Venting Codes for Pellet Stoves

Contact your state, county and city building code departments to determine the venting codes for your area. The regulations vary from state to state. With more need to control pollution and air quality, larger cities may have stricter codes than smaller cities and towns.

Read over your pellet stove's installation manual. This will give you the guidelines regarding the type of venting systems that are available for your particular pellet stove.

Decide which venting systems will work for you. When deciding, consider local codes, the style of pellet stove you have and how you want the venting system to look in your home. Venting choices include hooking up to an existing chimney, venting through the ceiling with a stove pipe or directly venting through the wall behind the stove.

Consider any obstructions outside of your home where the vent will come out. For example, if you have a shade tree directly over a spot where a roof vent would terminate, this would pose a fire hazard. The vent must also terminate at least 4 feet away from any windows.

Obtain any building permits your area requires for installing the vents and electrical components of your pellet stove. These can be obtained either from your state, county and city building code departments or from a local pellet stove dealer. Complete the necessary permits before beginning any work.

Use the proper materials for your stove vent: double-walled PL vent pipe with gas tight joints. Do not use dryer vents, PVC pipe or single-walled stove pipes. Even if you use a chimney for your vent, you'll need to line the chimney with PL vent pipe.