Power venter or chimney?

 
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Retro_Origin
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Post by Retro_Origin » Mon. May. 23, 2022 8:10 pm

So I grew up in coal country, my parents still live right next to the old rail that leads back to a massive vertical shaft that's been covered for years. Sadly, they haven't been burning coal for these 25+ years :cry: :cry: . Their house is 3000+ sq ft with minimal insulation and an oil burner from the BC era. I've convinced my dad to buy a Harman from a friend for a good price to use next year. (not sure the model but it is a rice stoker with the hopper...psht real detailed! But it's a stove, not a boiler, I think like 60,000 or 80,00 btu roughly)

He's a little worried about spending an arm and a leg on the chimney since the house is 2/3 stories depending on where he puts it. The chimney for the oil boiler is starting to decay (my dad was a concrete finisher / mason / pastor for 30+ years so when he says decay, it means decay...haha) so was thinking about a power venter or ss chimney, any thoughts or suggestions on this? Since he won't be running it in the summer what would be the best option to prevent chimney breakdown? Any knowledge on code concerns using a power venter? Here's one I was looking at but I truly know next to nothing about them

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Field-Controls-SWG-6- ... _gEALw_wcB


 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Mon. May. 23, 2022 10:30 pm

Don’t put pop through the power vent miseries.
Power vent for the oil if you must and possibly a class a chimney for that Harmon Magnum rice stoker.

 
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Retro_Origin
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Post by Retro_Origin » Mon. May. 30, 2022 8:56 am

McGiever wrote:
Mon. May. 23, 2022 10:30 pm
Don’t put pop through the power vent miseries.
Power vent for the oil if you must and possibly a class a chimney for that Harmon Magnum rice stoker.
But insulated chimney pipe for 3 stories is pretty much $$?!

 
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Post by StokerDon » Mon. May. 30, 2022 9:39 am

Retro_Origin wrote:
Mon. May. 23, 2022 8:10 pm
my dad was a concrete finisher / mason / pastor for 30+ years so when he says decay, it means decay...haha) so was thinking about a power venter or ss chimney, any thoughts or suggestions on this?
The easiest thing to do is use the chimney as is. But if it's not usable as is, the second easiest thing is to put in an SS liner.

A power vent or direct vent should only be used as a last resort. They run constantly 24/7 and if the noise doesn't drive you crazy, taking it apart to clean it every few weeks will. :D

-Don

 
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Post by Pacowy » Mon. May. 30, 2022 11:18 am

RO if you use a power vent with coal it should be stainless so it doesn't get eaten. For example, LL uses SWG-4HDs.

McG, I don't see where it says it's a Magnum. My Magnum was awesome, but Harman also made Super Mag, DVC 500, etc., for which results may vary.

Mike

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. May. 30, 2022 12:31 pm

I would learn more about the condition of the oil boiler chimney. Often it is just the last few feet that is in bad shape, which can be cheaply fixed by a mason.

 
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Post by Retro_Origin » Mon. May. 30, 2022 9:00 pm

Rob R. wrote:
Mon. May. 30, 2022 12:31 pm
I would learn more about the condition of the oil boiler chimney. Often it is just the last few feet that is in bad shape, which can be cheaply fixed by a mason.
Unfortunately the location of the chimney is at the opposite end of the house that the stove would work best. Some work could be done with duct work to try to direct the heat possibly. My dad has parged the chimney in the past but I believe the whole thing itself might have issue, it is completely outside the house, nothing is inside. I'll have to probe a little further into but I'm fairly certain the chimney is pretty far gone, it might be internal as well.

I will also find out what exact model the Harman is.


 
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Post by bustedwing » Tue. Sep. 20, 2022 10:00 am

Been using an swg power venter on my leisure line pioneer for 14 years, clean and lube it in the fall before startup and sometimes mid-season depending on coal quality, highly recommend it, works like a charm. as for the oil burner my best guess would be a ss liner, unless of course you think the chimney is so bad it's ready to fall down. about 15 or 20 bucks a month for the electric for the stoker and pwr vent.

 
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Post by k-2 » Tue. Sep. 20, 2022 12:08 pm

Power vents work good on oil and gas but they are not running 24/7

 
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Post by skater24ob » Wed. Nov. 09, 2022 4:06 pm

outside power venter are super quiet direct venter are as food they both have variable control knob for drafts running my unit thru wall for 18 years no problems
get motor with oil drips my toy is alaska channing 2

 
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Post by Mitch » Sun. Jan. 01, 2023 3:40 am

SS line the chimney and pour insulation along the sides then patch the exterior as good as you can. You shouldn't have any issues with performance from the chimney after that. All this provided that the damn thing isn't ready to fall over. Share some pictures so we can all see what you're dealing with.

 
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Post by lincolnmania » Sun. Jan. 01, 2023 9:11 am

I ran a powervent for almost 4 years. Would not do it again. The electric motor is in the path of the heat and the ash. The vent blades get covered in ash then it won't draft properly.
I did get good at cleaning it with the stove lit at an idle.
one night after it rained and got damp the carbon monoxide detector went off, a chunk of ash jammed up the motor.

 
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Post by Mitch » Sun. Jan. 01, 2023 9:43 pm

lincolnmania wrote:
Sun. Jan. 01, 2023 9:11 am
I ran a powervent for almost 4 years. Would not do it again. The electric motor is in the path of the heat and the ash. The vent blades get covered in ash then it won't draft properly.
I did get good at cleaning it with the stove lit at an idle.
one night after it rained and got damp the carbon monoxide detector went off, a chunk of ash jammed up the motor.
That is where the direct vent comes in handy being that the fan and motor are indoors. Only problem is that my system has to be air tight cause of the positive draft instead of negative.

 
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Post by bustedwing » Thu. Nov. 02, 2023 11:38 pm

If you have to clean your powervent blades every few weeks something is not right. I sometimes clean mine mid season and sometimes run it all season without cleaning, depends on quality of the coal and ash content. Ran it all season last winter, just now cleaned it today, amazed at how little ash was laid up in the horizontal run area of the SWG powerventer. Squirrel cage motor was seized, been making noise for 2 seasons finally passed away, 15 years old. Ordered a new motor with squirrel cage from supplyhouse.com , item number46234800 for 262.29with shipping. it is specifically for the SWG 4HD series which came with my LL Pioneer stove. half or less the cost of a new powervent, and yes they are quiet.

 
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Post by Jeff Van Wickle » Wed. Nov. 08, 2023 11:56 am

I use a direct vent on my Keystoker currently and direct vent with the Harman DVC 500 in the past with no issues. I know people with power vents also that really like them.


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