How to Install a Pellet Stove Pipe Through a Wall

Determine if you have an existing chimney. If your home features one, this negates the need to cut into the wall; instead, you simply snake the piping from the pellet stove up through the port in the wall and the stove will vent through the opening. This is an acceptable alternative to purchasing additional stove pipe. If this doesn’t apply to you, you’ll need to purchase piping made from the appropriate materials, either corn vent, wood stove piping or pellet stove piping. Do not use gas vent piping, which is not rated for pellet stoves.

Choose an area on the wall a few feet above the pellet stove’s location. Measure the circumference of the piping you purchased if you don’t already know it. Mark a circle on the wall that’s no more than ¼ inch larger in diameter than the pipe. Cut along the line using a circular saw, following the guideline you drew. The circle doesn’t have to be exact, as mistakes can be corrected with filler in a later step.

Cut through the wood or drywall until you reach the interior of the exterior wall. Using the first hole as a guide, cut through the exterior wall: if it’s wood, use the same blade on the saw. If it’s brick, outfit the saw with a masonry blade.

Slide the piping section that exits the wall through the hole. Attach piping to the exhaust stem on the stove and run it to the open end of the exit pipe. Ideally these two sections should form a 90-degree angle, an “L” shape. Although there are other configurations, this setup is the most efficient by allowing exhaust smoke to vent even in the event of a power outage. Adjoin the pipe sections with a 90-degree elbow.

Seal the opening around the exhaust pipe first with quick drying cement if the wall is brick or block, or heat-resistant wood putty if it’s drywall or wood. Seal the inside wall in the same manner with the appropriate material.