Unlined masonry chimney install?

[Squisher]

I looked at a interior masonry chimney today that is 105 year old construction. It has no clay liners whatsoever. The owners have had a hearthstone freestanding rear vent stove installed in the opening with a uninsulated stainless liner up to the top. I am extremely doubtful due to the age of construction that there is 2" of clearance to combustibles the length of the chimney. The smoke shelf/damper area was busted out to accommodate the install and there was plenty of creosote present in and around the smoke chamber area some of it being honeycombed chunks indicative of a past chimney fire.

Also there is appliance clearance issues. The worst being the stove calling for 36"s of clearance off the top and the existing mantle is about 24"'s away. Also the t at the back of the stove has the liner over top of it. Instead of going inside(male end down).

I would be curious of some thoughts on this.

1. What would you recommend to correct these issues?
2. If you are in the industry would you even clean a system like this and just note deficiencies. Or walk away until corrected?
3. I constantly see uninsulated liners installed into masonry chimneys, most are clay lined. Is it commonplace in other areas to install/see uninsulated liners installed in masonry chimneys? I saw the receipt today stating that this install was all to code. But it's not IMO.

I didn't clean it as is.

 

[bholler]

1. What would you recommend to correct these issues?

pul the liner clean it insulate the liner reinstall and fix clearance issues

2. If you are in the industry would you even clean a system like this and just note deficiencies. Or walk away until corrected?

I would have to see it but I would probably walk away

3. I constantly see uninsulated liners installed into masonry chimneys, most are clay lined. Is it commonplace in other areas to install/see uninsulated liners installed in masonry chimneys? I saw the receipt today stating that this install was all to code. But it's not IMO.

We see it all the time to as well as chimneys not being cleaned first ect ect.

 

[Squisher]

I appreciate the response. I'm in a bit of a frustrating time slot waiting for my cert to come through. The people would like to rectify these issues but I can't fix them for them until my certification is finalized next spring. And I don't know of anyone to refer them to.

On the T connection I can't quite suss out what or why they did what they did. It's a 5.5" liner and it looks to me like they came out of the stove and down to a 5"t so they could fit the 5.5" liner over top? Anyways. The proper t would solve that.

Also the way the install is done it would seem the stove is going to need to be disconnected and moved to clean up through that 't'. On this hearthstone(I apologize I didn't right down the model) I saw no way to easily remove the baffle or tubes to clean through the stove. And the roof has extremely difficult access, it would definetly be easier to move the stove then ladder up that roof and get up to the top of the chimney to clean down. And then you'd still probably have to move the stove anyways to clean out the 't'. It doesn't seem like reasonable access to me to either have to be super exposed to clean top down and to have to move the appliance to effectively clean out the T. That is also part of our installation code up here that there be reasonable access for cleaning.

Did I possibly just miss something with the hearthstone or I thought I had read on here that they aren't really designed for cleaning up through the stove?

 

[bholler]

Did I possibly just miss something with the hearthstone or I thought I had read on here that they aren't really designed for cleaning up through the stove?

some are not to hard to pull the baffle some are I would have to see it to know

 

[Squisher]

Ok. Thanks again. I'll update this if I end up going back. They were nice people and they asked me to contact them next year when my certification is finalized.

They were a bit dismayed at my assessment of the installation as they as consumers had done the right thing. Hired certified professionals and had a receipt in their possession that clearly states it was installed to code. But I feel and I'm sure lawyers would too that as the last professional to service that system I could be on the hook if something went south. Espescially after identifying deficiencies.

I realize not every installation is perfect but IMO this one is really quite bad from what I've seen out there so far.

 

[begreen]

I feel sorry for those folks. Some of those pics were like 'find 5 things wrong with this installation'.

 

[webby3650]

Hearthstone Homestead?
Edit: the pic looks like an enamel cast iron stove. Maybe a Shelburn?

 

[Squisher]

I think that is it, shelburn, it physically looks the same. but I just double checked the manual online and the manual appears different, possibly changed/updated. This stove today was three years old. If it is that stove i must have misread as I see it lists 28" to the mantel. That would make the mantel clearance closer atleast.

 

[webby3650]

I think that is it, shelburn, it physically looks the same. but I just double checked the manual online and the manual appears different, possibly changed/updated. This stove today was three years old. If it is that stove i must have misread as I see it lists 28" to the mantel. That would make the mantel clearance closer atleast.

If it's 3 years old, it would be a shelburn, Manchester, or a craftsbury. Assuming it's a cast stove.

 

[Squisher]

I feel sorry for those folks. Some of those pics were like 'find 5 things wrong with this installation'.

I did too. I always come to the door with a card, drop sheet, and flashlight. So I can have a quick look before deciding on my plan. I first asked kind of gingerly, 'ummm did you guys install this yourselves?'

 

[Squisher]

If it's 3 years old, it would be a shelburn, Manchester, or a craftsbury. Assuming it's a cast stove.

It was an enamel cast stove. Stupid of me not to note the model.

 

[webby3650]

It was an enamel cast stove. Stupid of me not to note the model.

It's a shelburn I'd say. The baffle is not removable... too many hearthstones don't have removable baffles. It sucks!