I don't want to install a fresh air intake, but do I need one?

I’m guessing the total run will be less than 5 feet. But it’s going to have to have some bends in it.

 

They make it in plastic (vinyl?) too...definately stick with the aluminum stuff.
If your run is only 5' or so you'll be fine as long as it doesn't look like a corkscrew.

 

Okay. Thanks.

 

Be sure that the last piece between the hearth surface and the stove is replaceable flex. That exposed piece can easily be damaged by dogs, kids, porcupines, whatever, and you want to be able to replace it easily.

I’ve never had any condensation issues so mine is just bare metal.

 

You guys also don't have much of a winter compared to much of the rest of the northern states...

 

Okay, I know maybe I’m a PITA, and I’m not saying that I’m not going to end up installing an OAK, but tonight I was looking at Woodstock’s website and I stumbled upon an article under “Troubleshooting” called “Cures for Backpuffing”. In one section of this article it talked about problem solving for tight houses/negative pressure. It says that the way to evaluate it is to crack a window and see if the stove burns better with the window cracked versus without, but that’s not a viable solution. It says the two best solutions are 1) an OAK and 2) if your building new construction, an HRV.
Anyway, Woodstock is coming to my house on Wednesday to pick up my stove for repair and if I have a chance, I’ll ask them what they think.

 

You're not being a pain. This is the purpose of the site.

 

Have you lived here? We get single digits and wind, seems pretty chilly. More important for me is that I’m pulling crawl space air that is usually warmer than the winter air.

 

No worries.
The window test is a quick and easy way to actually "see" the difference a OAK will make.
An HRV system functions all year and has a purpose that IMHO gets compromised if you set it up to provide enough air to go up your chimney when the wood stove is operating. Over half the year you are bringing in more air than you need to and wasting electric.

 

Yes, I have lived in Bellingham, WA for a short time, and no, I don't have any porcupines for pets (and I don't have any gaps in my house that would allow them to come in. If I did, we wouldn't be having this conversation).
Like I said before, I am not saying that I am not going to put in an OAK. What I am saying is that I'd like to think about it more and the pros and cons of each situation. And I'd like to talk to the guys from Woodstock and see what they say.
The pros for having an OAK, the way I'm seeing it, is that you're not wasting warm air of the house to feed the stove and that the house maybe won't get as dry during the winter months. The cons is that I'll need to put a hole in my beautiful hearth and that there will be a big, ugly dryer duct coming up through to the back of my stove (which I'm exaggerating some, it'll be somewhat hidden, but I'll know it's there).
The pros for using the existing HRV is that I don't really need to do anything other than maybe have an HVAC person come and check the balancing of the HRV and see if it's working in concert with the stove. The cons are that I'll be pulling warm air out of the house.
My father-in-law build this house (and me, although I'm not a construction guy, just did the work). He didn't really give me too much info about the HRV, so I'm really just learning more about it now. Therefore, I have run this stove while the HRV is running and without the HRV running, and i don't know that there's really a difference. I have cracked a window for a short time, or have opened up the French door for a few seconds, and I didn't notice the fire becoming more lively, but maybe I haven't been patient enough when cracking a window or door. Maybe I need to go through a whole burn cycle with the window cracked.
What I want to prevent most, is the sticky type of creosote that I've been getting. I think this has been due to the chimney really. I have addressed the chimney. It has been lined with a preinsulated 6 inch liner, the crown has been repaired (I suspect it may have been leaking but I don't know for sure), and I have a new insulated clean out door. I also hope to get around to waterproofing the chimney. I think that addressing the chimney will correct all of those problems. But I just want to think about whether the stove is getting enough air. If I do put in an OAK, I will want to do it before i bring in all of my wood because it'll be in the way of installing it, so I probably won't be doing the window crack test before I decide.

 

Painting it with some stove black might help it blend in.

If the stove is burning right, and you have truly dry wood, its hard to make creosote...is your wood truly dry, like 3 years CSS dry?

 

My wood is between 12-15% moisture content. I believe that is what I'm saying, is that the stove is not burning right, which i suspect is mostly due to chimney problems i've had, particularly at start up from a cold chimney, hence the preinsulated liner. But, i'm also considering whether the stove is getting enough air.

 

So, I live pretty close to winchentucky. Getting firewood to less than 15% isn’t easy for me. Maybe try a second meter?

 

Getting firewood under 15% in most places in the US is not easy...might get there for a month or two in the driest part of the year, maybe.
Is this moisture reading taken in the middle of the split, on a freshly exposed face, immediately after splitting?

 

My moisture meter says it's within 3%, which is good enough for me if it's reading 12-15%. I'm pretty sure I've tested the moisture meter on a bundle of kiln dried wood that I've bought at the convenience store to compare and it was comparable. I'll try to do that again, and then use it to measure wood I've just split to see the difference. But, I'm pretty sure the moisture meter is working.

 

Yes. It was taken on a freshly split face.

 

I guess what I’m saying is, whether or not the moisture meter is completely accurate, if the measurement I get on my seasoned wood is comparable to what I get on kiln dried, and the measurement I get on something just cut and split is much higher, wouldn’t the conclusion be that my wood is dry to burn?

 

What species of wood are we talking about? How long has it been processed / stacked? Under cover?

 

Maple and birch. Sometimes beech. I season it for at least 12 months, maybe 18. Stacked and covered. I bring it into the basement in the fall. I know people on here may tell me I need to season it for 2 years or 3 years, but Woodstock’s guidelines are at least 12 months, and I can’t get that far ahead. At least I haven’t been able to yet. I have to cut wood for another house too. Like i said, if my reading is comparable to kiln dried, isn’t it logical to assume it’s dry enough?

 

Well no, kiln dried is just that. I really don’t see getting wood to -15% in less than 12 months as a possibility in our area. Not trying to be a jerk here but I think the wood is the issue.