Wood burning stove inside DOUBLE sided fireplace

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John1916

New Member
Oct 17, 2019
6
TN
Hello everyone,
First post here. I am in the process of installing a free standing wood burning stove inside our large double sided fireplace. The house was built in 1958 and we moved in a little over a year ago. Before we moved in the fireplace was serviced, clean, and inspected by a licensed company. It is masonry with a clay tile liner that measures 6x11 (oval). All tiles are in great shape as I don't think the fireplace was used very often during it's lifetime. The flue is basically a straight shot from the fireplace to the chimney cap where a pull cord damper was installed. I'm trying to find some definitive answers on whether we need a ss liner or not. As you can see from the picture the fireplace is located directly in the center of the house with no exposed brick face to the outside. Currently I have a 36-in stove pipe that connects from the stove (6-in collar) and goes straight up past the first tile of the clay liner by about 6-8-in. There is some open space on the long side of the oval tile opening. In checking the "Installing a wood burning stove" article on Hearth.com it says that at minimum, if the stove pipe extends through the first lined clay tile that this is acceptable...unless I'm not reading it right. Do I absolutely need a ss liner from the cap to the stove pipe or can I seal the area around the stove pipe and clay liner with some ceramic insulation and call it a day? The CSIA website states : "Since 1984, national codes and standards have dictated that a connector pipe extend from the outlet of the stove or insert, up through the fireplace damper, and to the first flue tile of the masonry chimney. Arguably the best installation option is installing a stainless steel liner from the top of the stove to the top of the chimney. This method provides the most efficiency and is the easiest to sweep and inspect." For additional information this stove will be used as supplemental heat/aesthetics and not our 100% heat source.
 

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Do you have the required clearances to combustibles from the outside of the masonry structure of the chimney to combustible materials? If not you need an insulated stainless liner to meet code and have a safe install. Even if you aren't required to by code you want a full liner. A direct connect just doesn't work well and is a pain to clean.
 
Do you have the required clearances to combustibles from the outside of the masonry structure of the chimney to combustible materials? If not you need an insulated stainless liner to meet code and have a safe install. Even if you aren't required to by code you want a full liner. A direct connect just doesn't work well and is a pain to clean.

The brick wall is what divides my house down the middle. It's a single story, 1400sqft house with no basement. Per the picture, to the right is over a foot of brick then the brick wall stops and opens up into the dining area. The other side is all brick and travels several feet down the rest of the house. From the opening of the fireplace to the ceiling is 4 1/2 ft. It sits on an elevated concrete platform that is 8 inches thick and right beneath is a concrete slab, hence no basement. The stove is basically encased in brick, mortar, and concrete with no close proximity to combustibles. I've already spent my budget on the stove itself so I may just use it lightly this winter, season it, ect, and look into a liner for next year.
 
The brick wall is what divides my house down the middle. It's a single story, 1400sqft house with no basement. Per the picture, to the right is over a foot of brick then the brick wall stops and opens up into the dining area. The other side is all brick and travels several feet down the rest of the house. From the opening of the fireplace to the ceiling is 4 1/2 ft. It sits on an elevated concrete platform that is 8 inches thick and right beneath is a concrete slab, hence no basement. The stove is basically encased in brick, mortar, and concrete with no close proximity to combustibles. I've already spent my budget on the stove itself so I may just use it lightly this winter, season it, ect, and look into a liner for next year.
What about the chimney as it goes up through the ceiling and roof does that have combustibles near it?
 
I suspect the throat area of that chimney is quite a bit larger than what is allowed for the stove. What is the make and model of the stove? Methinks it needs a full liner.
 
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Are you sure your fireplace has a 6x11 liner? To start I have been doing this a long time and have never seen or heard of a 6x11 oval clay liner. And if it was that small there is absolutely no way that fireplace would work with that flue.
 
That is my thought. A double-sided fireplace is going to need a large flue. Something doesn't jibe here.
 
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Are you sure your fireplace has a 6x11 liner? To start I have been doing this a long time and have never seen or heard of a 6x11 oval clay liner. And if it was that small there is absolutely no way that fireplace would work with that flue.

Yes, indeed. The clay tile liner is 6x11 inner diameter and 8x12 outer diameter. My current stove pipe fits snugly in there except around the larger diameter area. The liner itself actually comes out of the top of the chimney on the roof about a foot and has a cap on top. It looks like the original fireplace had a damper at the throat of the chimney that was cut out as I can still see the cut metal brackets.
 
Yes, indeed. The clay tile liner is 6x11 inner diameter and 8x12 outer diameter. My current stove pipe fits snugly in there except around the larger diameter area. The liner itself actually comes out of the top of the chimney on the roof about a foot and has a cap on top. It looks like the original fireplace had a damper at the throat of the chimney that was cut out as I can still see the cut metal brackets.
Ok well I can tell you why the fireplace wasn't used. There is absolutely no way it would have worked. But even so that flue is way to large for your stove you need a liner. Are there any combustible materials near the chimney as it goes up through the house and out the roof?
 
Ok well I can tell you why the fireplace wasn't used. There is absolutely no way it would have worked. But even so that flue is way to large for your stove you need a liner. Are there any combustible materials near the chimney as it goes up through the house and out the roof?
It goes through the attic where there is your typical wood rafters. Roof is metal too.
 
It goes through the attic where there is your typical wood rafters. Roof is metal too.
How close are those rafters to the chimney? What about the framing of the ceiling?
 
How close are those rafters to the chimney? What about the framing of the ceiling?
It looks like there are rafters that are right next to the chimney, the ceiling itself looks like plywood. Sorry if my terminology isn't right, not much of a roofer.
 
It looks like there are rafters that are right next to the chimney, the ceiling itself looks like plywood. Sorry if my terminology isn't right, not much of a roofer.
In that case your chimney does not have the required clearances. It does not currently meet code and with a new install you are required to bring it up to code so you need an insulated liner. Besides it will work as it should direct connects rarely work well at all. And the stove needs to be pulled every year for cleaning etc
 
In that case your chimney does not have the required clearances. It does not currently meet code and with a new install you are required to bring it up to code so you need an insulated liner. Besides it will work as it should direct connects rarely work well at all. And the stove needs to be pulled every year for cleaning etc
Absolutely. Thanks for the professional insight. I'll be pricing out some SS liners soon.