Fresh air supply for Koker

Fired up the stove on Sunday. Super impressed with how the installation turned out. I wanted a fresh air intake though because I dont want the heat being sucked out of the basement and you may be surprised at just how much air that little combustion fan draws.

Well, I just installed the intake tonight and the internal temp of the firebox went up about 20 degrees and the air chamber about 10. So I guess the thing was starving for air. I've posted some pics of the installation.

So, all it took was about $30.00 and the following materials.......a dryer vent kit at Lowe's, one 4' length of 4" PVC, one 4" PVC cap, one 4" to 3" aluminum reducer and an expandable length of 3" aluminum dryer vent pipe some silicone and a dab of mortar.

After removing the flap door and attaching the included screen I stuck the 4" dryer vent pipe which is attached to the vent hood through the PVC and allowed the PVC to protrude 1" into the room so the 4" PVC cap fit on to seal the hole for summer. Sealed the hood to the outside wall with good old silicone and mortar on the inside.

Time will tell if this works as well when its below zero outside, but I really think this is the ticket. When I disassemble the parts for cleaning in the spring, I'll probably do something different with the wire connections to the feed motor so there not in the way.

Comments welcome!

To do it better, you need to insulate the flex duct, so the surrounding area does not lose its heat when the outside temperature drops, with the air temperture dropping, it will be like holding a big ice stick inside the house.

Good job! You may also notice fewer drafts around the windows and doors.. it sounds like your fan was pulling a slight vacuum on the house..

A screen over the inlet, if it doesn't have one is a good idea,, mice and squirells are currious..

You may get some condensation on the pipe in really cold weather, and like mentioned above, a wrap of insulation will fix that..

Greg L

Thanks for the replies.

I am planning to wrap the inlet pipe, just havent got to it yet.

Alreday notice the slight sulpher smell in the basement is gone!

Insulated the pipe with fiberglass then wrapped it in foil tape. All is well now.

Great Job! I really like it, nice work.

Is the exhaust vent far enough so fumes won't come back in? Pics?

I have a koker and want to do the same things. Can you show a pic of how you mounted the hose to the koker? Thanks!

Homesaver,
Your pics don't show what happens to the pipe when it gets to the stove. I'm new to this whole coal thing, I fired up my new Koker Sat. nite and when I woke up for an Ambulance call at 12:30 found my basement to be quite warm. So I opened the upper half of my basement door to let some of the heat come up the steps. Is your house that air tight or what I'm not sure I understand.
Jim

Hello TAMNOZ..

If there is air going up the chimney, or out a powervent, then there has to be fresh air replacing it in the house... So, do you want the fresh air to come through all the gaps around windows and doors, or from a single source, that doesn't cool off the heated house?? The fresh air supply provides a dedicated location and route for the fresh air to get from outside to the combustion blower in the Koker..

Providing an outside air source greatly if not completely eliminates drafts around windows and doors, air being pulled through poorly sealed outer walls and elecritcal outlets.. the overall effect is to improve the insulation and sealing of the whole-house envelope..

Providing a pathway for the heated air to circulate through the house is another matter entirely.. there are dozens of threads on this subject on the forum.. use the search function to find plenty of reading on the subject.

Greg L

Sorry guys, I've been very busy (busy season for us chimney sweeps) and havent been reading the posts until now so I'll try to answer some questions.

The last post by Greg L explains why I did the fresh air intake (wery well said sir!) and yes, my house is only 5 yrs old and pretty tight. My brother sells Keystoker and we had discussed a fresh air intake several times. His concern was having cold outside air directly feeding the fire might "cool" the fire. Actually the exact opposite has occoured. Looks like the fire was starving for oxygen. It burns so well now that I only have to pins left (in each of the 3 groups) on the timer and still have the 2" of hot coals on idle. I may get it down to just one.

The fresh air intake is about 5' lower than the exhaust which is around the corner. The prevaling wind blows the exhaust away from the side of the house the intake is on, but it really would not matter much if at all if it were a lot closer. if any exhaust was to find its way to the intake area, it would be sucked into the intake and sent right back through the combustion blower and back out the exhaust. No more fumes in the basement, no more heat loss in the basement. Its 80 degrees down there right now with just the radient heat from the unit.

As for the way the duct is attached....well, it really isnt. I just have it stuck near the intake fan for the combustion motor and theres so much suction it just sticks to the wall with no need for an attachment! This is a perfect example of how much vacume the cumbustion motor creates.

As for heat circulation, I have the plenum connected right to the A/C distribution duct which has 7 registers throught the downstairs. I also have 2 "gates" installed in the ductwork for summer and winter operation. I have an access door on the return duct which when open allows the air to return through the return registers to the basement for perfect circulation without having to have the basement door open.

So far the temp upstairs (2nd flr) is only 2 or 3 degrees below the temp downstairs (1st flr). I have no vents going upstairs. Its just heat rising through the stairway.

If theres anything else anyone would like info on, please email me at mark@homesaverchimneysweeps.com.

Finally, I just fabricated a proper funnel to get the coal into my basement. See below .........

Oh, the funnel comes apart for easy storage with just a few screws.
m

Did you move the placement of the flap that restricks the amount of air flow into the combustion blower or did you leave it alone?

Left it alone. Just checked in on the stove and its still working perfectly.

Stove is still running like a fine swiss watch. Here's some final pics which may help answer some questions........