Adding a small wood stove to a 1970s brick chimney that has a capped hole and platform for stove

[Jeff15]

There is currently a 5" capped hole in my chimney (upper area, orange circle) and I want to add a small Cubic Grizzly Wood Stove. I'm hoping to learn as much as I can on best approach before I contact a sweeper / wood stove installer to get the job done.

Some questions I had:
- Should I chisel out the mortar, remove the cap, and stick my snake camera in there to see what's inside there?
- Cubic Mini company does not suggest and bends in the pipe, do you think I would be okay with 2 45 degree elbows?

The room is small (12x12) with low a-frame ceilings. The depth of the brick platform is only 17", and my friend has an unused cubic mini to sell, so I think that would be perfect. Every other wood stove I've looked at is too deep (24"+).

Thanks!!



Some info on the chimney:
Downstairs has an open fireplace and outdoor smoker (opposite sides)
Upstairs has an open fireplace (other side of this photo), and the sealed cap for a free standing fireplace (pictured).

 

[begreen]

There are several things to check first, starting with your insurance company. The Cubic Grizly is not an EPA certified stove. Check with them to see if it is UL tested and permissible for US residential installation. If not, there may be better choices for the room and the hearth can be extended.

You will need to have a sweep drop a camera down the chimney to see if it is in ok condition and to make sure there are no other connections to this flue before proceeding. Only one stove is permitted per flue. The sweep should tell you the tile liner size too. The odds are an insulated 5" liner will need to be installed in the chimney to match the stove's flue requirement.

 

[Jeff15]

There are several things to check first, starting with your insurance company. The Cubic Grizly is not an EPA certified stove. Check with them to see if it is UL tested and permissible for US residential installation. If not, there may be better choices for the room and the hearth can be extended.

You will need to have a sweep drop a camera down the chimney to see if it is in ok condition and to make sure there are no other connections to this flue before proceeding. Only one stove is permitted per flue. The sweep should tell you the tile liner size too. The odds are an insulated 5" liner will need to be installed in the chimney to match the stove's flue requirement.

Well that's good info, thanks. The Cubic is out.

Sounds like I need to talk to insurance and get a sweeper out here to take a look.

What about this stove? It's beautiful, but it's listed as "EPA exempt". Thoughts? Can it be used? http://www.marinestove.com/halibutinfo.htm

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Well that's good info, thanks. The Cubic is out.

Sounds like I need to talk to insurance and get a sweeper out here to take a look.

What about this stove? It's beautiful, but it's listed as "EPA exempt". Thoughts? Can it be used? http://www.marinestove.com/halibutinfo.htm

Why are you only looking at these tiny stoves?

 

[begreen]

Well that's good info, thanks. The Cubic is out.

Sounds like I need to talk to insurance and get a sweeper out here to take a look.

What about this stove? It's beautiful, but it's listed as "EPA exempt". Thoughts? Can it be used? http://www.marinestove.com/halibutinfo.htm

These stoves are meant for boats and tiny houses, in other words, often unregulated environments. Start wtih your insurance company and see what they require.

 

[Jeff15]

Why are you only looking at these tiny stoves?

Two reasons, the hearth is only 17" deep (but I realize I could extend this) and the room is only 12x12 with an a-frame ceiling: 3ft at lowest point near wall, and 7ft in the middle.

I don't really think I need a big stove. And 95% of stoves that I've been researching are all 25"+ deep. Any recommendations? I'd like something bigger than the Cubic, but not as big as everything else I'm seeing.

I currently use this room as my bedroom, but the plan is to convert it to an office and use the stove during the day, rather than the fireplace, to be more efficient. I don't anticipate needing to burn overnight, and don't mind (actually welcome) hourly trips to stoke the stove.

These stoves are meant for boats and tiny houses, in other words, often unregulated environments. Start wtih your insurance company and see what they require.

OK. I rent, but have approval from landlord to do it (as long as its installed by a certified sweeper), so I need to contact landlord again and have her talk to her insurance? Hoping to make this as hands off as possible for her...

 

[begreen]

Got an email from Cubic this morning verifying that their stoves are not certified and are only for "recreational" use. They too thought there would be a conflict with the insurance company.

 

[Jeff15]

Got an email from Cubic this morning verifying that their stoves are not certified and are only for "recreational" use. They too thought there would be a conflict with the insurance company.

They told me the same. All is well, the cubic is a bit of a toy size stove, I'd be better off with something a little bigger. I'm researching new EPA 2020 stoves and contacting local sweeper/ stove installers.

 

[john26]

would this work?

Nova Wood Burning Stove

An efficient wood burning stove with a massive glass area for viewing the fire. Clean and easy to use, just light it and enjoy - no adjustments needed.

mffire.com

may have to add ember protection in front of hearth

 

[begreen]

A used Jotul F100 would work. So would a small Morso.

 

[Jeff15]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I heard back from one sweeper, and bad news:

Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately, it is illegal and dangerous to connect a woodstove to a chimney that all ready serves another fireplace. We'd have to run a separate chimney pipe for the stove. if you have and address or more pics of the house and roof layout I can put together an estimate.

Does this sound right?

 

[john26]

yes that sounds correct. Are both fireplaces and a smoker sharing one flue?

 

[Jeff15]

yes that sounds correct. Are both fireplaces and a smoker sharing one flue?

I don't know. I suppose I should run my snake camera through there to see how it works.

If the wood stove had its own flue pipe within the chimney, why is that not any different/allowed? Seems obvious to take advantage of the existing hole in the chimney.

 

[john26]

If the wood stove had its own flue pipe within the chimney, why is that not any different/allowed? Seems obvious to take advantage of the existing hole in the chimney.

multiple flue's in a common chimney is allowed multiple stoves/ fireplaces on one flue is not allowed you need to find out how many flue's you have.

 

[SpaceBus]

I bet there was something like an old Jotul 602 sitting on that tiny pad. Would be a good choice now, but the modern 602 has a window that would be facing a direction that nobody will see it. A non issue on the original since it didn't have a window. What is the floor made of? could you lay tile?

 

[Jeff15]

I bet there was something like an old Jotul 602 sitting on that tiny pad. Would be a good choice now, but the modern 602 has a window that would be facing a direction that nobody will see it. A non issue on the original since it didn't have a window. What is the floor made of? could you lay tile?

Here are some more pics. The landlord (I'm planning to buy this place because I love the chimney) put down tile on the fireplace side. Also pics of smoker downstairs which is outside (another guy lives there, we had a few beers and lit a fire in it). I don;t have access to the downstairs fireplace, but I know it's mostly stone like how the chimney on the roof end looks. The floor on the freestanding side looks like particle board with cheap carpet, so yes tile looks possible because the open fireplace side has it

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I heard back from one sweeper, and bad news:


Does this sound right?

I brought this up in post #2. Is it possible there already are two connections? Go by the certified sweep's report.

 

[Jeff15]

I brought this up in post #2. Is it possible there already are two connections? Go by the certified sweep's report.

The sweep is only going off of the first picture at the moment that I sent via email. No one has inspected my chimney.. I replied to the sweep and sent the pictures I sent y'all

Thanks for getting back to me. That's a bummer... what if it had its own pipe (flue?) within the chimney? Clearly there was a wood stove there at some point.

Attached are some pictures of the roof. The address is ****. The freestanding platform is on the left side of the roof pictures.

Response:

pipe in the chimney would not work either, i'd still make other fireplace disabled.

This guy seems to know his business, https://tahoestoves.com/, I don't understand why he is so certain the existing hole in the chimney won't work.


My goals are to
a) certify the existing two fireplaces, and smoker are safe to use (I've burned a cord of hardwood since Oct, no issues). chimney has been unused for ~7+ years. I had a sweep come 2 months ago, but he was unable to remove the rain cap and inspect, left to get a rotary tool, showed up 2 weeks + 45 minutes late, still unable to sweep, so I was not confident he was qualified to do his trade, so I paid him to leave
b) install a new wood stove on the opposite side of the upstairs fireplace
c) Were things done differently in the 70s that I need to rectify? Also in the pictures is white discoloration of brick, is this efflorescence? I think it was just a lazy remodeler, there are plaster splatters on various places

edit: the email replies are directly from Patrick Krol, the owner, who is a certified CSIA sweep. I own a small business myself, and appreciate working with such, but just find it discouraging he's so certain that the chimney won't work without more of an explanation. I seek to understand...

 

[Dustin]

Climb up on the roof, look down the chimney.

I’m going to bet you only have two flues in that chimney. One for the fireplace and one for the smoker. Which means you can’t use a wood stove there. If you have three, I’ll be surprised but it could happen...

 

[john26]

Even if you have 3 flues it could be 1 for each fireplace and 1 for the smoker, hopefully the best bet would be if the upstairs fireplace has its own flue install an insert. use a small blower on the floor in the room behind the fireplace to blow the cold air towards the room with the insert. that would be the most practical thing to do if you had a stove on the backside and burnt the fireplace at the same time most of your heat would be sucked up the chimney flue.

 

[Jeff15]

I climbed up there and snapped a photo! It looks like I have 3 flues, 2 equal size and one smaller one (raised up, in rear of photo). So I have 3 existing working appliances, plus that capped hole for the wood stove I want to add. How would this work? Do the fireplaces share a flue or something?

The upstairs fireplace does have a steel insert, pics attached.



Here's a video of my snake camera for more details:

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Couldn't take off the rain cap by myself.

 

[Jeff15]

And here's a drawing to the best of my knowledge

Chimney is 57x27" (outside)

 

[begreen]

OK, the sweep was at a disadvantage. It sounds like without being paid to inspect on-site, he was just giving his opinion. This is new information. The flue might work for a small stove if it is in good condition. A little Morso would be nice.

 

[SpaceBus]

OK, the sweep was at a disadvantage. It sounds like without being paid to inspect on-site, he was just giving his opinion. This is new information. The flue might work for a small stove if it is in good condition. A little Morso would be nice.

I was thinking 2b Standard or 602 V2

 

[begreen]

I was thinking of the 7110 or at least the 1410 to afford a bit of a fire view without poking into the room.