Q&A Chimney set-ups, pros and cons?

Question:

I would like to know more about the advantages and disadvantages of these two methods of chimney set-ups. One being running the chimney straight up from the stove through the ceiling. The second involves running the chimney through a wall using two 90 degree angles. Some of the details I would like to know more about are draft, heat loss, etc. The stove I am using is a 55 gal. freestanding barrel stove. Any facts or opinions are appreciated. Thanks.



Answer:

90 elbows pose a draft restriction equal to approximately 3 horizontal feet. Two 90 elbows means that you'll need to extend the chimney height to compensate for these elbows.

In venting, draft is KING. Without it, you're sunk. Anything you can do to help draft is great. Using two 45's vs. one 90 is better. Eliminating elbows is better yet. Given the fact that you're using a barrel kit, which mean that the design does not include a complicated heat exchange system, I'm sure that two 90's would work okay provided that you have enough of vertical chimney. The kit should include some guidelines for you. I suspect that 15 feet of vertical would be the minimum.