I have a 22 year old 1250 sq ft home with a full basement. I have a fireplace upstairs that I have used for 20 years, glass doors, ambiance only. My home is brick with a full masonary brick chimney with 2 flues. My fireplace uses the larger of the two. In my basement which has poured walls their was an alcove as if to install a fireplace but their was no flue opening? Two years ago I purchased a used appalachian stove insert. got out my ladder tied a rope to a twenty pound sledge hammer and found the flue in the basement by knocking on the concrete and listening, got out the hammer drill and finised the job. I then set my stove in the alcove and fabricated a nice boot for my stove to a 6" stove pipe ran this to the flue and all is well. Now for the questions. Do I need a flue liner? and why? What is a cat stove? My house is heated with a heat pump and I have opened a cold air return in the basement and leave the fan running on the heat pump seems to help. This will heat my house but what can i do to improve on efficiency? First day on this sight as I am staying home watching it snow! Thanks Steve
new guy with a whole lot of questions!
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If your pipe is securely attached thru the wall with the proper thimble to the clay tile in your chimney, you dont "need" a liner. You know, since your sitting home, you should snap a photo.
As for Cat Stoves...if you have eaten chinese food, you know the answer.
(Hint: do a search on google and these forums on Catalytic Combustors stoves, etc)
As for Cat Stoves...if you have eaten chinese food, you know the answer.
(Hint: do a search on google and these forums on Catalytic Combustors stoves, etc)
Hello and thanks
I have attached photos of the basement. living room above basement installation and outside of chimmny
I have attached photos of the basement. living room above basement installation and outside of chimmny
The flue that you connected to in the basement - is that common to your fire place as well, or is it a separate flue?
Hello and thanks
I have attached photos of the basement. living room above basement installation and outside of chimmny. The basement cealing where the flue is attached is poured concrete, the white stuff is high temp kao wool used in heat treating applications ( I used it to seal the gaps) When I opened the flue into the basement It was noted that the flue did not open into the alcove but was slightly offset.
Steve
I have attached photos of the basement. living room above basement installation and outside of chimmny. The basement cealing where the flue is attached is poured concrete, the white stuff is high temp kao wool used in heat treating applications ( I used it to seal the gaps) When I opened the flue into the basement It was noted that the flue did not open into the alcove but was slightly offset.
Steve
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You don't "need"'a liner, but it is highly recommended. Generally speaking they improve efficiency, convenience and safety. Effciency is improved because stoves generally draft much better with a fully lined chimney. They make sweeping your chimney much easier because you don't have to pull the insert to clean the chimney. Safety is improved because with a better draft and higher flue temps you will have less creosote formation, reducing the risk of a chimney fire, also since it is easier to clean it may get you to clean the chimney more often, which reduces chimney fire risk. If you do have a chimney fire a full liner will help contain the fire as well as containing any undesirable combustion products that tend to find any cracks or imperfections in your masonry chimney and then degrade your chimney.
A couple of thoughts:
First - your stove needs to be on its own flue. If it is - good, If it is not - not so good. Edit: (You answered above)
Second - you are gonna loose tons of heat to the uninsulated cement walls.
Third - An exterior flue to your stove should have an insulated liner in my opinion. Without it, you will probably have creosote issues.
Does the stove have good draft, currently?
First - your stove needs to be on its own flue. If it is - good, If it is not - not so good. Edit: (You answered above)
Second - you are gonna loose tons of heat to the uninsulated cement walls.
Third - An exterior flue to your stove should have an insulated liner in my opinion. Without it, you will probably have creosote issues.
Does the stove have good draft, currently?
Thanks again
It is on its own flue.
It has excellant draft.
What is an exterior flue, pardon my ignorence but I am learning.
I can remove the pipe from the stove and clean the flue in the spring? I burn seasoned dry hardwood.
The insulation of the basement is going to happen next.
It is on its own flue.
It has excellant draft.
What is an exterior flue, pardon my ignorence but I am learning.
I can remove the pipe from the stove and clean the flue in the spring? I burn seasoned dry hardwood.
The insulation of the basement is going to happen next.
steve 2298 said:
A flue that runs outside of the heated envelope of the house. They are notoriously difficult to heat up to the proper temp to ward off creosote production. An insulated liner is used to ward that off.
I agree that any exterior chimney should have an insulated liner. That pic is an exterior chimney.
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