just can't win here. Can I get some advice on this? Does anyone know where I can buy a small quantity of mineral wool for a reasonable price?

Last but not least (promise). The idea of running the OAK pipe up the 8" SS liner infers that I will have free air flow coming down from the top. I have read in several places "just drill a couple holes up at the top to let the fresh air in". OK, I get the concept but I'm not exactly comfortable doing it. The 8" SS liner extends up about 2 feet past the roof line, so I have plenty of face area to drill holes. The Harman manual says the OAK air intake should be at least 12 inches from the exhaust flue. Fine, I will drill the hole(s) at least 12" down from where the 4" exhaust flue exits the 8" liner. Questions: The air-intake hole in the stove itself (behind the flapper) is only about an inch diameter. How many holes should I drill at the top? 1, 2, 4? What size? 1 inch? Half inch? Do I need to cover the hole(s) with screen to stop the wasps and hornets making their way in as soon as warm weather returns? Assuming I do, is there a "clean" way to put screen over the holes I just drilled in the SS liner? Do I just cut a makeshift piece of aluminum screen from a roll and apply it over the holes using high temp silicon or self tapping screws? Seems shoddy and I don't know how long it would last anyway. I also read that drilling holes may not even be necessary because there could already be sufficient air flow without them. I suppose this suggests the possible presence of air leaks in the flue that shouldn't be there, and I really don't think that applies to me, nor do I want to potentially starve the stove of fresh air by assuming there is already sufficient fresh air flow when there really isn't.

Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill or what?

 

mineral wool- 2'x4' sheet...like 10 bucks or so....

and yea, make sure you screen all the holes, as the ole wasps will get in......also......what type of insulation is in the pipe? will it collapse into your air holes, blocking them? I would imagine you would want plenty of holes....more is better here.....

not making any mountains, ya just want to do it right. Don't use outside air, go to all the trouble and expense, only in actuality restricting your airflow