Bought a house with a Blaze King Princess...but pipe needs repair

[cgjeff]

Hi all,

First time posting. I've recently bought a home that came with a Blaze King Princess in the living room, squarely in the center of the house. I've read a lot about the stove online, have learned a lot about wood burning from this site, and am excited to start using the stove. However, the stove pipe needs some TLC first, and I'm not sure about the best way to make repairs. So some questions I'm hoping y'all can help me answer:

1) I need to replace the ~5' run from the stove to the ceiling. The stove has a 6" opening, but the ceiling has an 8" opening. Should I put the 6" to 8" adapter nearer the ceiling or nearer the stove? I also need to put in an elbow--I assume that should be nearer the ceiling? Clearances are all good, so I was planning to use single wall pipe.

2) The house came with a 6x6" square air duct on the ceiling above the stove that connects right into the gas furnace duct system (the furnace itself is very close, in a closet directly behind the stove). I can only assume this was done to pass heat from the woodstove around the house, which is a single story ~1800 sqft. Any thoughts on whether this "passive system" would be of any use, or would I just pushing room-temp air and carbon monoxide around the house?

3) If I close up the passive air duct, that frees up space for me to potentially move or replace the 8" ceiling stove pipe opening. Would there be any benefit to replacing the existing 8" stove pipe in the attic with 6" pipe, and then putting the 6-8" adapter just below roof level instead of at the stove or ceiling level? In that case I could also move the elbow nearer the roof, instead of in the living space. Would that be a good idea?

Any and all ideas and advice are greatly appreciated!

 

[BKVP]

Hi all,

First time posting. I've recently bought a home that came with a Blaze King Princess in the living room, squarely in the center of the house. I've read a lot about the stove online, have learned a lot about wood burning from this site, and am excited to start using the stove. However, the stove pipe needs some TLC first, and I'm not sure about the best way to make repairs. So some questions I'm hoping y'all can help me answer:

1) I need to replace the ~5' run from the stove to the ceiling. The stove has a 6" opening, but the ceiling has an 8" opening. Should I put the 6" to 8" adapter nearer the ceiling or nearer the stove? I also need to put in an elbow--I assume that should be nearer the ceiling? Clearances are all good, so I was planning to use single wall pipe.

A. Please use black dbl wall pipe. If it is a cat model, they are efficient and you may need the extra heat to stay in the chimney to induce draft...especially if you have an offset. (elbow) May the conversion and offset at the ceiling support box, use 6" dbl wall from stove to the ceiling support box.

2) The house came with a 6x6" square air duct on the ceiling above the stove that connects right into the gas furnace duct system (the furnace itself is very close, in a closet directly behind the stove). I can only assume this was done to pass heat from the woodstove around the house, which is a single story ~1800 sqft. Any thoughts on whether this "passive system" would be of any use, or would I just pushing room-temp air and carbon monoxide around the house?

A. I think you had better check codes and standards! If that stove spills smoke, that would pump smoke, if it has a fan, into all the other rooms.

3) If I close up the passive air duct, that frees up space for me to potentially move or replace the 8" ceiling stove pipe opening. Would there be any benefit to replacing the existing 8" stove pipe in the attic with 6" pipe, and then putting the 6-8" adapter just below roof level instead of at the stove or ceiling level? In that case I could also move the elbow nearer the roof, instead of in the living space. Would that be a good idea?

A. A straight up and out system that matches the stove flue collar is always best. If it's my money and home, I would close off the air duct for certain, then run the stove to see how it performs with 6" dbl wall to the current system. If it runs great, then I would not worry about modifying it any further, If I am spending your money, heck yeah, I'd replace the how system to 6".

Any and all ideas and advice are greatly appreciated!

ONE FINAL OBESRVATION. YOU SHOULD HAVE A QUALIFIED CHIMNEY SWEEP INSPECT THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IF YOU PLAN ON USING IT TO CHECK INTEGRITY AND THAT IT WAS INSTALLED PROPERLY.

 

[Highbeam]

I would leave the 8" chimney above the attic, close off the illegal furnace intake, and put the reducer at the ceiling for aesthetics and since 6" interior pipe will be more common, lose less heat, and look better.

The first elbow should be as far away from the stove as possible. Double wall interior pipe is better for the BK for several reasons but mostly because it keeps the flue gas warmer and promotes a stronger draft.

The old 8" system is likely very old and was most likely hooked to a smoke dragon that often would be operated in such a way to create chimney fires. Good chance that the old chimney has seen some chimney fires if it was used much. It is not easy to switch from 8" to 6" because the ceiling support box is different size, the roof flashing a different size, etc. It is easier to go smaller than bigger but roofing, framing, sheetrock work, etc.

 

[cgjeff]

Thanks BKVP and Highbeam!

I should have mentioned that I did have a chimney sweep from the local Blaze King distributor come out and check my set up. The town I live in is small enough that he's the only one in the area. I asked him many of the same questions, and he gave me pretty much entirely opposite answers from what you've both written (his recommendations were to put the 6" to 8" adapter at the stove outlet, not the ceiling, to use single wall, and to leave the weird furnace intake as-is because "it'll probably help a lot if you turn on the furnace fan"). I got the strong sense though that he really didn't know what he was talking about, which is why I posted here.

From what I've read about how Blaze Kings are supposed to operate, the answers and rationale you've provided make a lot more sense to me. So, my new plan is:

~ Install new 6" black double wall pipe from the stove, then new elbow near the ceiling, then new 6" to 8" adapter going into the ceiling support box. My Princess model does have a catalyst.

~ Seal off the "illegal furnace intake".

~ Try it out this winter. Consider further future modifications to the attic/roof piping to create a straight run from stove to roof if the system performs terribly--or whenever I next need to repair my roof anyway. Regularly clean the heck out of the existing, old 8" attic pipe in any case (yes, the attic pipe does look very old, the Blaze King install was clearly a recent retrofit).

Do I have this right? Thanks again!

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks BKVP and Highbeam!

I should have mentioned that I did have a chimney sweep from the local Blaze King distributor come out and check my set up. The town I live in is small enough that he's the only one in the area. I asked him many of the same questions, and he gave me pretty much entirely opposite answers from what you've both written (his recommendations were to put the 6" to 8" adapter at the stove outlet, not the ceiling, to use single wall, and to leave the weird furnace intake as-is because "it'll probably help a lot if you turn on the furnace fan"). I got the strong sense though that he really didn't know what he was talking about, which is why I posted here.

From what I've read about how Blaze Kings are supposed to operate, the answers and rationale you've provided make a lot more sense to me. So, my new plan is:

~ Install new 6" black double wall pipe from the stove, then new elbow near the ceiling, then new 6" to 8" adapter going into the ceiling support box. My Princess model does have a catalyst.

~ Seal off the "illegal furnace intake".

~ Try it out this winter. Consider further future modifications to the attic/roof piping to create a straight run from stove to roof if the system performs terribly--or whenever I next need to repair my roof anyway. Regularly clean the heck out of the existing, old 8" attic pipe in any case (yes, the attic pipe does look very old, the Blaze King install was clearly a recent retrofit).

Do I have this right? Thanks again!

Sounds good. The law requires return air intakes for HVAC to be quite a distance from the stove, I recall 10', for the reason you point out which is sucking up and pumping poison around the house.

To be fair to the BK dealer you talked to, 6" or 8" are both allowed and if you have clearances then single wall is also allowed. The benefits of double wall are better performance which the dealer may not have thought important compared to saving a few bucks on the single wall stuff. The first bend above the stove "should" be or maybe "must" be, I forget, more than 2 feet above the stove. It's in the manual which is available online if you don't have it.

 

[jetsam]

If I was in his shoes, I'd find one of the guys from the "Why doesn't my King draft right on a 6" flue" threads, and trade them stoves.

 

[cgjeff]

Hah! If not for the freight cost to ship something as big and heavy as a stove across the country, I'd be all for that!

 

[BKVP]

If I was in his shoes, I'd find one of the guys from the "Why doesn't my King draft right on a 6" flue" threads, and trade them stoves.

You know Jetsam, I had a great guy call this morning. He asked about running a King on a 6.% clay lined chimney. When I explained that it would not work, he said he had "found guys on the internet that said it does work."

I explained that after 18 years of hearing exactly the opposite, it was his call. I suggested his home would smell like beef jerky all the time.

He was a good listener, had several other great questions and then said, I'll get a Princess. Got to love those that heed advise.....

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

Got to love those that heed advise.....

Yes, but whose advice?

Because, even if you ask two professionals, you'll often get two different replies!