Advice for venting into masonry chimney

[lsirois]

My LP water tank sprung a leak a few months ago and got replaced by a tankless unit. That left behind a nice opening to my masonry chimney. I have a woodstove upstairs on the other flue that heats a good portion of the house. During Winter, it runs non-stop with the LP furnace supplementing during the cold months. Because the furnace barely runs since putting in the wood stove, the mostly finished basement gets cold and my wife has been hounding me for years for heat in the basement. Needless to say, I had been waiting for the water tank to die. I purchased a used St Croix SCF-050 this weekend to warm up the basement and supplement the wood stove. I would like to vent it into my chimney and have no intention in venting/lining all the way to the top of my chimney. The chimney is in good shape, has a cap and has clay tiles all the way up. Right now, I have a 7" opening left behind by the LP water tank. What is my best option to vent through this 7" opening into my flue? The horizontal opening to the flue is about 5' from the basement floor.

Thanks!

 

[Harman Lover 007]

My LP water tank sprung a leak a few months ago and got replaced by a tankless unit. That left behind a nice opening to my chimney. I have a woodstove upstairs on the other flue that heats a good portion of the house. During Winter, it runs non-stop with the LP furnace supplementing during the cold months. Because the furnace barely runs since putting in the wood stove, the mostly finished basement gets cold and my wife has been hounding me for years for heat in the basement. Needless to say, I had been waiting for the water tank to die. I purchased a used St Croix SCF-050 this weekend to warm up the basement and supplement the wood stove. I would like to vent it into my chimney and have no intention in venting/lining all the way to the top of my chimney. The chimney is in good shape, has a cap and has clay tiles all the way up. Right now, I have a 7" opening left behind by the LP water tank. What is my best option to vent through this 7" opening into my flue?

Thanks!

Sit back, relax, grab your favorite beverage, (around here, its BEER) and wait for the myriad of replies you are about to get.
I have a 10 inch masonry, tile lined chimney (8" thimble) that formerly served a wood stove. I have had my pellet stove (2 different ones) connected to it via an 8"X6" 90 degree reducer which then connects to a 6"X3" reducer to 3" pellet pipe. I have used this setup for 18 years. Use pellet pipe all the way. Mine is a combination of stove pipe and pellet pipe and that is NOT the way to go, so do it right since you are doing a new install.

 

[hockeypuck]

You really should pull a flexible liner if you are going to use the existing flue. It is not that hard to do and depending on the distance you may need to to go up to a 4". If I was in your shoes, I would vent it through the sill at the top of the foundation. Easier to clean and cheaper to install than a liner.

 

[jtakeman]

What we say is trival, You really need to see what code says for your area. Most likely you home owners is going to require inspection after install.

We also serve lots of popcorn too! Pass me a brewski, Please.

 

[lsirois]

Beer...now we're talking! I know that I don't have to line the chimney per code...my insurance may have a different issue with it and I will look into that of course. This chimney is significant...~ a 35 foot climb from the outside, so I am not climbing that to remove the cap and drop a liner. I have absolutely no room to vent this thing other than the chimney...trust me, I looked into it a few years back. There are either windows, decks, other exhausts, garage... I'll line the chimney if I have to, but I want to try without the liner first. I know the chimney pulls a pretty good draft...especially with the wood stove in the other flue keeping it warm throughout the Winter. I just can't see what to do with the 7" opening. The opening has some sort of pipe in it that looks like very thin galvanized metal because it was only used for an LP water heater and not a wood stove.

 

[lsirois]

To be much more specific... Obviously I won't connect to that 7" opening/pipe, but from what I've read (and please correct me if I am wrong), I'd run my 4" pellet venting through this pipe and extended a few inches beyond it into the flue. My concern is how (and/or with what) to seal the space around the pellet venting and the 7" opening.

 

[briansol]

liner to the top and capped.
period.

everything else does not meet code and may result in poor burn performance, or death by fire.


You generally don't seal the area around the pipe-- the cap takes care of that if its done right.

 

[Harman Lover 007]

Told ya this was going to be fun....

 

[Harman Lover 007]

To be much more specific... Obviously I won't connect to that 7" opening/pipe, but from what I've read (and please correct me if I am wrong), I'd run my 4" pellet venting through this pipe and extended a few inches beyond it into the flue. My concern is how (and/or with what) to seal the space around the pellet venting and the 7" opening.

Can you get a thimble of appropriate size in that 7 inch opening and mortar it in?

 

[Delta-T]

what's the owner's/installation manual say about connecting to an existing chimney? that's prolly the best place to start IMO.

 

[lsirois]

Long story short...I will have to get it lined or switch insurers. So much for that idea! Thanks everyone for the info!

 

[briansol]

I don't think any carrier will insure it!