Crazy Exhaust Scheme

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sebring

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Oct 3, 2011
148
PA
Thought I would ask this question to you guys first to see your thoughts. I have a wood stove in the basement. I am fed up with loosing so much heat in the basement and want to move the stove to the first floor.

My chimney is probably the first chimney made in america. No brick, no terracotta, just PA field stone. 30' high. So I go to the first floor to remove a stone that looks like it doesnt support anything above it, and right behind it is another big stone. No way to remove it. So I am not going to be able to use the first floor now, or am I ??

Here's my idea. Put the stove on the first floor. But run the exhaust immediately DOWN to the basement hole. About 4' down in total. The only reason I think this could work is from reading about coal baseburners, and how they direct the exhaust down around the stove then back out.

Does anyone think this could work? Would save me lots of money on an exterior SS chimney.
 
I can certainly say that this will not work. Smoke generally does not want to go downward.

I suspect that your chimney was built with a core stonework, then an outer stone veneer. I'd get a stone mason out there and explain that you want to put in a 6" thimble on the first floor. He should be able to coordinate with your certified sweep when the liner is installed so that you have a proper thimble for the liner T snout to fit through.
 
Rent a core drill or a hammer drill and have at it. What kind of stone is it? Have you tried drilling into it to see how hard it is?
 
I did NOT just read that. The laws of physics prevents that from working sebring.
 
If I got my stove physics right, in theory there's nothing wrong with sending smoke downwards except for 2 things--stovepipes are never truly sealed tight, and the flue gasses cool as they fall. The draft should still work if the chimney exit is well above the 1st floor, and I'm not entirely sure what the effect of the cooling gasses inside the pipe will have, but I bet your insurance co. won't pay a claim if you burn your house down!

A base-burner stove, or for that matter a Masonry heater, can get away with downdrafting b/c it's better sealed and should stay warmer too. Sounds like an idea for a firefighter's experiment!
 
BeGreen said:
I can certainly say that this will not work. Smoke generally does not want to go downward.
Click to expand...

What if he gets a down draft stove... :lol:

OK - never mind, back to lurking...

Bill
 
When I wrote that I knew someone would point out an exception, but the only one I could think of for a 4ft drop was a masonry stove. Spirillis correctly pointed this out. But even these stoves start out with an updraft before the reroute I think.
 
BeGreen said:
When I wrote that I knew someone would point out an exception, but the only one I could think of for a 4ft drop was a masonry stove. Spirillis correctly pointed this out. But even these stoves start out with an updraft before the reroute I think.
Click to expand...
Yeah, ditto Rocket Mass Heaters. Something tells me it would work, though, so long as your stovepipe was well sealed (sections welded together, even) and well sealed at the basement thimble...
The idea makes me think of a siphon. How does gasoline defy gravity, rise, then fall into your container? The power of a sealed pipe.
 
How in the world would you EVER get smoke moving out of the firebox from a cold start?
 
If the stovepipe was truly sealed (like, welded together sealed) the chimney would still draft even when cold assuming there's an insulated liner in the chimney (and the flue's temp never goes below room temp; the stovepipe should be insulated in the basement too, to reduce heat loss to the basement). It's a stretch to imagine but I bet it would work. The moment you introduce any leaks in the stovepipe though, all bets are off. One of those crazy woodstove rube goldberg experiments I doubt any of us will get to test in our lifetimes ;)
 
Maybe even a boost fan..

Keep talking..we will get it to work!
 
Im going to get some carbite drill bits and try the drill and chip method to break the rest of the way through.. If i can get through, gonna post some pics..
 
Ok guys. Even IF the stove pipe was perfectly sealed it won't work. Draft would have to be pretty massive to overcome that. And, there is a huge difference between a downdrafting stove and what the OP is asking about.

The best thing to do is to make a new thimble in the chimney where you need it. It's a pain with a stone chimney but it's what needs to be done. Also, make sure you have a good liner in that thing.
 
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