Cracked stove- Rear flue replacement options?

[Creekside]

I've been lurking here for a while but am now in serious need of some advice. We heat primarily with an old Woodsman as our house only has small electric wall heaters. Today I found a crack starting at the bottom of the flue collar on the back of our stove running towards the bottom about 6" long. Needless to say that creates a big problem for keeping our house warm. We were planning on replacing this stove next summer but now need to find a replacement ASAP. The problem is it runs straight out the back and into the exterior chimney (see pictures).

We went to one fireplace dealer about a month ago and he didn't have any options and recommended either running two feet of pipe straight up from the new stove then a 90 degree elbow back to the chimney and drilling a new hole for the pipe to meet up with the chimney liner. This would be costly and seems to me there would a risk of cracking the brick and mortar while drilling through it. The other option was just putting in a new stove pipe that goes straight up through the roof where an existing skylight is. This dealer carries Regency, Lennox (Country), and Vermont Castings. I thought the Encore/Defiant could be rear vented but he didn't know anything about that.

Looking around this weekend on the web I'm finding a Jotul Oslo might be the best option along with maybe a Isle Royale? I'd really like a cat stove for the long burn times but I'm not sure that's possible with the rear exit. The middle of the existing hole for the pipe is about 24" from the floor. I'm not against running a new pipe straight up but it would be more $$$ and change the look of the house from outside. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[rideau]

Check the Woodstock site and see what the center of their pipe is for rear exit. Just about all, if not all, their stoves can be rear exit. All are catalytic, and great stoves.

 

[begreen]

If you like steel stoves the Buck 261 might work. The big issue is going to be that low thimble. It is at a custom and specific height for the old Woodsman. What is the height at the top of the flue collar on the stove?

 

[Tenn Dave]

Check the Woodstock site and see what the center of their pipe is for rear exit. Just about all, if not all, their stoves can be rear exit. All are catalytic, and great stoves.

http://www.woodstove.com/wood-stoves

 

[Creekside]

The top of the flue collar is 27.5" off the ground. I had not really considered a Woodstock but I will now. I really wanted to deal with a local dealer but by all accounts on here they are well made.

 

[begreen]

Buck 261 may work with the short leg kit. Otherwise the Woodstock unless the thimble height is changed. Caveat, shipping to WA is expensive.
(broken link removed to http://www.buckstove.com/model-261.html#.VIT9dtbxuEw)

 

[Creekside]

Yeah the Woodstock is definitely nice but I can't wait 2-3 months for one right now. And the freight charge probably isn't cheap across the country!

 

[begreen]

Another thought would be to have a mason raise the thimble height. It can be done correctly. That would increase your options for the Jotul F500 or Isle Royale which are both good stoves.

 

[claydogg84]

The Oslo with the short leg kit may be close.

 

[claydogg84]

Measured my Oslo with short legs - 26" to top of flue. If you have 6" pipe your top of flue measurement should be 27" meaning you would have to shim this stove up with some sort of 1" block under the feet for it to work.

 

[Creekside]

Thanks claydogg! It looks like with w/ the short leg kit the Oslo might still be an option. However I just measured the pipe and it looks to have a 7.5" diameter. Is it just an odd size or is 8" actually 7.5"? I really like the Oslo because everyone on here says it is easy to use and reliable. Which is good because my wife would be using it a lot while I'm at work. We also like the cast iron look. I'll consider that Buck too but we would like something more interesting than a plate steel stove to look at.

 

[claydogg84]

I suppose it could be a 7.5" pipe which may make getting an adapter interesting. The Oslo is very easy to use if someone is around to constantly throw a few pieces in, but it will take some practice to get the overnight burns down. I've had mine for maybe a month and am still finding myself tinkering with the air for too long before bed. It's doing a very good job heating my 2,000 sq ft house but we haven't experienced any stretches of really cold weather yet.

 

[begreen]

Our temps are comparatively mild out here claydog. The Oslo could work out fine.

Thanks for measuring the shortleg thimble height. If the pipe goes uphill into the thimble that is a good thing. It should have at least a 1/4" per foot rise. The gap between the 6" stove pipe and the thimble wall can be filled with 3/4" stove gasket rope if necessary. Or install a 6" to 7" increaser at the thimble.

Creekside, a couple things to check. What are the chimney tile liner inner dimensions and how tall is the flue? The Oslo will want a stronger draft than the old stove.

 

[Creekside]

I'm guessing the chimney is 20-22' tall. I'll have to dig out the paperwork from the chimney sweep for the dimensions and I believe there is already a steel liner in the chimney. We just bought this house in July and had it inspected and cleaned at the time and it was in good shape.

 

[Creekside]

I would think with our typical winter temps in the 30s/40s with a few cold snaps in the 20s, the Oslo should work well for 1800 sq ft.

 

[begreen]

Agreed. The chimney is tall enough. It should draft ok, especially if there is an appropriately sized stainless liner in it. The Oslo will want dry wood too. Hopefully you already have a good stash for this winter.

 

[Grisu]

How about the Hearthstone Heritage? 22" and some for center of the rear exit flue.

 

[Creekside]

How about the Hearthstone Heritage? 22" and some for center of the rear exit flue.

I had kind of ruled out soapstone due to the need to slowly and gradually fire it up, but I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Creekside]

Well thanks for the help everyone! We went to a few stove shops and I think we're just going to have a mason move the thimble up two feet and ensure there won't be any draft problems. I'm also thinking I'm going with the Jotul F55. I really like the look of it and the construction.

 

[begreen]

Good choice, that's a very nicely made stove and a good performer.

 

[iluvjazznjava]

I have the F55 - how many square feet are you trying to heat? The F55 is great, but its also a large stove. Try to find a Jotul dealer and check out your options. Most of their stoves can be rear vented. The Oslo is a nice stove, but there are cheaper options too like the F50 or even the F45.

 

[aansorge]

Or just get a welder to weld up your old stove...
....but in your state you should probably clean up your act and get a new one. I know air quality is a big issue out there.

 

[Bret Chase]

Or just get a welder to weld up your old stove...
....but in your state you should probably clean up your act and get a new one. I know air quality is a big issue out there.

I was going to type that earlier... but it seemed that the decision to replace was already made... fixing a 6" crack in 3/16" or so material... put it this way.... it would take me longer to drag my stuff in and out than it would to make the weld.

but... I'm a welder by trade. If it was mine would have just welded it up and kept to "the plan".... hell, with that hearth, I wouldn't have even had to bring in the fire blankets.

 

[Bret Chase]

oh yeah... coring a new thimble into the chimney is NOT a big deal... at all, if your contractor is properly equipped.

 

[Creekside]

We had decided to replace the stove this coming summer anyways so this just moved the timetable up. That Woodsman already chewed through a lot of wood just in October and November. I bought a F55 off the showroom floor at a discount today, and luckily we're getting it installed on the 23rd, so only another week of space heaters. The installer may take the old one and repair it.

I ended up choosing the f55 because the fit and finish on the door latch and air control were way better than the Oslo. I know that's a small thing but it would have bugged me every time I use it. I also like the clean more contemporary look of it, but its not quite as plain as a regular plate steel stove. I also should have explained our house is 1800 sq ft but the living area is an A frame style so with the 20 foot ceiling the actual air volume is probably closer to a 2200-2300 sq ft house and I'd rather have a bigger stove.