Columbia Installation and Operation Manual
38
8.5.1 Combustion Air Supply in Mobile Homes
Only a wood stove certified and labelled as ‘mobile home approved’ may be
installed in a mobile home. The Columbia stove is ‘mobile home approved’. Wood stoves
installed in mobile homes must have a ducted supply of combustion air from outdoors. This
air supply should be routed down through the house floor into the vented crawl space
under the mobile home. The air supply duct should be non-combustible aluminum flex duct
with a screened weatherhood on the outside end.
Note: Fabric duct may also be used, provided it is suitable for HVAC use and meets the
requirements of ULC-S110 or UL-181 Class 1 standards. It must have a non-combustible
insulation and be corrosion resistant.
Where a mobile home has been converted to a standard house by mounting it on a
permanent basement foundation, the supply of outdoor air is not required.
8.5.2 Air Supply in Conventional Houses
The safest and most reliable supply of combustion air for your wood stove is from the room
in which it is installed. Room air is already preheated so it will not chill the fire, and its
availability is not affected by wind pressures on the house. Contrary to commonly
expressed concerns, almost all tightly-sealed new houses have enough natural leakage to
provide the small amount of air needed by the stove. The only case in which the wood
stove may not have adequate access to combustion air is if the operation of a powerful
exhaust device (such as a kitchen range exhaust) causes the pressure in the house to
become negative relative to outdoors.
Some jurisdictions in the United States require that wood stoves have a supply of
combustion air from outdoors. If you do install an air supply through the wall of the house,
be aware that its pressure can be affected during windy weather. If you notice changes in
wood stove performance in windy weather, and in particular if smoke puffs from the stove,
you should disconnect the outdoor air duct from the stove and remove the duct. In some
windy conditions, negative pressure at the duct weatherhood outside the house wall may
draw hot exhaust gases from the stove backwards through the duct to outdoors. Check the
outdoor air duct for soot deposits when the full system is cleaned and inspected at least
once each year.
8.6 Installing the Chimney Connector
The chimney connector is the single or double wall pipe installed between the stove flue
collar and the chimney breech. Single wall pipe components are available from most
hardware and building supply stores. These components are not usually tested to a
particular standard and certified as compliant. Therefore, a list of rules found in solid fuel
installation codes apply to the installation of single wall pipe.
Double wall chimney connectors are tested and certified. The rules for double wall pipe are
found in the manufacturer’s installation instructions. These rules will be very different than
those for single wall.
