As a pro mason for over 30 years my goal is to create a better understanding of wood stove systems for people considering installing a new system or those wishing to get better performance out of an existing one.My chosen method here is to look at each component of the system and describe the optimumchoice for each one.hope this helps somone.1 the primary consideration in any woodstove system is the location of the chimney.It should be within the envelope of the structure exiting at the highest point of the roof.The chimney itself should be constructed of hardburned clay bricks lined with either a quality stainless liner or pre-fab chimney sized to the smoke pipe of the stove.Idealy the pipe should exit the stove verticaly and connect to the bottom of the chimney with no elbows.I have achieved this in my system by building afreestanding arch which supports my masonry chimney[think Arc D,Triumph] . The hearth shall be of non-combustible material meeting local codes and bigger cannot hurt. Thats about it folks,and remember planning and designing your own system costs nothing but your time and the peace of mind you get from a well designed system is certainly worth it.If I figure out how to post some pictures of my system they will follow.
