Bought my first house. Have some woodstove questions

[jrz126]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I just moved in to our first house. Its a 1970 Ranch with a full basement, about 1400 Sq ft up stairs and 800 Sq ft down.

There is a woodstove in the basement:

I would like to try to put it to use alittle bit this year, depending on how much fire wood I can scrounge up. I'm in the process of getting some 2" square x 10 or 15' wood from work for just about nothing. Its used between the steel plates during cooling and shipping, so I think the hot steel dries it out real good.

What all do I need to check to make sure this thing is safe? An older lady lived in the house and I was told it hasnt been used for years and it really wasn't used much when it was installed. I'm going to try to get up on the roof tonight and what the flue looks like. What else should I look for?

Also, any idea what those rectangular cover thingys are for on the wall?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Brian VT]

I would definitely want to know what's behind the stove and the condition of the rest of the system.
I'm suprised the home inspection, assuming you had one done, didn't involve the stove and chimney.
I would get a pro to look at it or do a lot of research yourself on codes, etc., and verify that all is safe.
If it turns out to be safe to use, get some floor protection in front of the hearth. Something fireproof. Not just one of those hearth rugs.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Hey, welcome to the finest website on the www.

Don't burn a thing in that stove until you are 100% certain it is installed correctly and you have a safe and code compliant chimney and stove installation.

If it were I, I would hire a professional, reliable, trustworty, certified chimney sweep to inspect the chimney/stove installation prior to burning.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it

 

[cmonSTART]

+1 on getting the chimney inspected. Make sure things are clean. What's the inside of the stove look like?

 

[Brian VT]

B.t.w., congrats on the house !

 

[btj1031]

My grandfather heated with that exact same stove in the 70s and 80s. Lots of memories! I'd clean it out, check the gaskets, have the chimney inspected and maybe install a liner, and fire it up!

 

[jrz126]

I looked all the way down the flue and it was spotless except for alittle surface rust.

I though i had a better shot of the inside, but I just have these two:

That black ash thats in there is from some bank statements and other documents that I wanted to get rid of. I'll clean it out tonight and get some better pictures.

How much does it usually cost to have a pro come out and take a look at it?

 

[Cearbhaill]

An inspection here cost me $75.
When you consider that it is the life of you and your family, plus that new house you just purchased, $75 is a no brainer.
Call a pro.

 

[savageactor7]

jrz if I could look all the way up or down the flue and note no obstructions or buildup of creosote then yeah I would fire it up.

Oh and another thing check to make sure the chimney is lined with flue brick. Lots of times with old chimneys with brick only the cement can deteriorate allowing sparks to penetrate the inside walls...that could be very bad.

 

[begreen]

The chimney may have been cleaned before they sold. But check the top of the flue from the outside to be sure.

Also, there is no hearth extension in front of the stove. It needs one 18" out. Put in a hearth pad if this is temporary.

What's with the angle metal and wood under the stove. That should go if it's combustible.

 

[Brian VT]

No pipe ? I guess the smoke just gets dumped into the fireplace and the face plate keeps it from coming back into the room ?

 

[jrz126]

jrz if I could look all the way up or down the flue and note no obstructions or buildup of creosote then yeah I would fire it up.

Oh and another thing check to make sure the chimney is lined with flue brick. Lots of times with old chimneys with brick only the cement can deteriorate allowing sparks to penetrate the inside walls...that could be very bad.

There are no bricks in the chimney. My friend said something about a triple wall pipe? here's a pic of it in the garage

It looks like it 45's off the back of the stove and then goes straight up.

What's with the angle metal and wood under the stove. That should go if it's combustible.

That grate thats on top of the stove and those metal things under it were inside the stove when I moved in. Not sure what they're for.

 

[savageactor7]

OK that last pic clears things up a little more.

Hopefully there should be a clean out in a very accessible place...and I hope you don't have to remove the stove to find it. Anyway so you find the clean out, open the door and stick a mirror in there and look for obstructions. If ya can't do that then if ya figure it's safe go on the roof with a hand mirror and with the hand mirror direct some sunlight down the chimney and inspect. If you haven't done this before you'll be amazed on how efficient it is.

So lets say you determine the chimney's OK and ready to burn with. Before you start a fire crumple up enough newspaper in that stove so you burn that and figure out all the draft levers and air shut offs and while your doing that check out the chimney too. If there's a problem at least the newspapers will burn out faster than a wood fire. Now if that works out OK I'd say the chimney is clear, so go ahead and start burning small fires until your comfortable with the stove.

Now if you spend the majority of your time down there you might like that. Personally I'm not a big fan of basement stoves if your looking to heat the whole house but since this is your 1st house I think you and the wife will love the whole fire thing. If the wood is dry enough don't be afraid to keep the door open ...but only while you're there.

 

[jrz126]

I dont see any cleanouts. It sounds like I probably should pull that woodstove out and take a look behind it. I'm assuming this is tough to do?

Any tips on how to remove it and what to look for would be greatly appreciated.

 

[struggle]

The chimney may have been cleaned before they sold. But check the top of the flue from the outside to be sure.

Also, there is no hearth extension in front of the stove. It needs one 18" out. Put in a hearth pad if this is temporary.

What's with the angle metal and wood under the stove. That should go if it's combustible.

What he said about the angle bracket thingy on the front of the stove looks like a homemade bracket to prop up the stove to keep it from tipping of the fireplace ledge.

This set up just does not look safe at all to me. I can never imagine it being acceptable to have a stove hanging/extened over any amount let alone that far as to have to make a custom bracket for it.

This set up I would bet good money it would never pass any safety inspection ever.

Make sure without a doubt that it is safe and make sure your insurance company knows it exist since if the worst could happen you might be out of a house and your not covered as it is not properly installed.

 

[jrz126]

What he said about the angle bracket thingy on the front of the stove looks like a homemade bracket to prop up the stove to keep it from tipping of the fireplace ledge.
This set up just does not look safe at all to me. I can never imagine it being acceptable to have a stove hanging/extened over any amount let alone that far as to have to make a custom bracket for it.

This set up I would bet good money it would never pass any safety inspection ever.

Make sure without a doubt that it is safe and make sure your insurance company knows it exist since if the worst could happen you might be out of a house and your not covered as it is not properly installed.

That stuff under the stove was just some tray or something that was stored inside the stove. Has nothing to do with supporting it.

I figured out how to pull the woodstove out. Those two silver knobs on either side of the stove connect to a couple brackets which hold it in there and keep it from tipping.

Theres one of the brackets here. Even with the stove pulled out 6" it would take quite bit of force to tip it over.

The insurance company knows about the woodstove and they even came out to take a couple pictures of it.


Here's a pic. looking up

I have a few more pics in my photobucket album... http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm207/jrz126_86ss/house/ I could only stick my arm in with the camera and snap the pics so they arent very good.

Should I try to get in there and give everything a good cleaning?

 

[struggle]

From what I see in your picture the pipe from the stove does not directly connect to the liner? So the stove is pushed in and just kind of below the chimney liner pipe?

If this is correct it is what they call a slammer where a stove is just pushed into a fireplace like that. While it was acceptable long ago it is no longer considered safe as it would never meet any current standard fire codes for installation I am guessing.

Others here will be better suited to explain further what you might be able to do as I am not as well steeped as others as to wether it would be safe or not to run like that.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I just moved in to our first house. Its a 1970 Ranch with a full basement, about 1400 Sq ft up stairs and 800 Sq ft down.

There is a woodstove in the basement:

I would like to try to put it to use alittle bit this year, depending on how much fire wood I can scrounge up. I'm in the process of getting some 2" square x 10 or 15' wood from work for just about nothing. Its used between the steel plates during cooling and shipping, so I think the hot steel dries it out real good.

What all do I need to check to make sure this thing is safe? An older lady lived in the house and I was told it hasnt been used for years and it really wasn't used much when it was installed. I'm going to try to get up on the roof tonight and what the flue looks like. What else should I look for?

Also, any idea what those rectangular cover thingys are for on the wall?

Thanks,
Jeff

I'm a throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks type of guy. If it's been several years I'd sweep the chimney and burn baby burn. I've never seen an insert like that. I bet it throws off wicked heat.