What liner will fit

[Psirusas]

I am looking at wood stoves/inserts, some have 6 inch some have 8 inch diameter. I am looking to line my existing masonry chimney.

My inside dimensions of my chimney flue tile are 6.5 x 11 inches and I have an offset because two story house with a fireplace upstairs so the flue makes a detour around it.

I am thinking I need to stick with 6 inch or smaller diameter flue appliances, but am trying to get as many BTUs as possible which leads me to look at 8 inch flue appliances.

Do I have a chance at ovalizing an 8 inch liner and getting it around the offset? I think it would be tight. I have no experience installing liners so thought I would ask.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I am looking at wood stoves/inserts, some have 6 inch some have 8 inch diameter. I am looking to line my existing masonry chimney.

My inside dimensions of my chimney flue tile are 6.5 x 11 inches and I have an offset because two story house with a fireplace upstairs so the flue makes a detour around it.

I am thinking I need to stick with 6 inch or smaller diameter flue appliances, but am trying to get as many BTUs as possible which leads me to look at 8 inch flue appliances.

Do I have a chance at ovalizing an 8 inch liner and getting it around the offset? I think it would be tight. I have no experience installing liners so thought I would ask.

Tell us more about your floor plan, square footage and draftiness of the house.

 

[webby3650]

How bad is the offset? It's not supposed to more than 30 degrees( a 15 degree cut on each tile). I had one last week that had a 90 degree turn in it. I can't see why you would need an insert with an 8" flue. There are a lot of great heaters out there with 6" flues.

 

[BrotherBart]

And with the OD of a 6" flex liner being 6 1/4" with much of an offset you are going to be doing good to get a 6" down it anyway. I know. I have two 6.5 x 11 tile flues that I lined.

 

[Psirusas]

30 degrees is probably right

What caught my eye about 8 inch flues was my neighbor has a Hearthstone 1 woodstove which has 100k btu rating and I found one in craiglist but it has 8 inch flue.

 

[webby3650]

I wouldn't worry too much with BTU ratings, alot of big stoves have lower BTU rating due to the way they are tested. I can't remember how it works, but it has something to due with the longer the burn time, the lower rating it gets on the BTU's. Maybe someone can clarify this.

 

[BrowningBAR]

As Webby mentioned, BTU ratings are useless. I would pass on The Hearthstone I. It is old, and most likely, overpriced.

 

[Psirusas]

So I just put a deposit down on the new Progress Hybrid from Woodstock. I still need to line my chimney. The ID of the flue tiles is 6.5 x 11 with an offset. I already noticed from looking down the chimney some of the flue tiles are not perfectly aligned. The OD of a 6 inch liner is 6.25 so I think I am looking at ovalizing a 6 inch or going with a 5.5 inch liner unovalized. My chimney is approx 27 feet.

Woodstock said they did not test with 5.5 inch so could not recommend. The chimney liner salesman is saying no problem it is done all the time.

What do you guys think? The stove is on the larger size so did not know if I would get sufficient draft. I am also wondering about insulation. I am thinking I would not be able to get either down preinsulated. I suppose I could go with the vermiculite method I read about but do I really need it? I live in SE PA , the chimney is on end of house.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Hogwildz]

At 27', 5.5 will draft just fine.

 

[BrotherBart]

I have two flues lined in my masonry chimney on the south end of our house. Both lined with 5.5" liners because I have the same IDs that you do. All I can tell you is the 33 footer and the 21 footer both draft like vacuum cleaners.

Edit to add: Be sure the liner peddler includes everything to connect a six inch flue collar to a 5.5" liner.

 

[Psirusas]

Thanks.
Brother Bart, did you insulate either?

 

[BrotherBart]

Thanks.
Brother Bart, did you insulate either?

No room to insulate'em. Would have been nice. I stuffed Roxul down around them maybe five feet from the top and insulated the block-off plate on the one in the fireplace with Roxul but that's it. The flue tiles were all in good shape. Had they not been insulation would have been a must. At that point I probably would have busted them out of the chimney and gone with a six inch insulated liner. If I was doing it now I would use the insulated rigid liner that is available but these or on season six and getting it done just fine. This is the first year I didn't do a mid season cleaning. Just had to know. Went up two days ago and there is accumulation and it has to come out before next season but it is just a layer of soot. Dry wood is the key my man. Dry wood.

Wet wood will crap up the best chimney setup on the planet.

 

[Psirusas]

No room to insulate'em. Would have been nice. I stuffed Roxul down around them maybe five feet from the top and insulated the block-off plate on the one in the fireplace with Roxul but that's it. The flue tiles were all in good shape. Had they not been insulation would have been a must. At that point I probably would have busted them out of the chimney and gone with a six inch insulated liner. If I was doing it now I would use the insulated rigid liner that is available but these or on season six and getting it done just fine. This is the first year I didn't do a mid season cleaning. Just had to know. Went up two days ago and there is accumulation and it has to come out before next season but it is just a layer of soot. Dry wood is the key my man. Dry wood.

Wet wood will crap up the best chimney setup on the planet.

Thanks.

I am wondering if I will have any issues with codes or insurance agent from downsizing since I will not be able to get the stove mfr to say it is ok. The liner salesperson said the 5.5 inch would meet code but from my reading on this site and elsewhere I am not so sure.

Any opinions from anyone?

 

[begreen]

Have a reputable pro or the dealer install it and sign off on any required docs. Most insurance companies will be happy with that. And be sure the chimney is very clean before installing the liner.

 

[Psirusas]

If I go with the Flex King Pro from Chimneylinerdepot 5.5 inch would it be able to make it past an offset in my chimney? It is double walled so I was wondering if it was flexible enough. The offset has two turns.

 

[mellow]

Best thing would be to have a pro come by, clean your chimney and run a camera down it. If you have cracks in your terracotta you MUST insulate to meet code. That and you will be able to see exactly what will fit though the offset.

 

[tfdchief]

I have done one chimney with two offsets, and that makes it tough if it is a tight fit. When you ovalize, the oval doesn't want to stay in the right position around the offset. I would go with the 5.5 for sure and that may be tough enough.

 

[Psirusas]

I ended up going with 5.5 inch foreverflex from Chimeysweeponline. It arrived 3 days after ordering, two hours later I had the liner pulled through my chimney with the help of my 16 year old daughter pulling on it from the bottom end. It was fairly easy, took about 45 minutes. It was a little effort getting it fed through the offset initially but once it started going no problem.

 

[weatherguy]

I ended up going with 5.5 inch foreverflex from Chimeysweeponline. It arrived 3 days after ordering, two hours later I had the liner pulled through my chimney with the help of my 16 year old daughter pulling on it from the bottom end. It was fairly easy, took about 45 minutes. It was a little effort getting it fed through the offset initially but once it started going no problem.

Did you get your stove hooked up? Pics or it didnt happen