Clearance to combustibles - temporary solutions/short term operation

[0665951]

Good evening,

This is my first post on Hearth.com so please correct my etiquette if needed. Today I am looking for some advice.

Firstly, I’ve been reading on Hearth.com for a while and it has proved to be an invaluable resource.So thanks to all the people who post questions and all those who take the time to answer.

I moved into a new house and it came with a stove and chimney. I had the wood stove and chimney inspected and swept before I moved in and the installation was approved by a WETT certified inspector. My double wall chimney (supervent 2100) is ULC-listed and requires 2” clearance to combustibles

This is my first year using a wood stove. I used it throughout November and December and everything went fine. I use the wood stove most nights when I get home from work for 5 or 6 hours. I was able to keep the flue at 400-450 pretty consistently. I swept the chimney at the end of each month.

My chimney runs through my soffit. My neighbour pointed out that there is no flashing and no storm collar. I went on the roof and indeed this is the case. The chimney is sealed to the roofingso I don’t have the 2” of clearance required.

I got more curious, so I removed the cover plate where the stove pipe goes through basement wall. My basement wall is concrete block with spray foam insulation and dry walled. I noticed a few things. 1) the dry wall was less than 2” from the double wall pipe 2) there was no wall thimble (I assume the reasoning was because the pipe goes through a concrete block wall) and 3) the installer spray foamed all over the pipe. So without the wall thimble, I don’t have the 2” clearance required by the manufacturer.

So as far as I can tell, the chimney isn’t installed properly and shouldn’t have passed an inspection as it is. Now being mid-January, I hate the idea of not being able to run my wood stove. I have a propane furnace, but it’s not uncommon to have power outages for days where I am.

I would like to fix the chimney as soon as possible but I think I’d be better off doing it in the summer. I can cut away the spray foam and dry wall easy enough now, but getting on the roof might not be safe.

I would be taking a risk to run my wood stove with the way the chimney is currently installed. So I am asking:

1) how much risk is there to run the wood stove in its current setup?
2) do you think the risk is low enough that I could continue to use the wood stove until I can make the repairs in the Summer?
3) Is there anything that I could do/fix/install now that would reduce the risk and allow me to safely use the wood stove, even if it is temporary?
4) Am I simply better off not using the wood stove until I make the corrections?

I tend to be a worrier so I’m wondering if I’m worried properly or if the risk isn’t as serious as I make it seem in my head.

thanks for all your help.

 

[begreen]

Some pictures would be helpful.

 

[0665951]

Thanks begreen,

This is the only picture I have at the moment. I’ve already cut out some of the drywall. You can see the double wall pipe is covered in spray foam. There is an exterior wall from blocks behind the spray foam.

The second picture just shows my chimney going up through my soffit. There’s no heat shielding or roof flashing to maintain the 2” clearance.

 

[begreen]

Yes that's wrong going up through the eave.

 

[Jotul_Bird]

^^^^^ Agreed with begreen! that is definitely not the way it should be installed. Vent pipe should on the outside of the eave, not going through it. I am honestly surprised your siding hasn't melted off yet. If you are looking for the parts needed to install this correctly and need help, I would be more than happy to help you out through the process. Please visit my website for quality stove parts and accessories. You can also use the contact form and someone from our team would be happy to help. Also I will list a few parts here that you would need for your install.

6" - 8" Adjustable Wall Strap

Stabilizes chimney while ensuring a minimum 2” clearance to combustibles. Can adjust out to 6” clearance if needed. One part covers 2 diameters (5” & 7” or 6” & 8”).

www.thestovemaster.com

6" - 8" Elbow Support

Use to prevent excessive weight on the elbows by supporting the weight of the chimney. Required to be installed between two elbows in offset installations. Multiple elbow straps may be required for offset installations. Refer to installation instructions.

www.thestovemaster.com

 

[KDubU]

It would not be hard to change it out to and have it outside of the eave. Your bigger challenge is closing off the original hole in the roof at this time of year. A good roofer could fix it easily and there is a temp solution you could try but you would still need to peel back a number of shingles.

 

[Woody5506]

Out of curiosity, any idea how often the stove was used before you moved in? Did they run it constantly as a main heat source or was it just a weekend ambiance fire type of thing?

 

[0665951]

It would not be hard to change it out to and have it outside of the eave. Your bigger challenge is closing off the original hole in the roof at this time of year. A good roofer could fix it easily and there is a temp solution you could try but you would still need to peel back a number of shingles.

Thanks for your response, KDubU.

Yes, I was thinking that I should the chimney out farther from the wall. And I want to redo the roof soon and install metal sheet anyways, so I'd need to find a way to patch up the roof until I redo the roof.

 

[0665951]

Out of curiosity, any idea how often the stove was used before you moved in? Did they run it constantly as a main heat source or was it just a weekend ambiance fire type of thing?

I think the chimney was replaced in ~2016 and then the house sat empty for a few years. I would say the new chimney was never used/rarely based on how clean the inside of the pipe was and lack of soot on the rain cap. The wood stove is a Haughs S128 of 1970s vintage and looks like it was used often before the chimney replacement.

 

[0665951]

^^^^^ Agreed with begreen! that is definitely not the way it should be installed. Vent pipe should on the outside of the eave, not going through it. I am honestly surprised your siding hasn't melted off yet. If you are looking for the parts needed to install this correctly and need help, I would be more than happy to help you out through the process. Please visit my website for quality stove parts and accessories. You can also use the contact form and someone from our team would be happy to help. Also I will list a few parts here that you would need for your install.

www.thestovemaster.com

6" - 8" Adjustable Wall Strap

Stabilizes chimney while ensuring a minimum 2” clearance to combustibles. Can adjust out to 6” clearance if needed. One part covers 2 diameters (5” & 7” or 6” & 8”).

www.thestovemaster.com

6" - 8" Elbow Support

Use to prevent excessive weight on the elbows by supporting the weight of the chimney. Required to be installed between two elbows in offset installations. Multiple elbow straps may be required for offset installations. Refer to installation instructions.

www.thestovemaster.com

Thanks, Jotul_bird and begreen.

I was just wondering: t assuming you have the proper clearances, is it against some code or regulation to go through your eaves? Or is it simply bad practice/less desirable to install it this way? (e.g. why go up through the eaves when you can just extend the chimney out from the wall further and avoid the eaves altogether?). The chimney manufacturer shows the chimney going through the roof as an acceptable solution in the product guide manual. Seems like there's something I'm not understanding here.

I've put my hand to the double wall pipe when running the wood stove and I can't tell the difference between when the stove is running and when the stove is not being used.

 

[begreen]

Horizontal runs of stove or chimney pipe should be kept as short as possible. The eave can be notched to clear the pipe or the hole enlarged to provide the correct clearances.

 

[bholler]

Thanks, Jotul_bird and begreen.

I was just wondering: t assuming you have the proper clearances, is it against some code or regulation to go through your eaves? Or is it simply bad practice/less desirable to install it this way? (e.g. why go up through the eaves when you can just extend the chimney out from the wall further and avoid the eaves altogether?). The chimney manufacturer shows the chimney going through the roof as an acceptable solution in the product guide manual. Seems like there's something I'm not understanding here.

I've put my hand to the double wall pipe when running the wood stove and I can't tell the difference between when the stove is running and when the stove is not being used.

You need 2" clearance to combustibles. Running through the eave is perfectly fine and I actually prefer it if clearances can be met

 

[begreen]

I've put my hand to the double wall pipe when running the wood stove and I can't tell the difference between when the stove is running and when the stove is not being used.

I am assuming you mean the double-wall chimney pipe outside. What was the flue temp and outdoor temp? I have access to our chimney pipe going up through the house and it settles in at about 125º with a 700º flue gas temp. Obviously this temperature would be much higher if a chimney fire is happening.

 

[0665951]

Yes, on maybe two or three occasions this year, I've gone outside (with an ambient air temperature of around 32 °F) and touched outer surface of the double-wall pipe during operation. And each time I touched the pipe, it wasn't even warm.

I have two magnetic stove gauges about 18" or so above the stove and they both read 350-450 °F. The highest I've seen is ~525 °F. I was trying to use the creosote/optimal/overfire indicators on the gauges to figure out when the load the stove. I also have a magnetic gauge on the stove top that usually reads 500-525 °F.

Thanks for explaining. I copied this image from the Selkrik 2100 installation manual I found last night. According to this, the manufacturer requires a shield in addition to the 2" of clearance when going through the eaves.

"If the chimney penetrates an overhang (soffit) cut an opening with 2" of clearance all around and install an Attic Insulation shield if space permits on the under site of the overhang. If it is not possible the overhang area can be enclosed and a Rafter Radiation Shield installed at the roof level and a Finishing Plate installed from below."​