Robert Jones Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 This home has a fee standing gas stove installed in the family room. The unit is directly vented to the exterior. As you can see in the attached pic, it is leaving quite a bit of soot? Is this caused by poor mixture in the stove? My opinion is that is should be vented through the roof, but in this case would adjustment at the stove help? Thanks. Click to Enlarge 31.28 KB Click to Enlarge 42.6 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 Hi, It oughtna be burnin' black like atun. Somethin' ain' right, Jetro! OT - OF!!! M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 Every one of those direct vent rigs I see looks like that, there's one I drive by regularly that has the whole side of the house black with soot (I'm gonna have to go and get a picture now). They don't vent worth a damn, and the monkeys at the controls don't know how to burn a candle, let alone a fire. Although it's definately broken, it looks like about the best of those around here. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 Every one of those direct vent rigs I see looks like that, there's one I drive by regularly that has the whole side of the house black with soot (I'm gonna have to go and get a picture now). They don't vent worth a damn, and the monkeys at the controls don't know how to burn a candle, let alone a fire. Although it's definately broken, it looks like about the best of those around here. Tom That's weird, I see them on about 90% of the homes I do and there's rarely any issue with them burning black like that. When there is, it's usually something that the installer or client did to impinge the flame. The worst ones were those where they were burning propane and they were maladjusted. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Robert, Are you sure that the vent material used is the combo vent stuff that's supposed to be used with a direct vent? I can imagine that if that's a sealed box and they're using the wrong vent material that flame isn't going to be getting enough oxygen and it's liable to burn pretty nasty. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Every one of those direct vent rigs I see looks like that, there's one I drive by regularly that has the whole side of the house black with soot (I'm gonna have to go and get a picture now). They don't vent worth a damn, and the monkeys at the controls don't know how to burn a candle, let alone a fire. Although it's definately broken, it looks like about the best of those around here. Tom That's weird, I see them on about 90% of the homes I do and there's rarely any issue with them burning black like that. When there is, it's usually something that the installer or client did to impinge the flame. The worst ones were those where they were burning propane and they were maladjusted. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike I was thinking earlier when this first posted, I've only seen those vents used on fireplaces venting directly out the rear of the unit through the wall. I've never seen one teamed up with that length of vertical flue. I was wondering if it's a bad marriage and actually not a setup approved by the fireplace manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Jones Posted February 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Thanks for the reply guys. Mike I am fairly sure it is the combo vent stuff. And you were on point when you mentioned that the only time it really is noticeable like this is when propane is used. Hell, that happened at our new home until the installer made the needed adjustments. This home was serviced by natural gas. Sumtin needs adjustin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emalernee Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 If that material is right for the stove, could the house overhang be blocking the exhaust and allowing it (exhaust air) to be sucked back into the make-up air, now depleted of oxygen? That exhaust is got to be way to close to the underside of the overhang. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kibbel Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 The vent termination clearance minimum is determined by the manufacturer of the appliance. That particular stove likely requires a minimum clearance below an unvented soffit of 11". That type of stove will require very specific adjustments by the installer, that are dictated by the vent configuration. The items needing specific settings are the intake restrictor, exhaust restrictor, diffuser and possibly even the installation of additional intake dampers. The correct restrictor, damper and diffuser settings are needed to control the flow of intake air and exhaust gases. I try to get the manufacturer's name and model, then obtain and review the installation instructions before issuing my report. I've never had problems finding them and they often reveal more than one installation issue that the client really needs to know about and have corrected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Jones Posted February 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Thanks Bill and Ezra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert E Lee Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 Improper gas/air mixture will cause the unit to develop soot. One of my units started to leave soot on the glass cover, disassembled it to find that the burner plate was cracked. It is about 14 years old, but I have it controlled by a thermostat so it runs a great deal more than most gas fireplaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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