Hi everyone! This is my first time posting and thanks to all of you for reading and (hopefully) offering good advice.
After last winter's cold even here in Mississippi, I swore that I was buying a wood stove because our heat pump was mostly useless and expensive last winter.
I bought an Ashley wood circulator (BEC95 I think is the model #), which is not the best recommended after recent EPA redesign, but its what was available locally.
So, my issue is that I don't have a clear idea how best to install the stove pipe or chimney liner. What I have to work with is as follows:
This house was built around 1920 and had a chimney in the wall between the living room and bedroom with dual fireplaces. 6 or 7 years ago (before I purchased it) the falling apart house was mostly rebuilt, including a new metal roof. The previous owner had no interest in using the fireplaces and had the chimney cut off below the roof in the attic crawl space.
Earlier this year I began consideration of how to heat with wood and I looked at the chimney top in the attic, which looked like two flues, each about 4x16 with a line of brick between them. Since I only need one wood heater, I went ahead and busted out the entire center column, right down to the floor. Now I have about 6 feet of 12x16 which then opens up to a wide chamber below that you can enter from both sides. My plan is to put the wood heater in the living room and keep an access door from the bedroom.
So, with that back story out of the way, I need to figure out how to run the stove pipe. I had thought to just use cheap stove pipe and that was all there was to it, but I had no idea. My friend who cleans chimneys told me I ought to check out flex chimney liner and since then, I've started learning about all kinds of options.
My first and biggest question is whether I should rebuild the rest of the chimney or just use what I have and just run stovepipe through the roof. At first it seemed this would be much easier, but I'm not so sure anymore.
I've been reading about rigid vs flexible chimney liner and I think I can use either one. However, I'm not sure if I'd be better with chimney liner or insulated stove pipe. I had an idea to use a hybrid with liner dropping from the top of the cutoff chimney and insulated pipe going through the roof, but I've been told this would be impractical if not impossible. I guess the top piece that would suspend a flex liner would not support the weight of insulated stove pipe above it, and I'm not sure how I'd connect the pieces.
I'm also wondering about how to connect at the base. I have 6" diameter opening coming horizontally out the back of the wood heater. I wonder if having the flex pipe curve and attach directly to the stove would be better or should I drop straight down to a T and run a horizontal stove pipe into the back of the heater.
Also, I wonder with flex or rigid liner or with stove pipe, how do I hold it in place? I've had a recommendation to use metal plumbers tape and masonry screws to wrap and fasten to the chimney.
Another question is insulation. I've been recommended to save my money and buy cheap fiberglass insulation and just tear off the paper backing, rather than the expensive flue liner insulation.
I guess that's a good start. As I work my way through these issues, I'll probably add more to this thread. I may post some drawings or pictures if necessary.
Please chime in if you have any thoughts or solutions, and especially if you have experience working with a cutoff chimney.
Thanks everyone!
After last winter's cold even here in Mississippi, I swore that I was buying a wood stove because our heat pump was mostly useless and expensive last winter.
I bought an Ashley wood circulator (BEC95 I think is the model #), which is not the best recommended after recent EPA redesign, but its what was available locally.
So, my issue is that I don't have a clear idea how best to install the stove pipe or chimney liner. What I have to work with is as follows:
This house was built around 1920 and had a chimney in the wall between the living room and bedroom with dual fireplaces. 6 or 7 years ago (before I purchased it) the falling apart house was mostly rebuilt, including a new metal roof. The previous owner had no interest in using the fireplaces and had the chimney cut off below the roof in the attic crawl space.
Earlier this year I began consideration of how to heat with wood and I looked at the chimney top in the attic, which looked like two flues, each about 4x16 with a line of brick between them. Since I only need one wood heater, I went ahead and busted out the entire center column, right down to the floor. Now I have about 6 feet of 12x16 which then opens up to a wide chamber below that you can enter from both sides. My plan is to put the wood heater in the living room and keep an access door from the bedroom.
So, with that back story out of the way, I need to figure out how to run the stove pipe. I had thought to just use cheap stove pipe and that was all there was to it, but I had no idea. My friend who cleans chimneys told me I ought to check out flex chimney liner and since then, I've started learning about all kinds of options.
My first and biggest question is whether I should rebuild the rest of the chimney or just use what I have and just run stovepipe through the roof. At first it seemed this would be much easier, but I'm not so sure anymore.
I've been reading about rigid vs flexible chimney liner and I think I can use either one. However, I'm not sure if I'd be better with chimney liner or insulated stove pipe. I had an idea to use a hybrid with liner dropping from the top of the cutoff chimney and insulated pipe going through the roof, but I've been told this would be impractical if not impossible. I guess the top piece that would suspend a flex liner would not support the weight of insulated stove pipe above it, and I'm not sure how I'd connect the pieces.
I'm also wondering about how to connect at the base. I have 6" diameter opening coming horizontally out the back of the wood heater. I wonder if having the flex pipe curve and attach directly to the stove would be better or should I drop straight down to a T and run a horizontal stove pipe into the back of the heater.
Also, I wonder with flex or rigid liner or with stove pipe, how do I hold it in place? I've had a recommendation to use metal plumbers tape and masonry screws to wrap and fasten to the chimney.
Another question is insulation. I've been recommended to save my money and buy cheap fiberglass insulation and just tear off the paper backing, rather than the expensive flue liner insulation.
I guess that's a good start. As I work my way through these issues, I'll probably add more to this thread. I may post some drawings or pictures if necessary.
Please chime in if you have any thoughts or solutions, and especially if you have experience working with a cutoff chimney.
Thanks everyone!