Any possible fireplace options for 5” liner?

[Bippobappo]

I just discovered this forum and I’m trying to educate myself but can’t find an answer to my issue.

We have a chimney that the chimney guy says will only fit a new 5” liner. He’s the chimney guy everyone recommends and he dropped something down to test measure it.
I can’t find anything that will work with 5” anywhere, except for RV/small homes which seem like a insurance liability.

It’s currently terra cotta tile lined I think and hasn’t been used for anything in probably 70 years.

The fireplace itself I think was made for coal so it’s shallow at 8.5” deep and 23.5” wide and 32” tall.

I just want to find out if I have any options other than tearing open 3 stories of brick to widen it and get a bigger liner down there.

I’m open to ANYTHING wood burning and obviously don’t expect it to fit fully in the fire place since it is so shallow, it can stick out into the room like a free standing stove.

Here are some photos attached. Any questions feel free to ask. I’m a newbie so may have left out important info.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[begreen]

What is the ID of the chimney? Did the chimney guy discuss breaking out the clay tile liners?

 

[begreen]

An older Jotul F602 will fit and that took a 5" flue collar. They came with a 5" to 6" adapter for American installs.
A 30' flue is going to pull hard, so it may be off-label, but a small firebox stove like the Morso 2B would probably work ok on the 5" flue. Check with Morso and Jotul to see if they agree and approve of any of their small stoves on a tall 5" liner.

 

[Bippobappo]

Thanks for the reply. Not sure what the ID is?
He told me he could widen it but he said he’d need to channel an opening from the ground floor to the roof 3 stories up which was going to be messy and very expensive.

I also should mention this is mostly for aesthetics since the space is heated already so as large a viewing area as possible is ideal.
It’s the kind of thing we’ll use like once a week, not daily.
My wife has just been bugging me for a long time for a fireplace and my little ethanol setup isn’t doing the job…

 

[Bippobappo]

Interesting- how easy is it to find an older Jotul? And is that safe and all to do a 5” liner? I’ve just been hearing 6” is the min for liner

 

[begreen]

Interesting- how easy is it to find an older Jotul? And is that safe and all to do a 5” liner? I’ve just been hearing 6” is the min for liner

Fairly easy. But there is no glass door on the earlier models.

 

[Bippobappo]

Ahhh ok.
Well let me change the question then—

Is there anything that will fit a 5” liner AND has a viewing window since this will be mostly for aesthetics?

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the reply. Not sure what the ID is?
He told me he could widen it but he said he’d need to channel an opening from the ground floor to the roof 3 stories up which was going to be messy and very expensive.

I also should mention this is mostly for aesthetics since the space is heated already so as large a viewing area as possible is ideal.
It’s the kind of thing we’ll use like once a week, not daily.
My wife has just been bugging me for a long time for a fireplace and my little ethanol setup isn’t doing the job…

You need more specifics and maybe another opinion. Breaking out a tile liner is not uncommon and should not be a huge expense. It is messy, and the area should be sealed off mainly so that dust does not get into the room. An oval liner may be another alternative. We need the ID of the current tile liner to provide more options.

 

[begreen]

Is there anything that will fit a 5” liner AND has a viewing window since this will be mostly for aesthetics?

Maybe abroad. In America, stoves have pretty much standardized on the 6" liner. That said, the 30' liner is going to draw hard so it doesn't hurt to ask companies if they would approve of the 5" liner in this case.

 

[Bippobappo]

Ok gotcha.
And how do I ID the liner?
You just need the width and length?

 

[Woody Stover]

I wonder what Woodstock would say about a Keystone? Both it and the Fireview draw like crazy. The Keystone has a 7" flue outlet but everyone already runs it on 6". On a 16', 6" liner, I can start it cold when it's 50* outside and it draws fine once I warm it up a bit with a couple sticks of kindling.
I'd think it's probably an inside chimney, run up through the center of the house, or is it on an outside wall? I don't really think it's an issue with 30' of stack..
But like begreen said, an oval or rectangular liner would be the easiest solution if the tile ID will accommodate it.

 

[Bippobappo]

It is an outside chimney- it is running within an exterior wall.
The chimney doesn’t butt out on its own but runs inside of an exterior wall of an unattached brick building.

 

[Woody Stover]

The chimney doesn’t butt out on its own but runs inside of an exterior wall of an unattached brick building.

That will help, but like I said 30' will pull like mad regardless. FWIW, our 16' insulated liner runs in an exterior masonry chimney, exposed on one side and flush with the outer wall

 

[begreen]

Ok gotcha.
And how do I ID the liner?
You just need the width and length?

Correct. Also, how large is the area where the stove will be? Is it open to the rest of the floor or a closed off room?

For companies to ask, try Morso model 1410, True North model TN10, & MF Fire model Nova,

 

[bholler]

All 6" regency and Hampton stoves are approved for 5.5". I have no doubt at 30' they would work on 5"

 

[Bippobappo]

It is an open space, not a closed off room- basically an open living/dining kitchen-
Maybe 500 sq feet total.

 

[begreen]

It is an open space, not a closed off room- basically an open living/dining kitchen-
Maybe 500 sq feet total.

OK, an open space is good, though that is still a small space for wood heat. You will want a small stove so as to not overwhelm it.

If you could find a Hampton H200, that would be a nice fit. They stopped making them in 2020 so it would have to be used.

 

[begreen]

All 6" regency and Hampton stoves are approved for 5.5". I have no doubt at 30' they would work on 5"

That was my thought, so I looked to see what would fit. Sadly, the small cast iron Hampton line has not returned. The Regency 1150 is their smallest steel and it is 1/2 too wide to nestle into the cavity. And at 32 3/16" tall it would be very hard to top vent unless a thimble was added up above the fireplace opening.

 

[mellow]

Pellet stove? Just throwing it out there...

The other option could be the Katydid, it uses 4" pipe: (broken link removed)

 

[Bippobappo]

I don’t know much about pellet stoves.
I also never considered that the space could be small enough to be overheated with a fireplace.
I’m open to all options here.
Again it’s just for aesthetics. Do pellet stoves have a look anything like wood when they burn?

 

[mellow]

I don’t know much about pellet stoves.
I also never considered that the space could be small enough to be overheated with a fireplace.
I’m open to all options here.
Again it’s just for aesthetics. Do pellet stoves have a look anything like wood when they burn?

Video showing the two running side by side:

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[begreen]

One thing missing from the video is a good recording of the sound of the pellet stove. A wood stove is silent unless it has a blower running.

I don’t know much about pellet stoves.
I also never considered that the space could be small enough to be overheated with a fireplace.
I’m open to all options here.
Again it’s just for aesthetics. Do pellet stoves have a look anything like wood when they burn?

A pellet stove is essentially a small sawdust pellet furnace. Aesthetically I find pellet stoves lacking. The fire is more of a blowtorch. Then there is the noise of two fans running. We had one for 5 yrs and although it worked well, there was no love loss when it was sold.

 

[Bippobappo]

Yeah the pellet stove isn’t what she wants but I’m glad I learned about them. The noise and not classic wood flame are dealbreakers.

 

[bholler]

I don’t know much about pellet stoves.
I also never considered that the space could be small enough to be overheated with a fireplace.
I’m open to all options here.
Again it’s just for aesthetics. Do pellet stoves have a look anything like wood when they burn?

If it's just for aesthetics why not just gas?

 

[Bippobappo]

Yeah given what I’ve learned from these posts, maybe we should look into gas if aesthetics are the priority over heat and some gas ones look pretty good.
But won’t that need a 6” flue too?