100+ year old Chimney in a cabin, failed mortar

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

ikeepgrnbarsfull

New Member
May 14, 2020
10
Frederick, MD
So here are the details:

100+ years old
river rock and mortar
massively overgrown with vines (removed now)
leaks smoke into the house and attic
firebox is chipping and failing
top thing failed and is gone
currently covered in a tarp after being bleached and having the vines removed

the fire box is huge but only needs to heat 750sqft

What I want to do is point up the chimney to maintain structural integrity then put a woodstove in the old firebox and run a flex pipe up through the top of the chimney. Can I do that with a woodstove or do I need to put an insert in?

I'll add pics when I can.
 
So here are the details:

100+ years old
river rock and mortar
massively overgrown with vines (removed now)
leaks smoke into the house and attic
firebox is chipping and failing
top thing failed and is gone
currently covered in a tarp after being bleached and having the vines removed

the fire box is huge but only needs to heat 750sqft

What I want to do is point up the chimney to maintain structural integrity then put a woodstove in the old firebox and run a flex pipe up through the top of the chimney. Can I do that with a woodstove or do I need to put an insert in?

I'll add pics when I can.
Yes you can certainly put a stove in it if it is large enough. When we see pics we can probably give more advice.
 
Pics and the fireplace dimensions + it's flue dimensions.