Newbie just bought a Buck 91

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WKUfan

New Member
Jan 2, 2016
11
Kentucky
We bought a house last spring in south central KY and have been doing a full remodel. It is a 2 story colonial with approx. 3100 sq ft. Fireplace is located on one end of the house. Downstairs is an open floorplan with 8 foot ceilings. We installed "Safe n Sound" insulation in the downstairs ceiling 2x8 joists and used fire rated Sheetrock for the ceiling. All walls are 2x8 studs with fiberglass insulation and vapor barrier. New Windows have been installed.

Ithe house had a 1982 Applachian 52 insert, but we have removed and just bought a slightly used 2006 model Buck 91. It has two electric heat pumps. With new rigid pipe ductwork and insulation.

We paid a chimney sweep to come while the Applachian Stove was still installed. Chimney was super clean, but it was a slammer install. He has quoted a $1600 price to install approximately 25 feet of 8" insulated pipe. He will also include a block-off plate.

Couple of issues:

1. The Buck 91 needs to be painted because of slight surface rust on the top of stove. What paint is recommended?

2. Should I attempt to install chimney liner myself? How much will I save?

3. Can anyone give me a good checklist for running a Buck 91? I would be willing to pay someone who has a Buck 91 to show me how to run it. I can come to you, or you to me.

4. What else do I need to know?


Thanks for the help!
 
Welcome and congratulations. Forest Product's Stove Brite paint is probably what you want. It's probably their metallic black color, but give Buck support a call to verify. You could probably buy the paint directly from them. Installing a liner can be DIY if you are patient, good with tools and ok with work on the roof. That said, the quote is pretty good considering it includes a block-off plate.
This thread may be helpful: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/buck-model-91-went-325-miles-round-trip-to-get.146731/
 
DIY depends on how easy or hard it is to get the liner down the flue. If there's no damper and it's open enough at the throat you just have to basically slide it down and cut to fit, of course roof height and slope comes into play. You could save a few hundred and the block off plate is easy enough to do yourself. It depends on how much time and or money you have to weigh the decision.
 
When we bought our Buck, there were a few small scratches. Our installer came with a can of black spray paint from Buck Stoves.
If you check on-line, or call, you can probably order it.
They are great stoves and you will like it a lot...tons of heat.
 
Congrats! :cool: That sounds like a good price for the liner install. The 91 is a good heater but it took me a while to get up to speed on running it efficiently. Read the manual, some good info there. You need 700-900 on the cat probe in order to get a solid cat light-off. As with any modern stove, you need DRY wood to get the bast performance. If the stove is cold, I'll burn a few medium-small sacrificial splits to get stove temp up before loading full. I've posted in a few Buck 91 threads on how I load and run the stove but I'm having a hard time finding a good post that covers my procedure but isn't too wordy...maybe there are none. ;lol Here's one recent reply I posted on how to control the burn if the stove wants to run hot: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/question-for-those-with-cat-stoves.153187/
 
Thanks for all the feedback! I contacted Buck directly and ordered the paint.

I have a few more questions on the install.

1.) In order for the stove and liner to "line up" I will need to cut out the damper and part of the metal plating at the top rear of the fireplace. Is it safe to do this? Will I regret it later?

2.) My chimney flue has clay tiles that are 12" x17" and I will need an 8" liner. What would be the best flex liner to purchase?

3.)My wife is a little uncertain on the wood insert. If I switch to a vented lp gas insert in my "golden years", will I be able to use the same liner?
 
1. It is either cut it or remove the entire damper(if possible), some keep the damper to put back later. It is a given you will have to cut the damper if you want to use the stove, no way around it with an 8" liner.
2. Ill let someone answer this
3. You will have to downsize the liner as LP runs on a smaller liner, you could probably run the smaller liner inside the 8".
 
Thanks again for the input.

Still looking for a good reccome Darion on an insulated liner.

Also- can anyone tell me the best way to remove soot from the bricks above the fireplace opening?

What about drywall dust on the hearth from the remodel?
 
I have a choice between 3 liners. Is one better than the other?

1.The M-Flex Stainless Steel Flexible Chimney Liner Kits. All M-Flex Stainless Steel Chimney Liner Kits are made with high quality .006 thick 316L Prime Stainless Steel. They are UL listed to UL1777 and come with a LIFETIME TRANSFERABLE WARANTY. Made in the USA for the past 20 years. Smoothwall Stainless Steel Chimney Liner. This revolutionary liner has the same great flexibility as our standard M-Flex liner with the improvement of a smooth interior that has no resistance to the flow of the flue gasses. Giving you a more efficient venting system and making it easier to maintain and sweep.


2.FireFlex chimney lining systems are made of 316Ti stainless steel and are used for all fuels. The FireFlex 316Ti stainless steel stainless steel chimney liner system is designed to reline existing chimneys or to be used in new construction. They are manufactured using the highest grade mill certified alloys. They are manufactured with a continuous strip of stainless steel, interlocked and diagonally crimped to produce a gas and water tight system of superior strength. With 7 ply seams and 10 corrugations between each seam it will deliver the flexibility needed to get the job done. FireFlex standard thickness liner is .006.


3.FireFlex chimney lining systems are made of 316Ti stainless steel and are used for all fuels. The FireFlex 316Ti stainless steel chimney liner system is designed to reline existing chimneys or be used in new construction. They are manufactured using the highest grade mill certified alloys. They are manufactured with a continuous strip of stainless steel, interlocked and diagonally crimped to produce a gas and water tight system of superior strength. With 7 ply seams and 10 corrugations between each seam it will deliver the flexibility needed to get the job done. Lifetime transferable chimney liner warranty except when using coal or corn for fuel. FireFlex smoothwall liner is .013 thick. Above industry standards.
 
Heavy wall single-ply or rigid is the best, but the lighter gauge will do the job. Avoid 2-ply liners, they tend to fish-mouth and pucker which means a replacement down the road.
 
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Out of those 3 the first 2 are fine but stay away from the third one they are not very durable at all. We pretty much only use heavy wall flex liners for wood stoves they have good durability and ease of install.
 
Thanks again for the input. Painted the stove yesterday and today. Now doing a burn in the driveway to cure the paint. If I knew how to post a picture- I would!
 

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You did fine. Fire in the hole!
 
Looks great. Nice job there.
 
I see you went with heavy wall is it insulated?
 
bholler said:
I see you went with heavy wall is it insulated?
Click to expand...
It has 1/2 insulation except for bottom 3 feet and maybe top 3 feet. It does have rock wool insulation stuffed in from the top and a sealed top plate.

Unfortunately it does not have an insulated bottom plate. The stove was a very tight fit and he was not able to do the bottom plate.

He also applied a rubberized coating on the crown that I think covers the first layer or so of brick. I was not there as he was finishing on the last day because we were leaving for vacation.
 
WKUfan said:
It has 1/2 insulation except for bottom 3 feet and maybe top 3 feet. It does have rock wool insulation stuffed in from the top and a sealed top plate.

Unfortunately it does not have an insulated bottom plate. The stove was a very tight fit and he was not able to do the bottom plate.

He also applied a rubberized coating on the crown that I think covers the first layer or so of brick. I was not there as he was finishing on the last day because we were leaving for vacation.
Click to expand...
wel it sounds like a decent installation then it would be better with a block off plate but I know there are times it is next to impossible to do.
 
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