Bringing an old installation up to code

[FanMan]

I have an old stove installation in our cabin that I want to bring up to code.



Right now the single wall stovepipe is about 15" from the wall, a bit less than the required 18". My initial thought was to add a heat shield to the back of the pipe, but the other option is to go with double wall pipe instead. However, the chimney pipe only protrudes about 8" from the ceiling, and as I understand it (please correct me if I'm wrong), that needs to be 18" as well? So another option is to use a short length of double wall pipe at the top, and keep the single wall (with added heat shield) down to the stove.

I know double wall would improve draft and reduce creosote buildup, bout OTOH the single wall would mean more heat into the room, and the old stove isn't terribly efficient to begin with (I want to replace it, but not this year). The wall behind the stove itself is OK, with brick face over cement board spaced out from the wall.

I'm not sure what brand the chimney pipe is (I'll check this weekend). I presume I need the same brand adapter to connect the double wall pipe to the chimney?

Do I need an adapter to connect double wall to the existing single wall pipe?

 

[begreen]

NIce cabin! Chimney pipe usually only requires 2" clearance. It looks like it was extended into the room to clear the ceiling beams. That's ok. You may find that the chimney pipe is now obsolete and adapting it could be a challenge. In that case, pipe shields would work.

These old Franklin fireplaces are very inefficient. If the goal is to produce good heat with less wood then planning on a replacement is a good idea.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

One thing to think about as well might be the hearth. Can’t tell from the picture, but it could be simply a piece of cement board with bricks mortared to it, which may not meet the radiant heat clearance needs of that stove.
When we moved into our camp, I saw that they had a wood stove in the garage with that for a “hearth”. I would have fixed that, but the home ins company was clear that they would not cover a stove in a garage. No big loss as I was not going to use it. That and the stove was one of those crappy cheap stoves you see for sale everywhere for like 300 bucks. I disconnected it.

 

[Tech Guru]

That and the stove was one of those crappy cheap stoves you see for sale everywhere for like 300 bucks. I disconnected it.

Ahh, the Vogelzang! What a POS

 

[bigealta]

Keep your eye open on craigslist and the like for a good used stove. That one, as you know, is just making you work so much harder suppling it with endless amount of wood for little heat.

with that said i'm betting your chimney is not very tall so you would need an "easy breather."

 

[begreen]

Keep your eye open on craigslist and the like for a good used stove. That one, as you know, is just making you work so much harder suppling it with endless amount of wood for little heat.

with that said i'm betting your chimney is not very tall so you would need an "easy breather."

Also, consider replacing it with a new stove like the Drolet Spark II.

 

[FanMan]

My main concern at the moment is the clearance at the top. I'm not worried about the chimney pipe clearance, but the distance from the single wall pipe angling up to the ceiling and beams... is the required 18" straight horizontally or in any direction? If the latter, it would seem that the chimney pipe would have to extend 18" through the ceiling, or be shielded or double wall. So the question is, is a shield wrapping 180° around the pipe (back and sides) adequate, or do I need to shield any part of the pipe that's within 18" of a combustible surface in any direction?



As I said earlier, the bricks behind the stove are on cement board which is spaced out from the wall, so that's kosher. On the floor, it's 2" thick cinderblocks over cement board, so that's also OK.

Replacing the stove will happen, just not this year. Like this one, it will have to have a large glass door... I want the heat, but don't want to forego the pleasure of watching the flames while sipping a Scotch on a cold snowy evening.

 

[begreen]

It looks like the chimney pipe (2" clearance) projects down into the room to avoid clearance issues though that is an odd and not proper support system.