Chimney liner?? do I need one, or is the one I have good enough? (I really dont want to burn my hous

[mann]

First off I would like to say hello to everyone as I am new to this forum.

Here is the situation.

I purchased a house with a wood stove installed in the basement. Growing up my parrents always had one in my house, and wanted to be able to use one in my now new house (I am 22, and this is my first house). I climbed on the roof to examine the chimney flue, and saw that someone had run stove pipe up the inside of the brick/ceramic flu. Instead of cleaning the liner I completely removed it (all 20 ft or so) (note: when I say stove pipe I am talking about the black 22ga pipe that is availible at home depot or lowes) I purchased new stove pipe, and screwed all of the seams. The pipe comes in 2 ft sections with a 6" diameter. I did not put any sealant on the seams as they are tapered, and i thought that it would be OK. So I have installed my new stove pipe, and all the nessary elbos to connect to my stove. (note: it is multi fuel stove. it can burn both wood and coal) I used the owners manual to make sure the placement of the stove was to spec. The first time that I ran a fire the pipe smoked a little, but I figured that that was probally some kind of "break in process", and not to worry. I burnt wood for the first 2-3 weeks of the cold season, and now am on coal (roughly ~1-2 weeks).

Here is the problem:
Tonight smoke started coming out of the inlet of the chimney. Between the ceramic flue, and the stove pipe that I ran to the top. I immeadetly killed the fire, and climbed on the roof to see what was going on. It seems that soot has clogged the screen that prevents birds/leaves from entering the chimney, and was forcing smoke back down the flu. I dont understand why it has clogged so soon. (note: the wire that was clogged has openings roughly .5" by .5") Is it because of the stove pipe? Is it because of the wood/coal? What am I doing wrong? Is it normal to have to clean a chimney every 3 weeks?

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

where to begin,
first of all start with this thread that is going on now. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/5108/
basements can be problematic for draft.
the single wall you installed will rust out pretty quick, the liner needs to be stainless.
Dont burn coal untill you get your draft issues solved. it can be very dangerous.
The screen has plugged do to low burns, you need to get a flue probe thermometer and a stove top thermometer and make sure you burning in the proper range.
If your burning your stove wide open, and your still getting lots of creosote, you might have less then seasoned wood, or it could be draft related.
Is the stove outlet size and the stove pipe size the same going up through the chimney?

 

[Hogwildz]

where to begin,
first of all start with this thread that is going on now. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/5108/
basements can be problematic for draft.
the single wall you installed will rust out pretty quick, the liner needs to be stainless.
Dont burn coal untill you get your draft issues solved. it can be very dangerous.
The screen has plugged do to low burns, you need to get a flue probe thermometer and a stove top thermometer and make sure you burning in the proper range.
If your burning your stove wide open, and your still getting lots of creosote, you might have less then seasoned wood, or it could be draft related.
Is the stove outlet size and the stove pipe size the same going up through the chimney?

Wow, that black pipe run up inside chimney can't be code is it? Sounds dangerous to me.
Listen to what these guys will have to say. You might here the words stainless steel liner. Maybe even a good candidate for s.s. flex liner.
I wouldn't trust that single wall black. Esp with coal, NO WAY.
You need a certain stainless steel for coal use. Ti316?
Elk, oh Elk cleanup on isle nine

 

[mann]

Wow, that black pipe run up inside chimney can't be code is it? Sounds dangerous to me.

I honestly dont know. That is what was previously in the chimney, so I just replaced it.

I have now read for @3 hr, and have found little to no info on putting stove pipe to line a flu. I am beginning to think it is because it is not suposto be there.
I am assuming that the reason for using a different substance other than stove pipe is due to corrosion/rust.

Assuming that my flue didnt have any cracks in it tho I could just use the original ceramic flue liner. I wanted to play worse case, and decided to replace it. I thought that all the liner did was to assure that air was not being released into the original flue in case it did have cracks that would allow the fire into ones house.

I think the reason that I have so much Creosote build up, and the reason it clogged my exhaust screen is 1 my holes may be a little too small. (although it is the same size as the one at my parrents house, and theirs works fine), 2 that I may of used unseasoned wood (I purchased it from a litlle place, and have no previous experiences with them) & wood scraps (I am remodeling, and threw some 2X4 scraps on it)

I am going to try to get some thermocouples to watch/examine my flue, stove, etc temperatures.

I appriciate everyones input, and tommorow I am going to try to contact a local chimney cleaner/stove retail store, and see what some of my options are for liners.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

using the correct flue size is to insure proper draft, it can be used for saftey issues in damaged chimneys, but its effect on stove performance is key.
Your on the right track, just be carefull with coal until you get your chimney figued out. Basements can be tricky. Take some of your wood down to the local stove shop and have them test the moister content. Your screen should not plug with proper burning pratices. Liners are expensive, on the low end $350 , on the high end $700

 

[Hogwildz]

Wow, that black pipe run up inside chimney can't be code is it? Sounds dangerous to me.

I honestly dont know. That is what was previously in the chimney, so I just replaced it.

I have now read for @3 hr, and have found little to no info on putting stove pipe to line a flu. I am beginning to think it is because it is not suposto be there.
I am assuming that the reason for using a different substance other than stove pipe is due to corrosion/rust.

Black stove pipe for a chimney liner-NO
The choices are if you want to reline: S.S. flex, S.S. Rigid single wall, S.S. Double wall. or a combo of rigid & flex depending on your setup.
Is it an old fireplace chimney the pipe is running thorough? Or just a straight up chimney? I think for coal you need Ti316 grade s.s. liner. You can easily research that if no one here chimes in.

Assuming that my flue didnt have any cracks in it tho I could just use the original ceramic flue liner. I wanted to play worse case, and decided to replace it. I thought that all the liner did was to assure that air was not being released into the original flue in case it did have cracks that would allow the fire into ones house.

You should have the existing clay liner inspected real good. I think coal may eat away at the clay if you burn coal in there. Not sure on that.

I think the reason that I have so much Creosote build up, and the reason it clogged my exhaust screen is 1 my holes may be a little too small. (although it is the same size as the one at my parrents house, and theirs works fine), 2 that I may of used unseasoned wood (I purchased it from a litlle place, and have no previous experiences with them) & wood scraps (I am remodeling, and threw some 2X4 scraps on it)

I doubt its the holes, if your burning unseasoned wood, that will contribute, and the single wall black pipe will cool much faster than an insualted flex liner or insualted double wall rigid liner. Cooler pipe= cooler gases going up= quicker & more concentrated buildup of creosote. I am not sure how much coal contributes to this, hopefully a coal burner or two will give imput here.

I am going to try to get some thermocouples to watch/examine my flue, stove, etc temperatures.

I appriciate everyones input, and tommorow I am going to try to contact a local chimney cleaner/stove retail store, and see what some of my options are for liners.

Mentioned above. less expensive to do yourself, if you feel its in your capabilities. Research and use the right liner! If you don't feel up to it, let someone that knows what they are doing handle it. Safety, safety, safety!! Not worth dying over! Especially those coal gases!