Basement chimney options?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

bhd21478

Member
Oct 18, 2010
78
Missouri
So the wife and I are going to build a basement home in Missouri. WE are going to place a freestanding wood stove in the basement which has 8 ft falls. The plan is to run the double walled pipe off the stove up about five ft and out the concrete wall through a thimble. This is where we have recieved different opinions on what to do. I want to have a cleanout joint at the bottom. The house is going to be brick all the way around. The stove sales place says most people have a framed out chimeny put in with osb walls and a water barrier. Then the mason bricks over that. You run the class A pipe up that and out. Ours is going to be 22-25 ft which gives the amount of needed clearance. My builder who is also my father in law says the wood option will rot. He says we should do the clay tile option and brick around it. I called the brick company and they make a 13x13x24 in clay tile for 20 bucks. If we went with this option the chimney would be much smaller and woudl still meet the clearances and would not be combustable as the wood option would be. What is the best way of doing this thats in lasting the longest versus cost?The wood framed option has to be 4 ft wide. The clay tile option is dimensionally smaller. Please let me know what the opionions are on these choices?​
 
Longevity wise, I would be concerned with the OSB/water barrier option but I'm not a chimney guru ... paging bholler!
 
If building new I strongly recommend that you take the chimney straight up through the house. Locate the stove centrally near an open stairway.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the advice but the stove is going up and out the wall and up the chimney. They wife does not want the stove going up and through our living room. Thats why I explained where the chimney is going to be located so would only prefer suggestions to what our plans are.
 
The chimney can be boxed in so that no one knows it's there. Basement installs can be problematic, especially in tight construction. Adding more resistance via two 90 deg turns in the flue pipe plus a cold outside pipe may notably reduce performance.

http://woodheat.org/all-about-chimneys.html
 
Well i would say that longevity wise a masonry chimney will be a little better than a chase and class a. But it will cost considerably more and you will still want an insulated stainless liner in a masonry chimney. If done right a chase and class a will last quite a while
 
Thanks for the advice.Im thinking the two 90 degree turns is gonna be th way it is.Would an outside air kit help.We are going to be installing out hvac stuff in the basement and will have a vent for that.We are also going to have spray foam insulation so it will be tight.Clay tile is not expensive I really can't see how the wood chase would be cheaper.
 
.Clay tile is not expensive I really can't see how the wood chase would be cheaper.
Because there is allot more to it that just some clay tile. and honestly i would not even put clay tile in i would just put in the outside masonry structure and the run a stainless liner in it no clay at all it is unnecessary.
 
Because there is allot more to it that just some clay tile. and honestly i would not even put clay tile in i would just put in the outside masonry structure and the run a stainless liner in it no clay at all it is unnecessary.

Ok,then what do ya attach the brick to for the masonry.Seems the clay tile give it something non combustsble to attach to.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ok,then what do ya attach the brick to for the masonry.Seems the clay tile give it something non combustsble to attach to.
What do you mean attach the brick to the masonry? You would build a chimney from the footer up to the finish height of the chimney The clay liner would just be there to contain the combustion gases it has not structural purpose at all. But regardless you would be better off just to leave the clay liners out and put in stainless instead. Or you just frame out a chase run a class a chimney up that chase and then veneer it. I agree with the others I would not run external at all but that is up to you it can work that way just not as well.
 
Thanks but still not sure what y brick around.Im definately doing class a pipe inside the chimney.if it were just me I wouldn't brick around the class a but the wife dosent like that look.i really don't know what a regar chase is made of other than they are wood framed.My builder says that will rot.
 
When building new with some thoughtful design, the chase can be built in a closet, or alongside so that one never knows it's there. Class A chimney pipe needs 2" clearance from combustibles. The chase can be framed in conventionally with wood studs and clad with sheetrock, just as long as the minimum clearances are met or exceeded. There would be a support box in the basement ceiling and a firestop where it goes through the 1st floor ceiling with an attic insulation shield above.
classA-chase.jpg
 
Thanks but still not sure what y brick around.Im definately doing class a pipe inside the chimney.if it were just me I wouldn't brick around the class a but the wife dosent like that look.i really don't know what a regar chase is made of other than they are wood framed.My builder says that will rot.
Honestly if you are going to brick around a chase you all but have a chimney built. So why not just build the brick structure and drop an insulated liner inside that? You dont have to brick around anything brick can support itself just fine. and if you have a full brick chimney there is no reason at all to use class a chimney just use a liner with insulation.

That being said i would still try to do what begreen suggested and find a spot to run the stack straight up
 
I have an idea. We are placing a vented propane insert on the main level floor directly above where I want to place my stove in the basement. If I did a straight up install with class a could I run it adjacent to the other smaller diameter pipe for the propane insert but in the same chase. We are going to have open cell insulation and the stove guys I talked to suggested the vented version of propane insert since condesation could form with the vent free version. SO in other words we are already going to have chase framed out above the appropriate basement area. Let me know if this is a potential option. It would aid in the draft for the basement stove and it would allow us to not have an exterior chase.
 
With a little proper planning that sounds like it might work. Will the gas fireplace be somewhat centrally located in the house?
 
[Yes it is. It is in the middle of the living room on the main level. The wife wanted it for a quick warm up in the morning and for backup heat. That straight shot up should assure that my basement stove will have a good draw.
 
It will help, though the stove will still probably need outside air.
 
Ya the stove sales guy mentioned that also. However we have the hvac equipment in the basement also so will have to vent for that stuff to work right also so he was thinking a specific air kit for the stove might not be necessary.
 
If there isn't a separate HRV then the hvac system may be setup to pull in fresh air, but exhaust systems like dryers, range hoods, bath fans may still create a strong negative pressure zone in the basement.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.