Chimney Height

  • 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.

porkweez

Member
Nov 9, 2014
16
NC
Hi folks. Newbie here. I've read the regs about installing chimney pipe 2 ft higher than nearest feature within 10 ft. Is that a 'hard and fast' rule or is there wiggle room? Would it be better to install some offset in the attic space to move away from other features above the roofline? In the attached photo, I've drawn a vertical yellow line where the flue/chimney will come out of the roof. As you see, it's very close to the second story, but I think it will look odd to have a super tall metal chimney higher than the second story. If I must do it that way, what's a good alternative to multiple 3 ft sections of Supervent? That's gonna get expensive quick.
chimneyplan.JPG
 
Welcome. Not much wiggle room and with good reason. The wood stove should exhaust above any nearby roofline. Yes, class A chimney pipe is expensive, but it is a one time infrastructure expense and a safe one.
 
I don't see how an offset inside would get you 10feet away from that roof-line though?? Or are you talking about the doghouse dormer roof?:confused:

Still gonna need to get 2 feet above.
 
10-3-2 rule.JPG
 
Just go straight up and comply with the rule. I think It'll look just fine, and after a short while you won't even notice it. Install a little brace off the gable end. Sweeping will be easy from atop the second story roof. Rick
 
Certainly not the cheap solution you are looking for but in that spot a wooden chase around the chimney will look pretty good.
chimney-case-cover.jpg
 
Wow, thanks for the quick replies! While I've got your ears, any advice on how high to build a tile wall behind the wood stove? Since cement board comes in 3 ft withs I was thinking about going 3 ft high with that and laying tile on that. To me that will be enough to shield the wall from direct heat, and I can't find detail in the code about it.
 
We need to know more about the setup inside to answer that. What stove is this and why shield the wall? Are you trying for a clearance reduction?
 
Cement board & tile slapped right onto a combustible wall does absolutely nothing to reduce heat transfer into the wall. A pic of the stove & location will certainly help here, as well as all information about the appliance being installed. Rick
 
It's a Pleasant Hearth LWS-127201-B (1800 sqft) and I'm shielding the walls in order to bring it closer into the corner.
 
Yes, I plan to space the cement board out an inch to leave an air gap. Still in the planning stage, so nothing to photograph.
 
I see nothing in the manual permitting a corner clearance reduction of less than 12" for this stove, but may have missed this. What is the intended corner distance and is it permitted in the manual?

While planning note that this stove needs a hearth insulation of R =.893. The manual has an error on the next page asking for an R value of 2.0. Pleasant Hearth has confirmed this is an error.
 
I had read about distance reduction in other manuals before looking at this stove, and thought it was a universal rule. I'll reconsider. Thanks for the R value correction. I was bummed that the stove pads at Lowes are R 1.5, but based on your correction, that should work fine.
 
Rick, you suggested a "little brace off the gable end" to support the chimney pipe. Can you recommend something? I've looked around Lowes and tried to imagine/design a support in my brain, but drawing a blank.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.