Changing out 8" flue pipe with 6"

[coryolson]

Hi Guys,

I have a two story house (main floor and basement) with a Hampton H300 woodstove in the basement that I use to heat the house. The stove runs a six inch pipe up to the ceiling and then connects to a 8" pipe that runs all the way up through the house and out the roof. What worries me is that walls upstairs where the pipe runs through seem to get a little warm to the touch, not hot, just warm. I am not sure what kind of pipe is run but I would assume it is triple wall uninsulated since the walls get a little warm.

My questions are...

1. Would I get better performance from from a 6" pipe, double wall insulated stainless steel?
2. Would #1 be a safer and keep it cooler?
3. Does it matter that the wall surronding the pipe get warm?
4. Anything else I should be concerned about?

thanks
cory

 

[coryolson]

I actually just talked to the previous owner and he said it is doublewall installed in 1989 but was unsure if it was insulated or not.

thanks
Cory

 

[coryolson]

warm wall aint bad. if draft is adequate, i wouldnt mess with it unless there's a code issue.

no draft issues, it works perfectly otherwise.

 

[begreen]

I agree. If you can put your hand on the closest wall and it just feels warm, no problem. Just be sure that there is at least 2" clearance from any combustibles for the full length of the class A pipe. It should have an insulation shield in the attic. It looks like the original owner used galvanized pipe that is now rusting up. Eventually it will need to be replaced. Next sweeping, have your sweep check the interior and exterior and give you a report on it's condition.

 

[LLigetfa]

Just to be safe, I put a radiation shield around the entire length from the firestop at the ceiling to the angled flashing going through the roof. It does mean that I salvage less heat off the chimney but a hotter chimney is less prone to creosote. The chimney goes through the master bedroom walk-in closet and I didn't want it to heat the space too much. I then chased it all in with metal studs and drywall. I added small vents to the chase to salvage a bit of heat and ended up replacing them with slightly larger vents to get the amount of heat I wanted. Putting vents in the chase actually promotes convection, helping to cool it.

 

[coryolson]

I agree. If you can put your hand on the closest wall and it just feels warm, no problem. Just be sure that there is at least 2" clearance from any combustibles for the full length of the class A pipe. It should have an insulation shield in the attic. It looks like the original owner used galvanized pipe that is now rusting up. Eventually it will need to be replaced. Next sweeping, have your sweep check the interior and exterior and give you a report on it's condition.

its not rusting, it is actually painted to match the exterior of the house. I do the every year before I start burning. I will check the attic but checking the clearance inside the wall will be tough.

thanks again