6" vs 8" stove pipe

[osmrgoats]

I'm considering buying my first wood stove (probably a used one under $400) and installing it in a place that currently has no chimney. Single story, flat 8' ceiling. Floor to roof peak about 20' feet total. The total heated space is less than 1000 sq ft. I will be burning mostly Alder and Maple from my property.

Why do some stoves use 6" stove pipe and others use 8" stove pipe?

If I had a choice between two stoves, one with 6" exhaust and one with 8" exhaust why would I chose one over the other? For example, is 6" better than 8" because you lose less heat up the chimney? Is 8" better than 6" for draft? Is 8" better than 6" since you gain the flexibility of downsizing to a 6" stove pipe in the future using a reducer? Are 8" stoves pre-EPA?

Thanks
Digginest

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Find the best deal and don't worry about stove pipe size. It's not that big-o-deal.

 

[dougand3]

Welcome to the forum, Digginest
Have you found a used $400 stove you're going to buy? If so, tell all you know about it. It's best to use same size as flue collar - don't try a reducer or increaser coupling. Most newer ones are 6". 6" will be much cheaper than 8". Go to a Lowes, Menards or dealer and price Class A chimney pipe. If your stove flue collar is ~3ft above floor - you'll need some where between 9 and 20 ft of Class A chimney - depending on roof pitch and where you place stove.

 

[osmrgoats]

Dougand3 - It is a large Lopi wood stove, steel plate/step-top stove, vintage mid 1980's. No rust, clean glass, pre-epa....predecessor of Lopi Liberty, Travis Industries's. 8" flue and 10' of triple wall and 2' of single wall pipe plus roof flash. Looks like a nice stove and seems like a good deal for under $400 but I'm concerned about: a) it being too big for my needs, b) it not being efficient/epa approved, and c) it having an 8" flue collar. Should these be concerns?

CZARCAR - Is more exterior area to dissipate heat of exhausing smoke a good thing (e.g. more efficient) or a bad thing (e.g. poor draft)?

 

[johnnyjump2]

hey welcome from North Seattle.

Your house is almost identical to mine. To make the best use of sq. ft. I went with 6" Selkirk double wall straight up because: closest clearance to combustibles (walls etc), excellant draft maintained, cost effective, and 8" looks huge/oversize in our size stove room. With my center of the house installation , from the stove it took 1 Selkirk double wall expanding lg size, 1 through wall/ceiling connector, 4 Selkirk class A stainless, and appropriate through roof, flashing, storm collor, and cap pieces.

The Selkirk web site (sponser here I believe) has excellant instructions and info.

There are excellant quality used stoves that come up (Craigslist) for $250 - 400. The educational section here has a detailed report on what to look for when buying a used stove. I did see 6 Selkirk class A Stainless new codition at a building salvage for $12 each, and 7 8" @ $15. A steal deal!

 

[Highbeam]

You can't buy, sell, or install a non-epa stove in WA. In addition, not all EPA stoves are good enough for WA but most are. Screw the gov't you say? I ain't gettin no permit? Well then your homeowner's insurance can choose to not cover you in the event of a house fire due to the illegal, uninspected, and unapproved installation.

Now take that one step further and say you sell the home with the illegal install and the buyer burns the house down with it and kills his family. This maybe 20 years after you sold the house. Now you are back in court for having caused those deaths by your illegal install.

Get an EPA stove. Get it permitted and be way happier. You can still burn your house down with an EPA stove but at least it was a legal installation.

All that said, almost any modern EPA stove small enough for your space will have a 6" flue. Plan on 6" flue and plan on buying an EPA stove from craigslist or from home depot. That old Lopi will not be a good choice.

 

[begreen]

dig, if your house has moderate insulation, the big old Lopi will likely be too much stove for the house in this climate zone. Your concerns are justified. Stick with a newer generation stove with a 6" flue. It'll burn a lot cleaner and the piping will be less expensive. Keep your eye out for a newer EPA stove in the 1.5 to 2 cu ft range. There are lots out there, be patient, one will show up on craigslist or other local market (check Lowes and Home Depot for an Englander or Summer's Heat 13NC).

 

[dougand3]

Ditto everyone above. Stay "Inside the box" in WA state. Go EPA approved for WA and 6" pipe/chimney. Highbeam makes an especially effective argument.

 

[Metal]

I agree 100% with Highbeam. You will be happier with a Home Depot stove (should be on sale now) and a proper chimney in the long and short run. Do it right and do it once.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Dougand3 - It is a large Lopi wood stove, steel plate/step-top stove, vintage mid 1980's. No rust, clean glass, pre-epa....predecessor of Lopi Liberty, Travis Industries's. 8" flue and 10' of triple wall and 2' of single wall pipe plus roof flash. Looks like a nice stove and seems like a good deal for under $400 but I'm concerned about: a) it being too big for my needs, b) it not being efficient/epa approved, and c) it having an 8" flue collar. Should these be concerns?

CZARCAR - Is more exterior area to dissipate heat of exhausing smoke a good thing or a bad thing?

too hot a draft = heatloss up the chimney
too cold a draft= smoke in room when door opened
pre epa stove was tested with a 3' rise & 3'run to block chimney. that 6' of flueppipe accounted for 30% of heat output for room.
firebox can be downsized by adding firebrix inside stove
insurance co. has to approve unit & install via code inspector & available paperwork of stove may be critical or not depending on jurisdiction. triplewall pipe may be a glitch & might need class a which aint cheap & needs to run from 18" below ceilling to 3" above roof if at peak
just read WA. u got some strict rules for woodburning & non epa may be illegal for new install. some epa stoves may be illegal too! better do homework.

They are.