Hey guys I just got my new model 18 last night. The install went pretty good. The only problem I have is the stove won't draw. With the primary air open and the door closed the fire just goes out. You can see the smoke just keep gathering up inside the stove. When I open the door the smoke just clears right out. The dealer who ordered it for me said it did not need have to have a pipe from the stove to the flu pipe. It is only about 6 inches apart and it is a prefab fireplace in a doublewide. The smoke has nowhere to go but up. The flue is 8 inches and the stove collar is six inches. Also by the time I put the stove back in the fireplace the flue pipe and the stove collar is about a half a hole off. Do I need some kind of pipe or connector? It seems like it is gonna heat really well. I never had this problem when I burned wood last year in the fireplace. any help would be greatly appreciated.
New Buck ???
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Yes, you definitely need a positive connection from the stove to the flue. However, I would be remiss to point out that MOST prefab fireplaces use a different type of pipe than a stove or insert uses. Most prefabs use 8" air cooled pipe rated for only 1,700F. For a stove or insert, you MUST use Class A 103 HT, which is rated for 2,100F.
Some people simply install a flexible 103 HT rated liner into the existing 8" air cooled pipe, but that method is open to debate and may not be codes compliant for where you live.
I think you have 2 issues to solve before you can burn safely: 1.) a positive connection to a flue and 2.) an UL 103 HT rated Class A system. Hopefully some others will chime in soon.
Some people simply install a flexible 103 HT rated liner into the existing 8" air cooled pipe, but that method is open to debate and may not be codes compliant for where you live.
I think you have 2 issues to solve before you can burn safely: 1.) a positive connection to a flue and 2.) an UL 103 HT rated Class A system. Hopefully some others will chime in soon.
Sounds like your easiest solution would be to run an insulated flex liner from your insert to the top of your flue. Your dealer should know this. If your dealer didn't install a liner, then he probably didn't confirm that your prefab can safely accommodate an insert. You need to look in the prefab owners manual to check this. If you don't have the manual, then check the manufacturers website or contact them directly.
The reason, more than likely, for your poor draft is this: today's EPA certified stoves are built in a way that can make them far more sensitive to good draft. Non-catalytic EPA stoves have a relatively large 'smoke shelf' or 'baffle' that promotes secondary combustion - i.e., the reburning of volatile gases released by the wood as it burns. In old stoves, there was nothing to stop the flue gases from going straight up the fire box of the stove and into the flue. They also smoked more and deposited those gases/volatiles as creosote.
In today's non-catalytic stoves, however, the smoke shelf/baffle helps to trap the volatile gases and introduces a secondary source of oxygen into the mix via the burn tubes in the top of the stove. This "reburns" the gases as fuel and cuts down on smoke/emissions/creosote. However, it also means the flue gases have more "work" to do in order to reach the stove collar and go out the flue. That's why today's stoves have strict requirements on a proper sized flue. For example, some people cram an insert with a 6" flue collar into a huge masonry flue with 8"x12" terra cotta liners and then complain of sluggish draft.
Here's a link showing different flue sizes and their equivalent sq. inches. http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/holinsiz.htm
In today's non-catalytic stoves, however, the smoke shelf/baffle helps to trap the volatile gases and introduces a secondary source of oxygen into the mix via the burn tubes in the top of the stove. This "reburns" the gases as fuel and cuts down on smoke/emissions/creosote. However, it also means the flue gases have more "work" to do in order to reach the stove collar and go out the flue. That's why today's stoves have strict requirements on a proper sized flue. For example, some people cram an insert with a 6" flue collar into a huge masonry flue with 8"x12" terra cotta liners and then complain of sluggish draft.
Here's a link showing different flue sizes and their equivalent sq. inches. http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/holinsiz.htm
weezer4117
Feeling the Heat
Who installed the stove? If the dealer did, NEVER GO BACK
!! If you did, yes you HAVE to connect this stove to the chimney. Also, your current setup, zero clearence fireplace, does NOT meet fire codes for a wood stove. As mentioned earlier, you need a UL listed, solid fuel, 2100 degree rated metal chimney for your application. To be honest, what I did was removed my ENTIRE zcf, threw it in the trash, and built a chimney connected to a freestanding stove. I couldnt be more happy, I would suggest you do the same!! Codes may be different for your home and/or area......
!! If you did, yes you HAVE to connect this stove to the chimney. Also, your current setup, zero clearence fireplace, does NOT meet fire codes for a wood stove. As mentioned earlier, you need a UL listed, solid fuel, 2100 degree rated metal chimney for your application. To be honest, what I did was removed my ENTIRE zcf, threw it in the trash, and built a chimney connected to a freestanding stove. I couldnt be more happy, I would suggest you do the same!! Codes may be different for your home and/or area......
Many ZC fireplaces do not have a chimney rated for woodstove temperatures. The manual for the Buck 18 covers this with a bold print warning:
NOTE: If the Pre-Fab Zero Clearance Fireplace is not equipped with HT-2100 degree UL Listed pipe, a UL-1777 Liner must be installed the the Full Length of the chimney, and attached to the Flue Exit of the Insert.
Put in a proper liner and the stove should be a whole better animal that drafts correctly.
NOTE: If the Pre-Fab Zero Clearance Fireplace is not equipped with HT-2100 degree UL Listed pipe, a UL-1777 Liner must be installed the the Full Length of the chimney, and attached to the Flue Exit of the Insert.
Put in a proper liner and the stove should be a whole better animal that drafts correctly.
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