Lifespan of triple wall pipe?

[victorytea]

Have a Vermont Castings woodstove and single wall pipe ( about 6 feet) which goes to the 2nd floor and then triple wall takes over spanning about 12 feet and extending several feet over the roofline. Since the triple wall stays relatively cool, what would be the lifespan of the 3 wall? What should I look for to determine soundness? Thanks for any help. - Victory tea

 

[n6crv]

Hello Victorytea, my tripe wall 8" chimney was over 20 years old and was still in solid shape. I did keep it clean and it looked really good. Only took part of it down to change to 6" class A. My friend has the same as I did and he is now going on 30 years and he burns his stove alot. I did repaint the outside often to be sure no rust started. Just check to make sure it is solid ie no rust or any kind of pin holes in the inter pipe.
Don

 

[mayhem]

My installer told me this past spring that the single wall pipe is good for maybe 5 years, double wall pipe inside is good for a solid 20+ years and the triple wall pipe outside the house will outlive me. This assumes obviously that it doesn't get damaged by tree branches and other non-burning related problems.

 

[victorytea]

Good to hear- my triple wall looks solid but a local "expert" at the post office said to replace 3 wall evvery 10 years. Boy, ten years goes by fast now. Thanks fellows, Paul

 

[webbie]

Inspection is the key. How long it lasts will depend on many factors, such as climate, fuel burned, etc.

I think it is safe to say that the "design life" is about 20-25 years. In most cases, it will last longer, but if you are burning coal or in a salty environment (near beach) it may develop problems earlier.

In my experience, it seems that the outer casing can degrade before the inner one - so looking at the pipe up on the roof is always a good first step.