Pellet Stove Vent Choices And The Advantages To The Pellet Stove

Venting the pellet stove is obviously a crucial part of the installation process. The location of the vent on the property is also important. To reduce fire risk and for general safety certain criteria have to be met. These will depend mainly on the wall material the vent will exit through. If you need any extra assistance other than manufacture guidelines, your local fire authority should be able to help. There are several different designs of pellet stove vent available on the market. Some of the vent designs can even improve combustion efficiency, this will lead to more heat, less fuel consumption and less smoke and ash.

The three main types of vents available on the market today are a single wall, double wall and direct vent. There are price differences between these different types of vent, with single wall the cheapest, then double wall and direct vent.

How Can The Choice Of Vent Affect Fuel Consumption and Heat Value

Pellet stoves are a more advanced form of solid fuel heating compared to log stoves. Most log stoves used the basic single wall vent, however most pellet stoves today use the double wall or direct vent. A double wall or direct vent can increase combustion efficiency and also reduce issues such as creosote build up. A double wall vent has a layer of insulation between the two walls. The insulation has two benefits, it acts a safety feature and can also reduce fire risk by reducing the outside temperature of the vent. The insulation can also reduce creosote build up by keeping the exhaust gases hot.

A direct vent further increases combustion efficiency by heating up the combustion air. Efficient combustion is based on a fuel with a low moisture content and high combustion temperatures. A direct vent passes the combustion air down the outside of the exhaust gases. This effect means the combustion air is warmer generating higher combustion temperatures.

Not All Pellet Stoves Have Direct Vent And Also Have Other Limitations

As a direct vent impacts directly on the source of combustion air for the pellet stove, a stove which has not been designed with a direct vent cannot easily be retrofitted with one. There are also other features and designs on pellet stoves which effect combustion efficiency and fuel flexibility. A few examples include the design of the burn pot and pellet auger feed system. The designs of these features can impact directly on the ability of the stove to burn different grades and brands of wood pellets effectively. Some pellet stove designs are so intolerable to changes in ash, that complications can arise from changes from one brand of premium wood pellet fuel to the next, or batch to batch.

How The Pellet Stove and Boiler Guide Can Help When Buying a Stove

To help consumers purchase more efficient and fuel flexible pellet stoves, we have developed the pellet stove and boiler guide. We specialise in pellet fuel and combustion solutions, please click the link below to download the guide.

The Pellet Stove and Boiler Guide © PelHeat Ltd - Pellet Stove Vent