Chimney Liner-Insulated or Non Insulated with a Blaze King

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kinetic711

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Jan 14, 2016
39
Northeastern, Ontario, Canada
I finally found an insert to replace my 33 year old smoke dragon. I picked up a gently used Blaze King Princess.
My question is about the chimney liner. I currently have a 6" SS non insulated liner, that is inside a clay tile lined, masonry chimney. Everything is in good shape and I would like to reuse what I have for ease of installation.
Blaze King recommends an insulated liner. How important is the insulated liner or will I be OK with what I have? Any Blaze King owners with an non insulated liner?
 
BK stoves burn with low flue temps, insulated would be best.
How tall is the chimney?
 
You are pretty far north, in a colder climate. A warmer flue would be better.

Is it an internal or external chimney? If it is internal there is less of a need for the insulation on the liner but insulation will still improve performance and help reduce creosote. If your current liner is the right size and in good shape you can always use poured in insulation....

KaptJaq
 
It is an external chimney on a very sheltered side of the house. The chimney performance has always been very good, and I have never had a creosote problem, (knock on wood). I sweep it 3 or 4 times a year, and only ever have a handful of soot. I guess the poured in insulation is a possibility, if I really need it.
 
kinetic711 said:
I guess the poured in insulation is a possibility, if I really need it.
Click to expand...
Nice thing about poured-in is you can always add it later. Put a block-off plate at the bottom of the flue when you do the install. Try the princess for a while. If it burns well then check the flue for build-up. If she burns well and there is little or no build-up then you are good to go. If any problems then add the insulation.

KaptJaq
 
The problem with the poured in is leakage at the bottom. In a fireplace install it'll be very difficult to stop the insulation at the top of the smoke chamber. Otherwise you will fill the entire smoke chamber with insulation, which is a big waste of materials and money. If you ever pull your insert out you'll have to deal with a huge mess!

Just pull the liner out and wrap it, you can do it in an hour or so. It will be much much easier.
 
webby3650 said:
The problem with the poured in is leakage at the bottom. In a fireplace install it'll be very difficult to stop the insulation at the top of the smoke chamber. Otherwise you will fill the entire smoke chamber with insulation, which is a big waste of materials and money. If you ever pull your insert out you'll have to deal with a huge mess!

Just pull the liner out and wrap it, you can do it in an hour or so. It will be much much easier.
Click to expand...
I stuffed the smoke chamber with mineral wool (roxul) above the block-off. It made a good seal that stops the poured-in in the flue. It will be a mess if I ever have to change the liner but it is holding up well.

KaptJaq
 
KaptJaq said:
Nice thing about poured-in is you can always add it later. Put a block-off plate at the bottom of the flue when you do the install. Try the princess for a while. If it burns well then check the flue for build-up. If she burns well and there is little or no build-up then you are good to go. If any problems then add the insulation.

KaptJaq
Click to expand...

That's what I started to think after I read your suggestion about using the poured in insulation. I would really like to hear from some Blaze King owners that have a non insulated liner. There must be some out there.
 
kinetic711 said:
That's what I started to think after I read your suggestion about using the poured in insulation. I would really like to hear from some Blaze King owners that have a non insulated liner. There must be some out there.
Click to expand...
Not very likely you'll find any on here, maybe 1 or 2 but doubtful.
 
None that are happy with the performance. :)
 
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I don't see you ever getting that to the bottom and distributed evenly. Is there some reason you want to just pull the liner and wrap it?
 
Yes every liner should be insulated for performance reasons. And at least here in the US it is almost always required by code either due to lack of clearances or simply to meet the ul listing which is also required by code. And no that roxul would not meet the requirements it is not a listed or approved chimney liner insulation.
 
bholler said:
Yes every liner should be insulated for performance reasons. And at least here in the US it is almost always required by code either due to lack of clearances or simply to meet the ul listing which is also required by code. And no that roxul would not meet the requirements it is not a listed or approved chimney liner insulation.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your post and message received.
 
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The general thought around here is that you would be watching the fire from across the road by the time the roxul melts. I feel like it could be better than doing nothing. However, following code is a better option.

My Ideal Steel is on an exterior masonry chimney lined with no insulation. Yes, I get some buildup and occasionally (once a year) have to clean out my elbow at the bottom of the chimney.

I had locals come out and throw some ideas around because the liner barely fits so no room for insulation. I cannot bust the Terra cotta out because it has 3 flues. So I'm kinda in a rut. Ovalizing is my only chance at meeting code and I'm not quite willing to do that yet. I do have double wall stove pipe.
 
JA600L said:
The general thought around here is that you would be watching the fire from across the road by the time the roxul melts. I feel like it could be better than doing nothing. However, following code is a better option.

My Ideal Steel is on an exterior masonry chimney lined with no insulation. Yes, I get some buildup and occasionally (once a year) have to clean out my elbow at the bottom of the chimney.

I had locals come out and throw some ideas around because the liner barely fits so no room for insulation. I cannot bust the Terra cotta out because it has 3 flues. So I'm kinda in a rut. Ovalizing is my only chance at meeting code and I'm not quite willing to do that yet. I do have double wall stove pipe.
Click to expand...


That's what I thought about the Roxul. I knew there must be someone with an uninsulated liner. How is the performance of the chimney?
 
kinetic711 said:
That's what I thought about the Roxul. I knew there must be someone with an uninsulated liner. How is the performance of the chimney?
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This stove is not a BK, it will have much higher flue temps since it's a hybrid.
It's always a good idea to have an insulated liner, with any stove. Typically more for safety in the event of a flue fire than for performance. BKs are different, they run a very low flue temperature. Other stoves dump enough heat up the flue that draft is easy to maintain, so it's not near as much of an issue. If you want this stove to perform at its best then hit the bullet and insulate that liner, it'll be the best $250 you ever spent!
 
Here's an example. Mine is currently running on a medium low setting. The flue temps are running "too low" for most stoves. The stove is still full of unburnt wood but is still able to run cleanly and draft well if its installed properly.
 

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webby3650 said:
This stove is not a BK, it will have much higher flue temps since it's a hybrid.
It's always a good idea to have an insulated liner, with any stove. Typically more for safety in the event of a flue fire than for performance. BKs are different, they run a very low flue temperature. Other stoves dump enough heat up the flue that draft is easy to maintain, so it's not near as much of an issue. If you want this stove to perform at its best then hit the bullet and insulate that liner, it'll be the best $250 you ever spent!
Click to expand...

Not true. Go on woodstock's website and tell me what their low BTU output number is.
 
kinetic711 said:
That's what I thought about the Roxul. I knew there must be someone with an uninsulated liner. How is the performance of the chimney?
Click to expand...

Mine is in a basement so I am subject to some stack effect with negative pressure. An insulated liner would be better, but I'm getting by just fine without it.
 
JA600L said:
Not true. Go on woodstock's website and tell me what their low BTU output number is.
Click to expand...
Don't say it's not true. In a real world situation a BK will run much lower flue temps on a regular, long term basis. Sure a BK can work without an insulated liner, but we all know that... It's not optimal though.
 
Mine is in a real world situation and burns as low or lower than yours and keeps my house warm. A hybrid means both technologies are available but doesn't mean they are both being used. I will again emphasize that my setup works, but I would rather insulate it to code. I'm just in that worse case scenario category.
 
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