Pellet Insert Vent Cleaning

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Ejectr

Ejectr

Minister of Fire
Nov 1, 2009
565
Brimfield, MA
Seeing you can use a short length of flex vent that reaches beyond the first flue tile on a masonry fireplace to vent an insert, and it is sealed with a steel plate and insulating material, how would you clean the vent/chimney?

My sister is investigating a pellet stove and an insert is one of her options having a fireplace centrally located in the main living area.
 
Ejectr said:
Seeing you can use a short length of flex vent that reaches beyond the first flue tile on a masonry fireplace to vent an insert, and it is sealed with a steel plate and insulating material, how would you clean the vent/chimney?

My sister is investigating a pellet stove and an insert is one of her options having a fireplace centrally located in the main living area.
Click to expand...

Is she in Mass. too? I was told by a licensed chimney guy that Massachusetts requires that the liner go all to the way to the top of the chimney and tie into a cap sealed to the chimney.
 
jp0469 said:
Ejectr said:
Seeing you can use a short length of flex vent that reaches beyond the first flue tile on a masonry fireplace to vent an insert, and it is sealed with a steel plate and insulating material, how would you clean the vent/chimney?

My sister is investigating a pellet stove and an insert is one of her options having a fireplace centrally located in the main living area.
Click to expand...

Is she in Mass. too? I was told by a licensed chimney guy that Massachusetts requires that the liner go all to the way to the top of the chimney and tie into a cap sealed to the chimney.
Click to expand...
Glad I asked the question. Yes she is and that is something I didn't know. I just read an install manual for a Harman and saw the short flex vent. Thanks for that heads up.

I see you have an Accentra. How do you like it. She has a cathedral ceiling right over her living room where the fireplace would sit and a few walls to get heat around from there to the bedroom areas. All one level.
 
Definitely, do a little more research on the liner. I don't know the guy from a hole in the wall and he could've been full of it too.

I'm very satisfied with the Accentra. It pretty much handles any pellet I use; long pellets, short pellets, dusty pellets, etc... I actually prefer the dreaded Infernos that seem to have a bad reputation around here. I have a small (1200 sq-ft) ranch and the stove is at the far end in my kitchen/dining area that has high ceilings as well. I run the ceiling fan in reverse in that room and I get pretty uniform temps throughout. That room is about 71-72 degrees while the adjacent living room is 68-70 and further down the hall, the bedrooms are about 60-65 which is just right for me. From your description, it sounds like her location would be more central to the house so I would anticipate nice uniform heating.
 
In MA, the liner has to go to the top of the chimney. I have an insert and that was one of the points the Fire Chief brought up.
 
CygnusX1 said:
In MA, the liner has to go to the top of the chimney. I have an insert and that was one of the points the Fire Chief brought up.
Click to expand...

So in that case, it's better to use pellet vent pipe than flex pipe. Correct?
 
Ejectr said:
CygnusX1 said:
In MA, the liner has to go to the top of the chimney. I have an insert and that was one of the points the Fire Chief brought up.
Click to expand...

So in that case, it's better to use pellet vent pipe than flex pipe. Correct?
Click to expand...

I was able to use flex pipe, but that was 10 years ago. I'd check with your town's Fire Chief (hopefully, he's knowledgeable about pellet stoves. My Chief owns one, so I was lucky) and see if the codes have changed. I believe you can still use the flex pipe in MA, but it's better to find out for sure.

The flex pipe will be cheaper than the pellet vent pipe.
 
CygnusX1 said:
Ejectr said:
CygnusX1 said:
In MA, the liner has to go to the top of the chimney. I have an insert and that was one of the points the Fire Chief brought up.
Click to expand...

So in that case, it's better to use pellet vent pipe than flex pipe. Correct?
Click to expand...

I was able to use flex pipe, but that was 10 years ago. I'd check with your town's Fire Chief (hopefully, he's knowledgeable about pellet stoves. My Chief owns one, so I was lucky) and see if the codes have changed. I believe you can still use the flex pipe in MA, but it's better to find out for sure.

The flex pipe will be cheaper than the pellet vent pipe.
Click to expand...

Will have to do that for sure. How do you like your Enviro Meridian?
 
I have an insert in my front to back split (cathedral ceiling in the "dining" room where most people have their living room) that has been modified by turning the middle bedroom into a hallway on the right side of it connecting to bedrooms where they blew out the back of the house. My new P35i heats the entire upper part of my house including the back bedrooms. It does help that we blew out the wall between the kitchen and the dining room. I used 4" flex to the top of the chimney per my building inspector. I burned about a ton and a half last year keeping the house at 72 degrees or warmer for my mother in law. The cathedral ceiling "rolls" the heat upstairs and down the hall. One of the main reasons I went with a Harman this year was the ease of removal for cleaning with their track system.
 
fmsm said:
I have an insert in my front to back split (cathedral ceiling in the "dining" room where most people have their living room) that has been modified by turning the middle bedroom into a hallway on the right side of it connecting to bedrooms where they blew out the back of the house. My new P35i heats the entire upper part of my house including the back bedrooms. It does help that we blew out the wall between the kitchen and the dining room. I used 4" flex to the top of the chimney per my building inspector. I burned about a ton and a half last year keeping the house at 72 degrees or warmer for my mother in law. The cathedral ceiling "rolls" the heat upstairs and down the hall. One of the main reasons I went with a Harman this year was the ease of removal for cleaning with their track system.
Click to expand...
Thank you. That is good information.
 
my pleasure
 
Ejectr said:
CygnusX1 said:
Ejectr said:
CygnusX1 said:
In MA, the liner has to go to the top of the chimney. I have an insert and that was one of the points the Fire Chief brought up.
Click to expand...

So in that case, it's better to use pellet vent pipe than flex pipe. Correct?
Click to expand...

I was able to use flex pipe, but that was 10 years ago. I'd check with your town's Fire Chief (hopefully, he's knowledgeable about pellet stoves. My Chief owns one, so I was lucky) and see if the codes have changed. I believe you can still use the flex pipe in MA, but it's better to find out for sure.

The flex pipe will be cheaper than the pellet vent pipe.
Click to expand...

Will have to do that for sure. How do you like your Enviro Meridian?
Click to expand...

I love my Meridian. I've had it for 10 years and it runs like a champ.
 
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