Cut new chimney access.

[micah]

My wife and I have a Quadra-Fire 4300 stove in our game room in the basement and we would like to move it to the room above. We have been thinking about getting a new chimney build next to the old one or buying one of the triple/double wall metal chimneys and doing it our self. Some friends of ours said they had done the same thing but instead they just cut a new opening in the old chimney. Is this an option? Is it really as easy to do as they made it sound? I can get the fire clay and wall thimble to do it. I still have my manual for the stove that lists all the clearances. What type of tool would i need to cut through the cinder block chimney? First and formost is this safe? I cant imagine the finished product being any different than the access in the basement.

Thanks

 

[elkimmeg]

Its not as hard as you think I got to step out now but promise to tell you what is involved and I believe this is a good solution

 

[webbie]

Elk may have more actual construction advice,

but it is doable.

My suggestions:
1. There are various wall pass though options - do a search using the link (whole site) on "passing through a wall" -
one is to use a piece of class A chimney as a thimble
another is a UL Approved thimble which I think a couple companies used to make.
the third is to use a masonry "wall patch", but this takes up a lot of room.

2. Chimney draft can be negatively affected having a large chimney area underneath. There are various solutions to this problem, including relatively temporary ones like blocking of the flue tile a foot or so below where you cut in.

Another concern is the total height on the new installation. Are you top-venting the stove? and then turning into the chimney? How tall is the chimney from where you enter to the top?

The point there is that a chimney with a few pipe turns may not work as well as a straight up metal one.

 

[micah]

@Elk: Im anxiously waiting your reply!

@Administrator: I would say that the total hight from where I plan to cuting the new hole to the tip top of the chimney is around 12-15 feet. As for as chimney draft the new hole will only be about 6' above the old and the chimney has always drafted very well.

 

[elkimmeg]

mark out you location and draw a 7" round using a hammer drill and a 9" 3/8 " long masonry bit. drill holes about 1/2" apart,
all along the marked out 7" hole. once finished drilling whack it out with a hammer should come out after a few hits. do the same to the liner but make the hole 1/2" smaller. most hardware stores stock a 6" metal galvanized thimble. using mortar cement it in. then, after setting, connect your connector pipe.

 

[micah]

Wow thats alot easier than i though! The liner hole is smaller so the thimble doesnt go all the way through correct?

 

[webbie]

Hah, talking about it is easy. Doing it may be a little harder, but having the proper tools always helps.

According to most directions I have seen, the thimble should actually go into the tile - at least through the outer wall of it. This can sometimes present a problem when using a masonry thimble, because the thimble can be larger then the flue tile ID or the same size - that make the hole tough to cut (precision) - I would look hard at those metal thimbles:
(broken link removed)

and use the instructions for whichever you choose along with Elks tips on how to cut and drill.

 

[elkimmeg]

What Im szying it the outer hole in the block is 7" the iner hole cut into the clay liner 6.5"
The thimble galvanized is the easiest way to do the job. the interior of a 6" thimble is 6" so that the conector pipe should pass threw it. The connector pipe can be 24 gage black pipe and should extend in to the inside of the clay liner and no more. I would measure that distance and mark the black connector pipe that distance so that you will know when enough pipe is inserted.

One final hint there will be concrete dust from drilling you might want to employ a drop cloth in the areas

this might also make it easier drill a bunch of close holes around the center of the the cut out and punch out that area first. I would also take things a step further cutting a piece of sheet

just slightly larger than the inside clay liner and wedge it blocking off the bottom I would center an eye loop in it to make it easier to pull out later

Don't forget to mortar and brick off you existing abandon hole the stove uses now.

 

[micah]

Well after 2 days of work my woodstove is upstairs and works GREAT!! I ended up getting a piece of Class A Double wall pipe for the thimble. Then i took some thick flashing that i had and covered the inside of square hole i made in the wall. The hardest part was trying to get through the clay liner. I dulled 4 mason bits in the process. The double wall pipe is some nice stuff, after having the stove running for a few hours that pipe is still cool enough that i can grab a hold of it and its not even hot. Now comes the fun part of cleaning up my mess and making it look nice! Thanks for all the great help.

 

[Metal]

Congrats! Please post pictures.

 

[micah]

I would post a few pics but i cant get my wife and dog out from in front of it!