Chimney install through floor with radiant heat

[numbersgame]

First time poster, thanks for any help. I'm looking to install a new wood stove on the main floor in a home that has radiant floor heating on the 2nd floor installed in poured concrete. As I'm at altitude (7,000'), I want an interior chimney for the best draft. The installer I was hoping to work with told me to find an HVAC contractor to move the radiant system in the corner where the chimney will go.

My question is: can I tear up the floor and move the radiant myself, do I need a contractor to do it, or am I better off going outside with the chimney?

Thanks

 

[Grisu]

Sounds like a PITA to move the radiant heat; I would maybe explore the option of an outside chimney first. Properly installed and with enough height it should work, even at your elevation. How many vertical feet is it from the stove location to the eaves? And what stove model are you considering? Some models draft easier than others.

 

[numbersgame]

Sounds like a PITA to move the radiant heat; I would maybe explore the option of an outside chimney first. Properly installed and with enough height it should work, even at your elevation. How many vertical feet is it from the stove location to the eaves? And what stove model are you considering? Some models draft easier than others.

It's about 15' from the top of connector to the eves. I've got the Lopi Cape Cod. Thanks

 

[AmbDrvr253]

I dont know that 15 ft will do it. Can u extend it beyond the roof line with braces for support?

X2 on the external chimney tho. Seems like an awful lot of work.

 

[ddahlgren]

You need to be 3 feet above anything within 10 feet of the chimney so 18 feet at the least. What you are not thinking about is the reinforcing rod and the brackets to hold it off the bottom of the pour. Once you cut into the floor I think you are asking for a large problem.

 

[Niko]

man conctrete second floor? Depends on how good your skills really are for the concrete part. We need a lot more info first time poster if you really need help.

 

[jotul?]

What you are not thinking about is the reinforcing rod and the brackets to hold it off the bottom of the pour. Once you cut into the floor I think you are asking for a large problem.

That floor will be filled with not only water lines and their support structure, but rebar or heavy wire mesh. I think you'd be buying yourself a lot of trouble (I'm a 13 year journeyman bricklayer). If the walls are also poured, or concrete block, there are also going to be structural tie-ins between the floor and walls all around the perimeter of the room.

 

[SteveKG]

I do everything myself, including building this house all alone. I would run from this project, however, if it involved the proposed through-the-concrete-upper-floor and heating system. Unless you have gobs of cash to hire someone to do it and are willing to hope they'll do it right.

I live at 8500 feet and have three wood stoves with dedicated stovepipes for each. There is absolutely zero issue with the outdoor pipe if it's double-walled insulated [such as Selkirk Metalbestos or equivalent.] The only compromise for you would be to put in a ninety-degree clean-out outside before the vertical run of chimney, and that is not a big deal.

By the way, in the 70s and early 80s, I lived up here in a rental house which had cheap-o, single-walled stove pipe from the stove to the chimney cap and even it did just great as far as draft and etc.

 

[ddahlgren]

It is pressure differential as long as what is in chimney is at a lower pressure than atmosphere it will draft just fine.

 

[ToltingColtAcres]

I would hate to think about the structural support necessary to pour a concrete slab on a 2nd floor in a house. Do you know how thick this slab is?

Radiant heat is PEX tubing embedded in a concrete slab. First I would think you would need chisel out by hand a small section of the slab to determine how thick the slab is (can't just saw though a section of concrete since you may cut thru the tubing), how deep the pex tubing is in the slab (once you know this, you could saw out a template of where you want to chisel out), and what type of rebar mesh exists in the slab. You would need to remove enough concrete around a piece of the pex tubing itself (3 inches) to install a patch along with the space for your chimney, and then replace the concrete.

That's a lot of work. Is it possible to do? Sure. But I would definitely look for a different solution. I guess its doable if you have no other options.

 

[ddahlgren]

My shop has a 6 inch thick concrete floor with rebar on 12 inch center both north south and east west plus pex tubing north south on the same 12 inch centers. 5 grounding rods for machinery tied off to the rebar for a ground plane and 1/2 steel plus concrete over utility room. We knew we would need plumbing and wiring pass throughs and used 3 inch pvc 5 of them spaced out. You have to design this stuff in and then decide if you are going to compromise the slab with a hole. Cutting a few pieces of rebar might be a bigger deal than you imagine. Not so much with wire mesh as usually sinks to the bottom where mostly useless.