Duratech Premium vs Excel chimney

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shgRUSS

Member
Mar 28, 2021
58
Prince Albert SK
Looking at which one you thing will have the best cold weather performance. They are both premium brands. Will have a totally strait chimney 5’ double wall and 19’ of 2100(ULC-S629) hooked up to a Blaze King Princess (has cooler stack temps than other stoves). We normally get at least 5 months of 0F or lower in winter and 1-3 weeks of at least -40F, only seen -60f once. I have not been able to find an “R” value to any manufacturer’s chimney and the different construction could be misleading. Excel has a 1” wall but insulation butts together between joints. Duratech Premium has a 2” wall but every joint has metal conducting heat to the outside of the pipe. This makes me wonder if Excel is like a vacuum sealed thermas vs Duratech being like a regular thermas (vac. Sealed is much thinner but insulates better). Only other variable I see is Duratech has an insulated fire stop and attic radiation shield that Excel does not provide. Thoughts and experiences are appreciated.

thanks
 
Either product will do the job well. There are advantages to each. Excel has the edge for premium quality and tests a bit better. I think however that it requires screws at each joint and that the end insulation is uncapped. Verify, it's been awhile since I have seen this pipe.
 
They claim better heat retention in marketing literature, but not what brand it is better against. I am not sure if this is noticeable in real-world use. Excel has been tested to a stricter standard CAN/ULC-S629 which requires the chimney to withstand three 30-minute chimney fires.
 
begreen said:
They claim better heat retention in marketing literature, but not what brand it is better against. I am not sure if this is noticeable in real-world use. Excel has been tested to a stricter standard CAN/ULC-S629 which requires the chimney to withstand three 30-minute chimney fires.
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Duratech premium also meets that standard ( I live in Canada so it is required)
 
Ah, I only have the used and seen specs for DuraTech with meets US UL standards and CAN/ULC-S604. DuraTech Premium is not typically sold in the states AFAIK. Sounds like a good product.
 
I don't think you'd have an issue with either. I've got 6" Duratech Canada on my setup, it's only 1" insulation, but it does the job. Since I have 32' of exterior chimney I'd probably go with the Duratech Premium if I did it again, I think I'd get a little less creosote buildup, but I'm not changing it now.

My parents have Excel, and have for 16 years now, it's a good product and has served them well. They get less creosote buildup than I do, but there's also more factors at play, different stove, shorter stack height and it is enclosed in a chase except for 3 feet where it penetrates the roof.
 
All things considered, the two products sound pretty equal. Does Drolet also sell chimney products in Canada?
 
shgRUSS said:
Unfortunately no dealer in my province. They have a weird site with no installation instructions for their chimney.
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Because Olympia isn't for sale to consumers. But their stuff is for public sale under the champion name
 
Last edited:
shgRUSS said:
Unfortunately no dealer in my province. They have a weird site with no installation instructions for their chimney.
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It's for dealers only. This is Ventis chimney pipe. It is sold retail under the Champion brand in the US for self-install.
 
I ran DuraVent DuraTech on my King and my son's Princess.

I switched to the ICC (Excel) product because the seam on the black double wall was not existent....

Both worked, but ICC looked more polished. I did like how the DuraTech twist locked in the support box. The ICC allows gravity to hold it in place....but I've had no issues with their design.
 
ICC double-wall stove pipe looks uncannily like single wall stove pipe, particularly compared to other brands of double-wall.

If you're installing a new wood stove and using ICC Excel be ready to disconnect the stove pipe at a joint or from the stove collar for your inspection, especially if you have any combustibles within 18" of the stovepipe.

It's an extra step, but when you are lied to with the regularity that we are, there's no option except to verify it ourselves.
 
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BKVP said:
I ran DuraVent DuraTech on my King and my son's Princess.

I switched to the ICC (Excel) product because the seam on the black double wall was not existent....

Both worked, but ICC looked more polished. I did like how the DuraTech twist locked in the support box. The ICC allows gravity to hold it in place....but I've had no issues with their design.
Click to expand...
Thanks

Any notable difference in cold weather performance? The Duratech premium has double insulation as the regular Duratech. So if you did not notice any difference in performance with the regular Durat to Excel then the premium should be a big improvement.
 
BCC_Burner said:
ICC double-wall stove pipe looks uncannily like single wall stove pipe, particularly compared to other brands of double-wall.

If you're installing a new wood stove and using ICC Excel be ready to disconnect the stove pipe at a joint or from the stove collar for your inspection, especially if you have any combustibles within 18" of the stovepipe.

It's an extra step, but when you are lied to with the regularity that we are, there's no option except to verify it ourselves.
Click to expand...
Whichever brand I go with I will use the telescoping pipe so should be easy to do.
 
BCC_Burner said:
ICC double-wall stove pipe looks uncannily like single wall stove pipe, particularly compared to other brands of double-wall.

If you're installing a new wood stove and using ICC Excel be ready to disconnect the stove pipe at a joint or from the stove collar for your inspection, especially if you have any combustibles within 18" of the stovepipe.

It's an extra step, but when you are lied to with the regularity that we are, there's no option except to verify it ourselves.
Click to expand...
Any double wall pipe should have ul labels on it do verifying should be easy without disassembling
 
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shgRUSS said:
Thanks

Any notable difference in cold weather performance? The Duratech premium has double insulation as the regular Duratech. So if you did not notice any difference in performance with the regular Durat to Excel then the premium should be a big improvement.
Click to expand...

No real difference. I run 15' from stove top to cap. 9' of the 15' is exposed to outside elements. I have to agree, the ICC double wall pipe is good looking. I'm also heating 2850 sq ft. 1895 (circa) Sear Craftsman (with many upgrades) so my wife of 39 years likes it warm. By running it a tad bit more than low, the draft/performance is superb.
 
shgRUSS said:
Whichever brand I go with I will use the telescoping pipe so should be easy to do.
Click to expand...
So I use the slip section as you noted for a really great reason. I have a 5 gallon bucket with a hole in the bottom (centered). I place my cleaning rod through the hole and screw on the brush. My wife holds the bucket up against the bottom of the pipe (in raised position) and I push the rod upwards into the chimney. I add 3' sections until I reach the cap. This process means not having to go up on the roof which is exceptionally steep! (When the roofers pulled the old cedar shake shingles a few years ago...they wore golf shoes)!

One note, the person holding the bucket has to wrap a rag around the rods where it enters the bottom of the bucket, lest you get creosote dust all over the stove/hearth. Next year I am going to buy a soot eater flex shaft to make the process easier.

This method prevents all the debris from falling down into the inner workings of the stove!
 
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BKVP said:
So I use the slip section as you noted for a really great reason. I have a 5 gallon bucket with a hole in the bottom (centered). I place my cleaning rod through the hole and screw on the brush. My wife holds the bucket up against the bottom of the pipe (in raised position) and I push the rod upwards into the chimney. I add 3' sections until I reach the cap. This process means not having to go up on the roof which is exceptionally steep! (When the roofers pulled the old cedar shake shingles a few years ago...they wore golf shoes)!

One note, the person holding the bucket has to wrap a rag around the rods where it enters the bottom of the bucket, lest you get creosote dust all over the stove/hearth. Next year I am going to buy a soot eater flex shaft to make the process easier.

This method prevents all the debris from falling down into the inner workings of the stove!
Click to expand...


I will add, safety is number 1! If you cannot competently clean your chimney, hire a CSIA certified sweep to handle the project. As a person familiar with the amount of education the CSIA sweeps are exposed to and the need for continuing education credits, they can provide a level of comfort. And before anyone spills the beans on how they had a sweep and he did a lousy job, go to Angie's List and post your review. 99% of the sweeps I have met in the past 25 years are extremely hard working, informed and competent. Don't let the 1% stories sway you when it comes to your family/home safety.
 
BKVP said:
I will add, safety is number 1! If you cannot competently clean your chimney, hire a CSIA certified sweep to handle the project. As a person familiar with the amount of education the CSIA sweeps are exposed to and the need for continuing education credits, they can provide a level of comfort. And before anyone spills the beans on how they had a sweep and he did a lousy job, go to Angie's List and post your review. 99% of the sweeps I have met in the past 25 years are extremely hard working, informed and competent. Don't let the 1% stories sway you when it comes to your family/home safety.
Click to expand...
Csia certification is going to become much less common among sweeps. They just broke ties with the national chimney sweep guild and increased dues and cost of classes. The ncsg partnered with certified chimney professionals to offer another much more reasonably priced option. But really certification doesn't tell a customer much at all. Ask other people in your community for recommendations. That is a much more valuable source of info.
 
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