Woodstove Fresh Air Intake

[Gladey]

We're looking at buying a new mobile home in the spring to put out on our property. We heat exclusively with wood now, and would like to continue to do that in the MH. I've seen that for MH-approved wood stoves to meet code, a fresh air intake must be installed. I understand that, you want to burn outside air, not deplete the oxygen inside.

But we're wanting to install the stove in a central location in a 28' wide DW. I'm wondering how we should run the pipe for the intake when the stove won't be against an exterior wall. Should we run it through the floor and belly, then out through the skirting? Help me wrap my mind around this!

[lefties]

some do,,yes,,welcome.

[flcruising]

The model that you choose will come with an owner's manual that covers the installation method to be used. The interior wall installation means you come through the floor with the supply air. This is usually a single wall 4" pipe that connects to the bottom of the stove. The pipe should just punch through the floor and belly, elbow to the direction you want, and terminate outside the skirting like you described. The distance to the termination point may require the installation of a small blower to draft the stove properly. The manufacturer will be able to give you more specific installation instructions.

Remember though, insurance companies may not cover fire in a non-factory stove installation. They also generally require that the stove be installed by a licensed/insured contractor. Therefore this is NOT a do-it-yourself installation.

[Gladey]

Yes, we were planning on having it professionally installed for insurance purposes. It hurts to pay someone to do something we know we could do ourselves, but it would hurt more to have the place burn down and get a dime of insurance money.

[DigitalDreams]

You would think as leaky as some older mobile homes are you wouldn't need outside air its already there at least on my old double wide it is comes in every window and door. Just joking even tho our place is like 1970's vintage double wide we have tightened it up like a glove.But yes you want outside air source approved mobile home stove and heat shielding if it is within x number inches from a wall check your local fire codes because even tho some stoves meet national specs some locals are much stricter and that would be what insurance would base claim on if there was a fire due to wood burning device .

[exiled]

I had a woodstove installed this year and when I was looking at it, everyone told me for my little 58'x12' MH I would have to spend most of the winter with the windows open cause it would be so hot.

Problem is, its not hot at all. I still have to use an electric heater in the back bedroom and one for the time from 2am to 7am to keep things unfrozen.

I think a part of my problem is insulation, but could I have a problem with air intake? the guy who installed it says I should be fine. but there are days when I can't even get it warm after three hours.

Or is this how it usually is with wood stoves? I got a MH approved one and can't keep a fire going for more than 2.5 hours maybe 3 if I'm really lucky. Help?

[Dean2]

Your stove should burn till it runs out of fuel if the air intakes and chimney are open and adjusted correctly,a small stove will,of course,burn out faster without adding wood.

It almost sounds like the chimney damper is wide open and the air intake is nearly closed sending heat outdoors with the smoke,or maybe it has a build-up of ash that interferes with fresh air intake,or both..Cleaned the ash out lately? Did it work well enough when 1st installed?

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000001-d0 ... 00046.html

Even a small old style boxwood stove could heat a small room or 2 sufficient to have You cracking windows open. I'd get it checked out by someone else this time and,if needed,get some more tips on operating it.

[DigitalDreams]

I have a mobile home approved fire place installed in my living room on a 24x48 70's liberty and unless you use a low speed fan in the hallway it will make you sweat in one end of house and freeze in other.

Does the stove you have use biometric dampers because if it does your wood has to be roaring good before you adjust stack damper down or it will
go out.

Also in stoves with biometric dampers.

I have found that small split wood burns better than large logs,as large logs tend to smolder and dampers are not as efficient at controlling burn at lower burn rate.

While this may not be true for all stoves.

I use to have a franklin fireplace and it burned almost anything and was easily set to make a pile of logs last all night and keep magic heat cranking over but newer insert I have now puts heat out at lower temps and runs shorter time because biometric intake dampers are not as efficient as I was in setting dampers.

Also I noticed mobile home approved with sealed combustion chamber models tend to send a lot more heat up stack than non sealed models.

This may not be your case but have you measured heat differential between ceiling and floor if it is substantial may I recommend you do what a friend who heated a old drafty mobile home for years did install a low speed fan and duct opening by ceiling in hot rooms and duct it to cold ones.

That will cause a circulation from front to rear.

[exiled]

Great advice thanks. I don't have a damper on the chimney and I suspect lots of heat is going straight up. I put fist size rocks on the top (these are shoe rocks for warming shoes or helping them dry) I think this keeps a bit more heat in the rocks, but don't know if it makes any real difference.

I took your advice and put a fan up near where the heat would be sitting on the roof and pointed it down the hallway. May what a difference that made. ONce the livingroom gets warm we start blowing the heat down the hall and its real nice in here now.

I think it heats up the place and even after the fire goes out since there was more overal heat in the house, keeps it nicer longer.

thanks again! we're getting toasty now.