Troubleshooting guide

Page 20
Venting Guidelines
Type of Installation Size Recommendation
* 1) Less then 10' Horizontal 3" Acceptable
* 2) 10' to 12' Horizontal 4" Recommended
* 3) Over 12' Horizontal 4" Required
NOTE: Horizontal installation with runs greater than 12' is NOT RECOMMENDED.
4) Vertical less than 15' 3" Acceptable
* 5) Over 15' Vertical 4" Recommended
* 6) Above 4000' elevation 4" Recommended
* Elbows substantially reduce the overall acceptable length, 4” vent recommended in vent
systems with more than 2 elbows in the installation. Note: Four (4) inch vent may be used in all
installations. If in doubt, use 4” vent.
Factors That Increase the Draft Readings
a) Air draw on the stove caused by wind direction and velocity perpendicular to the
exhaust termination point. The "Venturi" effect draws air out of the stove faster,
thus increasing the vacuum in the stove.
b) Tall chimneys that have good natural draft will increase draft readings.
Direct Vent Installations and the use of Battery Back-Up Systems
Although the stoves have been tested and approved for direct vent installations and many
customers choose to hook up their pellet using this type of installation. We recommend
that there be a minimum of a 3' vertical rise to help prevent excessive smoke backup in
case of a power failure to the stove. This is helpful, but wind could still cause smoke to
spill into the home if it puts back-pressure on the vent system. We recommend the use of
a battery backup system if the customer has a problem with intermittent power failures. A
good quality Computer back-up system will work as long as it provides “PURE SINE
WAVE” output and has a minimum rating of 750 VA. These type of back-ups will
usually provide anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes of back up power. There are systems on
the market specifically designed for pellets stoves requiring “PURE SINE WAVE” which
will offer longer back-up times by utilizing one or more deep cycle batteries hooked to
the back-up system.
St. Croix does not market a Battery Back-Up system for the pellet stoves.