6" Chimney Flue with Vermont Castings Vigilant

[NYCaver]

So I bought a house not too long ago and with it came a Vigilant (1977 stamp) that was setup with inadequate heat shielding so we're moving it slightly and building a new surround/hearth.

In looking into things I discovered that the stove calls for an 8" pipe/flue and the chimney is a 6 inch. The chimney is in the center of the house and looks like it would draft pretty well, going through 2.5 floors and ending above the roof ridge line.

The stove has been used for years this way, but I'm worried that we'll be cleaning the chimney constantly or have to run the stove at below capacity. Does anyone have a similar experience and should I be very concerned? Do chimney liners generally improve the drafting of an older chimney?

Thanks!

 

[peakbagger]

Generally a center interior chimney will draft quite well. Generally flue sizes are based on a worst case installation. If you burn dry wood and don't try to ram if full of wood then shut the damper down, you shouldn't have creosote issues with an interior chimney. As long as the chimney has a standard clay liner in good condition, I wouldn't install a additional liner as you will loose more interior volume. The only time I expect you will see an issue with the chimney size is starting from cold with cold chimney.

 

[marco nunes]

sounds like you will have good draff . if you take a look in the manuel i think ive seen somewhare if you run in fireplace mode meaning front doors open the flue needs to be 8 inches. Ive run that stove for a year now and never really had any need to leave the front doors open.i like the fact your chimmney is is the center of your house that will help with draft and creosote issues . the main thing is check your gasket and seams for leaks other than that great stove tons of heat good luck.

 

[NYCaver]

Thanks for the help guys. You've boosted my confidence that I can make this work.