Chimney and Liner Products

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SpaceBus

Minister of Fire
Nov 18, 2018
7,493
Downeast Maine
My first floor is almost entirely gutted and we are planning significant changes to the house. One of which is a wood cook stove in the kitchen. I have found a UL listed model that does all the things I want and even has a rear vent. I've been reading around the forums and have seen Ventis and Excel as being the top players for a chimney. My plan is to rear vent the cook stove right through the wall into a T and then up the side of the house. I don't have any roof overhangs to deal with so it should all be fairly straight forward and easy as far as a chimney install goes. I currently have a scaffolding tower as well. Anything I should know before contacting dealers and getting pricing for chimney? Since this will be an exterior chimney I want the most insulated class A pipe I can find. Second on my list of priorities is ease of install and cleaning. My wife and I have been talking about putting a chase around the chimney, but we really don't like the idea.

Recently I saw a thread here, https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/clever-german-chimney-tee-with-cleanout.175343/ , that talks about a really neat T with a door that would make my life way easier. So far it doesn't seem like anyone has experience with this product. I'm considering being a guinea pig.

I suspect this coming winter I'll have far more cold starts with running two wood appliances and want to put a good liner inside of my masonry chimney for my Morso and use double wall connector pipe with two 45's. Insulation for the liner seems less significant in this application with an interior chimney since the house is insulated already. However, I'm no expert or professional, so I welcome any advice for this. It seems like the most straightforward method is to use a rope and pull a liner through the chimney. There is a clean out door on the bottom if that helps. I'm all ears for this venture as well.
 
The vendor I am working with for a cook stove also sells Selkirk "and other class A chimney". The few posts I've seen with Selkirk seem like it's a middle of the road product.
 
Selkirk makes a wide range of products from their value line to their platinum ultra.

The first reason for an insulated liner in a masonry chimney is safety. Most chimneys are not installed with the proper clearances to combustibles. 2" is required for an interior masonry chimney. Improved draft and reduced creosote accumulation are secondary benefits.
 
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Selkirk makes a wide range of products from their value line to their platinum ultra.

The first reason for an insulated liner in a masonry chimney is safety. Most chimneys are not installed with the proper clearances to combustibles. 2" is required for an interior masonry chimney. Improved draft and reduced creosote accumulation are secondary benefits.
The existing liner in my chimney is over-sized for our current stove. It's an 8" nominal clay liner. I've been reading the instructions on the Selkirk website and it might be a tight fit for the insulated liner. I'm hoping to avoid breaking the tile liner out, but I am seeing that it might be necessary.

I guess I'll have to speak to the vendor about the differences in the Selkirk products. I do like the way the lengths of pipe are held together by locking bands.
 
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My first floor is almost entirely gutted and we are planning significant changes to the house. One of which is a wood cook stove in the kitchen. I have found a UL listed model that does all the things I want and even has a rear vent. I've been reading around the forums and have seen Ventis and Excel as being the top players for a chimney. My plan is to rear vent the cook stove right through the wall into a T and then up the side of the house. I don't have any roof overhangs to deal with so it should all be fairly straight forward and easy as far as a chimney install goes. I currently have a scaffolding tower as well. Anything I should know before contacting dealers and getting pricing for chimney? Since this will be an exterior chimney I want the most insulated class A pipe I can find. Second on my list of priorities is ease of install and cleaning. My wife and I have been talking about putting a chase around the chimney, but we really don't like the idea.

Recently I saw a thread here, https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/clever-german-chimney-tee-with-cleanout.175343/ , that talks about a really neat T with a door that would make my life way easier. So far it doesn't seem like anyone has experience with this product. I'm considering being a guinea pig.

I suspect this coming winter I'll have far more cold starts with running two wood appliances and want to put a good liner inside of my masonry chimney for my Morso and use double wall connector pipe with two 45's. Insulation for the liner seems less significant in this application with an interior chimney since the house is insulated already. However, I'm no expert or professional, so I welcome any advice for this. It seems like the most straightforward method is to use a rope and pull a liner through the chimney. There is a clean out door on the bottom if that helps. I'm all ears for this venture as well.
The tee cap comes off the bottom of all class a chimney tees allowing you to easily clear from the bottom. The only area that would be a pain on your situation is the horizontal run from the stove through the wall. If that can be accessed through the stove I would just use a regular tee. I know a couple guys who have used Jeremiah's pipe and liked it but I never have. But they have been around in Europe for a while I believe. Selkirk does make some good high quality pipe but I still don't like the locking bands I prefer fastening them together with screws like ventis and Excel.

As far as the liner goes no you won't fit an insulated 6" liner inside an 8x8 clay liner. The clay will have to be removed. And you have to open up a large hole in the chimney in order to pull it up from the bottom. Installing top down is much more common.
 
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What makes the locking bands less favorable? I'm used to high tension clamps on forced induction engines for the intake and exhaust and they rarely fail.

Look at DuraLiner. It is preinsulated and has an OD of 6.675". It's a complete system. This is what Hogwildz's Summit is connected to.
https://www.northlineexpress.com/6-inch-duraliner-chimney-liner.html

Personally, I am not a fan of locking band systems, but they work. Contact the Jeremiah's chimney folk. That is the one with the cleanout tee. I think it's a good idea with a cook stove.
https://jeremias-group.com/stainless-steel-chimneys/dw-double-wall-stainless-steel-chimney/

Perhaps some calls next week will be in order. I'll also see if the cook stove vendor can order the Duraliner and Jeremiah's. Thanks for the tip on the Duraliner as well, it seems like the best option for my application.

The tee cap comes off the bottom of all class a chimney tees allowing you to easily clear from the bottom. The only area that would be a pain on your situation is the horizontal run from the stove through the wall. If that can be accessed through the stove I would just use a regular tee. I know a couple guys who have used Jeremiah's pipe and liked it but I never have. But they have been around in Europe for a while I believe. Selkirk does make some good high quality pipe but I still don't like the locking bands I prefer fastening them together with screws like ventis and Excel.

As far as the liner goes no you won't fit an insulated 6" liner inside an 8x8 clay liner. The clay will have to be removed. And you have to open up a large hole in the chimney in order to pull it up from the bottom. Installing top down is much more common.

I assumed it would be easiest pulling it down from the top. How large of a hole would I need if I were to try and pull the liner up from the bottom? I have just a freestanding masonry chimney in the middle of my house, no hearth or fireplace. It has a standard sized clean out opening at the bottom.

The cook stove I'm looking at seems like it will allow for an easy cleaning of the horizontal run, but with a single piece glass cook top I'm not so sure. I'm not trying to spend all of my money on a chimney, but I also want something that will last. I'm fine with paying a premium where it matters.
 
What makes the locking bands less favorable? I'm used to high tension clamps on forced induction engines for the intake and exhaust and they rarely fail.
It doesn't seem as strong a physical connection as a good twist lock. It's another part to have to lug up. Also, it requires tools for disassembly which can be a hassle. bholler may have other insights.
I assumed it would be easiest pulling it down from the top. How large of a hole would I need if I were to try and pull the liner up from the bottom? I have just a freestanding masonry chimney in the middle of my house, no hearth or fireplace. It has a standard sized clean out opening at the bottom.
The liner is installed from the top down. The thimble hole, if this is all masonry with no adjacent wood, is just a bit larger than the thimble collar. DuraVent has DuraLiner installation instructions posted on their website.
 
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It doesn't seem as strong a physical connection as a good twist lock. It's another part to have to lug up. Also, it requires tools for disassembly which can be a hassle. bholler may have other insights.

The liner is installed from the top down. The thimble hole, if this is all masonry with no adjacent wood, is just a bit larger than the thimble collar. DuraVent has DuraLiner installation instructions posted on their website.

If I use the DuraLiner products do I have to use their connector pipe? My thimble is actually for an 8" connector pipe, but I have a reducer plug that fits inside of it for my current connector pipe. Will I need to close the thimble opening down to 6" or can I continue using the reducer plug? If yes, what material should I use to reduce the opening?
 
No, you can use a different connector if you want. One option is to stuff the gap between the 6" liner snout and the 8" thimble with 1" stove door gasket. Duravent has a finishing collar for the DuraLiner system.
 
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What makes the locking bands less favorable? I'm used to high tension clamps on forced induction engines for the intake and exhaust and they rarely fail.



Perhaps some calls next week will be in order. I'll also see if the cook stove vendor can order the Duraliner and Jeremiah's. Thanks for the tip on the Duraliner as well, it seems like the best option for my application.



I assumed it would be easiest pulling it down from the top. How large of a hole would I need if I were to try and pull the liner up from the bottom? I have just a freestanding masonry chimney in the middle of my house, no hearth or fireplace. It has a standard sized clean out opening at the bottom.

The cook stove I'm looking at seems like it will allow for an easy cleaning of the horizontal run, but with a single piece glass cook top I'm not so sure. I'm not trying to spend all of my money on a chimney, but I also want something that will last. I'm fine with paying a premium where it matters.
Yes locking bands can work very well and be easy to use. Unfortunately I have never used one on a chimney that was either of those things. From what I have seen and heard Jeremiah's bands are much better but I have never actually used them. I would never use just twist lock chimney though. I have had to many come apart during cleaning.
 
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Yes locking bands can work very well and be easy to use. Unfortunately I have never used one on a chimney that was either of those things. From what I have seen and heard Jeremiah's bands are much better but I have never actually used them. I would never use just twist lock chimney though. I have had to many come apart during cleaning.

I'm one of those people that doesn't like to put holes in something unless I have to, so the locking bands appeal to me. I'm going to talk to my vendor next week and see if he can get me the Jeremiah's chimney. The DuraLiner looks like a clear winner for the chimney liner @begreen, thank you!

I really appreciate all the replies, now I feel much more confident going forward.
 
No, you can use a different connector if you want. One option is to stuff the gap between the 6" liner snout and the 8" thimble with 1" stove door gasket. Duravent has a finishing collar for the DuraLiner system.

What's the favorite for double wall connector pipe? Is it really down to aesthetics?
 
What's the favorite for double wall connector pipe? Is it really down to aesthetics?
For me it's ventis but there are plenty of other good ones.
 
What's the favorite for double wall connector pipe? Is it really down to aesthetics?
Drolet makes a nice heavy double-wall. Not too fond of Selkirk. We have DuraVent DVL. It's ok, but nothing special.
 
I installed Selkirk Ultimate One on my current install and I would never use any thing but locking bands ever again. I pull my chimney apart about 4 times a season and wouldn't want to wrestle with twist lock like I have in the past. The locking bands do not require tools unless the bands are in a concealed space or part of an offset. My whole setup takes about 30 minutes to disassemble, clean and reassemble.
 
I installed Selkirk Ultimate One on my current install and I would never use any thing but locking bands ever again. I pull my chimney apart about 4 times a season and wouldn't want to wrestle with twist lock like I have in the past. The locking bands do not require tools unless the bands are in a concealed space or part of an offset. My whole setup takes about 30 minutes to disassemble, clean and reassemble.
Why do you take your chimney apart 4 times a year?
 
Why do you take your chimney apart 4 times a year?
We tend to have shoulder season( compared to most wood burners) all winter long so we burn the Ashford pretty low - we seem to get more creosote than most.
 
We tend to have shoulder season( compared to most wood burners) all winter long so we burn the Ashford pretty low - we seem to get more creosote than most.
Ok but why do you take the chimney apart?
 
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Ok but why do you take the chimney apart?
Because it's easy - goes through a flat roof...and no mess inside or wrestling with fiberglass poles.
 
Because it's easy - goes through a flat roof...and no mess inside or wrestling with fiberglass poles.
If it works for you great. But doing that is very uncommon. Infact this is the first I have ever heard of anyone doing it that way. With a straight up install I would just clean from the bottom. It is fast easy and no risk of damaging the chimney.
 
The chimney and liner are here at my house awaiting installation. I've read through the instructions for both systems, but they don't really have a suggested tool/materials list. I'll need some high temp flexible sealant for the wall thimble and the top plate for the liner. There is also no mention of pop rivet size and grip for the Duraliner, but I am assuming I need 1/8" rivets. Anything else I should have on hand for the install?
 
You can use a quality silicone sealant/adhesive for those locations. It's more important to have something that stands up to the sun and weather. No need for high temp. GE Silicone II works well.
 
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Check your boxes, my Duraliner Oval rigid liner came with SS rivets. They were in a small package taped to the side of the pipe.

Edit: also the cap kit w/clamp should have come with the top plate.
 
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Good to know, I haven't opened anything yet. I picked up some stainless rivets from the lumber yard just in case.