How do I properly vent my pellet stove?

You probably will have a few options for venting a pellet stove. Most pellet stoves require type “L” vent pipe. Many will have a 4” vent pipe requirement. L-vent uses a small air space between a stainless steel inner pipe and a galvanized outer pipe. Since the exhaust on pellet equipment is pressurized, all joints between pipe components must be siliconed or have a tight, gasketed/sealed connection.

Pellet stoves can be vented vertically through the roof or horizontally through a side wall. It’s always a good idea to get some vertical rise with the L-vent pipe, before venting horizontally through a side wall. If power is interrupted while the stove is operating, there will be a natural draft established with a bit of rise in the vent profile. This will help to remove the smoke from the stove if there’s a power failure or little hands accidentally unplug the stove from the wall outlet. This vertical rise can be achieved inside before the vent pipe is exited through the sidewall, or outside if you prefer an installation with no pipe showing inside. Inside or out, usually 3 or 4 feet of rise is sufficient.

If you plan to replace a wood burning stove with a pellet model, another venting option is to use the existing chimney for the wood stove. Rigid L-vent pipe can be installed from the pellet stove to the chimney. Special adapters at the chimney will allow a 4” flexible, stainless steel pipe to be installed up the chimney. Your dealer can help you evaluate your best venting option.

Never use PVC pipe, gas vent pipe, dryer vent pipe or single wall black stove pipe to vent your pellet stove.

Below is a list of fireplace and grill stores that service Ontario (ON)

Ajax, ON Topfire Fireplace and Barbecue Inc. 487 Westney Rd. S Ajax, ON L1S 6W8		Visit Store Page
Aurora, ON Topfire Fireplace and Barbecue Inc. 15483 Yonge St., Unit 1C Aurora, ON L4G 1P3		Visit Store Page
Belleville, ON Friendly Fires 69, Dundas East Belleville, ON K8N 1B9		Visit Store Page
Burlington, ON Barbecues Galore 3100 Harvester Road Burlington, ON L7N 3W8		Visit Store Page
Cambridge, ON Bast Home Comfort Inc. 471 Hespeler Rd. Cambridge, ON N1R 6J2		Visit Store Page
Carleton Place, ON Friendly Fires 11384 Highway 7 Carleton Place, ON K7C 3P1		Visit Store Page
Cobourg, ON Friendly Fires 70 King Street East Cobourg, ON K9A 1K9		Visit Store Page
Collingwood, ON Chantico Fireplace Gallery Inc 209784 Hwy 26 Blue Mountains, ON L9Y 0L8		Visit Store Page
Concord, ON The Fireplace Specialist 19-391 Edgeley Blvd. Concord, ON L4K 4A7
Etobicoke, ON Barbecues Galore 1470 The Queensway Etobicoke, ON M8Z 1T5		Visit Store Page
Goderich, ON Huron Fireplaces 308 Huron Rd Goderich, ON N7A 3A2
Hamilton, ON Chadwicks & Hacks 682 Fennell Avenue East Hamilton, ON L8V 1V4		Visit Store Page
Huntsville, ON The Fireplace King inc. 14 Howland Drive, Unit 1 Huntsville, ON P1H1M3
Kincardine, ON Chantico Fireplace Gallery Inc 6 Ashfield-Huron Kincardine, ON N2Z 2X3		Visit Store Page
Kingston, ON Friendly Fires 271 Dalton Ave. Kingston, ON K7K 6Z1		Visit Store Page
London, ON Porky's BBQ & Leisure 1075 Sarnia Road London, ON N6H 5J9		Visit Store Page
Markham, ON Kastle Fireplace LTD 8294 York Durham Line Markham, ON L0H 1J0		Visit Store Page
Meaford, ON Chantico Fireplace Gallery Inc 158185 7th Line Meaford, ON N4L 1W5		Visit Store Page
Mississauga, ON Ontario Hearth Fireplaces 3425 Laird Road Unit #2 Mississauga, ON L5L 5R8		Visit Store Page
Niagara Falls, ON The One Stop Fireplace Shop LTD 4332 Drummond Road Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6C3		Visit Store Page
North York, ON The Fireplace Company 2854 Dufferin St. North York, ON M6B 3S3
Oakville, ON Barbecues Galore 490 Speers Road Oakville, ON L6K 2G3		Visit Store Page
Orangeville, ON Its in the Shed 7 Little York Street Orangeville, ON L9W 1L8
Ottawa, ON Capital BBQ 12 Grenfell Crescent Ottawa, ON K2G 0G2		Visit Store Page
Pembroke, ON Performance Woodburning & Gas 204 Boundary Road East Pembroke, ON K8A 6W4
Penetanguishene, ON Home & Cottage Centre 4 Centennial Drive Penetanguishene, ON L9M 1G8		Visit Store Page
Peterborough, ON Friendly Fires 971 Highway 7 Peterborough, ON K9J 6X7		Visit Store Page
Sarnia, ON A Village Fireplace Shop Ltd. 623 Broadway St Wyoming, ON N0N1T0		Visit Store Page
Stratford, ON Tri-County Brick 320 Home st. Stratford, ON N5A 7C9		Visit Store Page
Sudbury, ON Nordic Energy Systems LTD 2324 Long Lake Road Sudbury, ON P3E 5H4		Visit Store Page
Thunder Bay, ON Bob's Woodburners & Fireplaces 803 Memorial Avenue Thunder Bay, ON P7E 3Z7		Visit Store Page
Toronto, ON Marsh's Stoves & Fireplaces 3322 Dundas Street W Toronto, ON M6P 2A4		Visit Store Page
Waterloo, ON Bast Home Comfort Inc. 12-620 Davenport Road Waterloo, ON N2V 2C2		Visit Store Page
Windsor, ON Scott's Fireplace Select, Inc. 2 North Talbot Road Maidstone, ON N0R 1K0		Visit Store Page

For more information, contact your local fireplace and grill store.

Frequently Asked Questions, Pellet

February 8, 2020

Joseph Bodden

14 comments

Written by Joseph Bodden

Joseph G. Bodden is a Wisconsin native and is semi-retired after 40+ years in marketing, sales and technical customer service work. Over 28 of those years have been in the fireplace industry, many as the Hearth Division Manager in an organization that operates two retail shops. During that time, Bodden was certified by the National Fireplace Institute in wood & gas technologies. He was also selected several times by Hearth & Home magazine as a judge for the annual VESTA awards that recognize manufacturers creativity and innovation in product design and technology. One thing that Joe particularly finds fulfilling is explaining fairly complex subjects to fireplace customers and steering them to specific products that will satisfy their objectives. There’s nothing like unsolicited positive feedback from a happy customer! Bodden lives in the scenic driftless region in southwest Wisconsin with his bride of 48 years. He enjoys the outdoors, playing guitar and spending time with their grandson and five granddaughters.

View all posts by: Joseph Bodden

14 Responses

RonKing

Appreciated your information and it greatly helped me in planning for our future pellet stove placement.

Reply

May 16, 2020
Richard McFarlin

I purchased a Wise Way gravity feed pellet stove and would like to put it in my basement. What horizontal venting system would you recommend?? Thanks

Reply

October 15, 2021
- Dominique Page
  
  Hello Richard, thanks for reaching out. I am not familiar with the Wise way pellet stove. It might be best to contact the store where you bought it from, or reach out to the manufacturer for guidance. Stay warm! Dominique
  
  Reply
  
  October 25, 2021
Bonnie

Hi, if I run the vertical rise on the exterior of the house, how much clearance do I need from the ground where the elbow/T for the vertical rise begins? I know the top of the exhaust pipe needs to be a minimum of 3' but is there a ground clearance for the base of the rise? Also, if the exhaust runs through a brick wall, can I just run the pipe out without the 3" wall thimble? Thanks, B

Reply

November 5, 2021
- Dominique Page
  
  Hello Bonnie Thanks for reaching out. You need to keep at least one inch to combustibles with pellet vent. As per the wall thimble, it is mandatory to use it. All the best! Dominique
  
  Reply
  
  November 15, 2021
- Gario
  
  Hi am I able to take off vertical from the stove inside the house then exit horizontal a few feet above?
  
  Reply
  
  October 14, 2022
Pellet Stove in The Basement: Is it a good idea? – HVAC-BUZZ

[…] https://welovefire.com/faq/how-do-i-properly-vent-my-pellet-stove/ […]

Reply

December 22, 2021
Roy

How far should the cold air i take be from the exhaust of a pellet stove. Thanks,

Reply

January 22, 2023
- Joe Bodden
  
  Roy, thanks for the question. It's always best to check with the manufacturers requirements regarding air intake distance from the exhaust cap on a pellet stove. If this info is not available, a good rule of thumb is 4 feet or more. I hope this answers your question, and thanks for your interest.
  
  Reply
  
  January 31, 2023
Tonio

I am installing a stove in my home using 80mm double walled tubes. The stove flue shoots out straight through the masonry wall into a Tee and then straight up. That is ok. The bottom end of the tee is supposed to have a removable cap for cleaning off pellet ash. My problem is that the removable cap is not on a ground floor but there is a 95 foot drop. I was wondering if I could extend the part where the ash cleaning cap is fitted by an additional 6 foot DOWN so that it can be reached out by a window on a lower floor in the building. There are no bends in the flue. All pipes are straight vertical. I do not know what effect such an addition to the pipework would do. Some advise would be welcome. Thanks

Reply

April 24, 2023
- Joseph Bodden
  
  Tonio: Congratulations on your new pellet stove. We have a hunch you're really going to enjoy it! Extending the tee down for easier clean-out access should not pose a problem for you, as long as the same pellet vent pipe is used as the rest of the venting system and local codes permit a vent pipe to be installed that close to a window. But, as noted in the article, it's important that the joints of the pellet vent pipe are sealed. Most pellet vent pipe manufacturers have a gasket that seals the pipe when twist-locked together. If not, use silicone at each pipe connection. It's also important to thoroughly brace or support the pipe every 4 or 5 feet with a wall bracket support, so that the wind cannot move it and that it will remain secure when you remove the tee cap for cleaning. Thank you for your question and please spread the work about WeLoveFire.com to your family and friends!
  
  Reply
  
  May 1, 2023
Art

Can you use a brick chimney as the exhaust vent

Reply

May 1, 2023
- Joseph Bodden
  
  Hello Art and thank you for your inquiry. You can use a brick chimney as a "conduit" to house a flexible, 4" stainless steel pipe, assuming that's the flue collar size of your pellet stove. It's important to size the vent pipe properly from the stove all the way to the cap. If you just run the correct size pellet vent pipe to the chimney, you're going to be asking for trouble because the existing brick chimney will be too large. The difficulty with a chimney to big for the appliance is that the by products of combustions will linger in the chimney too long because of insufficient draft. Deterioration of the inside of the brick chimney will soon follow. By installing the proper size vent for your pellet stove, you're ensured that the velocity of the draft will be sufficient to dispel the by-products to atmosphere. So, our recommendation is to run pellet vent pipe to the brick chimney, then with adapters use a flexible 4" stainless steel pipe up the brick chimney. Terminate the SS pipe at the top of the brick chimney with an anchor plate, support clamp and a cap with a storm collar. You'll be happy you did it the correct way and likely get better performance from your stove, too!
  
  Reply
  
  May 4, 2023
Alan Cunningham

I am replacing my old pellet stove and the location of the flue outlet is not the same . I am using a 45 and a 90 degree turn then a 12"section that goes through the wall thimble to a tee with a clean out. then it goes straight out through the eave. Is this to many bends?

Reply

February 20, 2024
- Joseph Bodden
  
  Alan: Thank you for your question. If I'm picturing the venting profile correctly, you're coming off the back of the stove with a 45 degree elbow, followed by a 90 degree elbow and a 12" length of pipe through the wall to a tee. From this tee you said you're going straight OUT through the eave. Did you mean straight UP through the eave? If you meant UP through the eave, I think you should be in pretty good shape. As you read in the article, it's always a good idea to get some vertical rise with pellet vent pipe. Pellet stoves have a fan assisted exhaust system. Without any rise in the vent pipe there could be a potential issue with smoke backing up into the house if power is interrupted while the stove is operating. But with vertical rise either inside or outside the house, there will be a natural draft established if power is interrupted. This will help to remove the smoke from the stove if there's a power failure or if a little one accidentally unplugs the stove from the wall outlet. The key is getting some rise with the pipe, either inside or outside the house. Usually 3-4 feet (or more) of rise is adequate. That being said, I would encourage you to thoroughly read the owner's manual and definitely check with the dealer where you bought the pellet stove as there may be limits or restrictions on the venting profile. Good luck and thanks again for your inquiry Alan. Please tell your family members and friends about WELOVEFIRE.com!
  
  Reply
  
  February 21, 2024

How do I properly vent my pellet stove?

US States

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Canadian Provinces

Below is a list of fireplace and grill stores that service Ontario (ON)

Ajax, ON

Aurora, ON

Belleville, ON

Burlington, ON

Cambridge, ON

Carleton Place, ON

Cobourg, ON

Collingwood, ON

Concord, ON

Etobicoke, ON

Goderich, ON

Hamilton, ON

Huntsville, ON

Kincardine, ON

Kingston, ON

London, ON

Markham, ON

Meaford, ON

Mississauga, ON

Niagara Falls, ON

North York, ON

Oakville, ON

Orangeville, ON

Ottawa, ON

Pembroke, ON

Penetanguishene, ON

Peterborough, ON

Sarnia, ON

Stratford, ON

Sudbury, ON

Thunder Bay, ON

Toronto, ON

Waterloo, ON

Windsor, ON

Written by Joseph Bodden

14 Responses

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