Flue collar reducer?

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Johnkimble

New Member
Aug 29, 2015
31
California
My earth stove 101 has a 7" flue collar. I have an opportunity to get 15' of 6" diameter class a chimney pipe for a heavy discount. Are there any major issues reducing my stoves flue collar by 1" to be used with the 6" chimney? Any code issues to be aware of?
 
You are not supposed to reduce the flue size on the stove. The manual shows it as using 8" pipe. Also check to see that the local air quality control allows burning in this old stove.
 
I really appreciate the help. I know I've been asking a million questions, but I want to make sure I get this right and not burn my house down.

Here is a picture of the original pipe and ceiling attachment. I'm assuming this is a single layer pipe, not satisfying code at all. It is much too close to the wall.

I'm slightly leaning towards all new class a 6" chimney and a new stove with a 6" collar.
 

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I'm slightly leaning towards all new class a 6" chimney and a new stove with a 6" collar.

Honestly, that would be by suggestion, too. You are going through a lot of trouble to get that old, inefficient stove going again. The Englander Madison was found at Lowes for $750 yesterday. You get a new stove with about the same clearances as your current Earth Stove without installing any wall shields. Warranty, customer service, higher efficiency, ember protection only for the hearth. And your home insurance will likely also be happier.
 
The Mountaineer is EPA-exempt that means not as efficient as the Englander stoves. Plus, I would check the forum about their quality.

The 13NC is a good stove but requires a hearth with a r-value of 2. It also has only a 1.8 cu ft firebox which means burn times of about 5 to 6 hours. The Madison's firebox is 2.4 cu ft and you should be able to get overnight burns with dry wood.
 
Under $700? Not really. You can wait until spring when Home Depot usually has the Englander 30NC on sale for ~$650. Maybe they will do the same for the Madison. Or try to find a coupon for Lowes; with that you could get the Madison close to $700.
 
Someone just inquired about it in the main forum. The consensus seems to be that it will heat but after a few years issues crop up that will in the end require replacing the stove. On the other hand, quite a few people here heat with an Englander 30NC or 13NC stove for 5 to 10 years without any issues. In the end, those $50 more for a Madison will come you cheaper than to buy a stove that lasts only a few years. Not to mention that Englander's customer service is usually well regarded here.
 
I like that you are considering a new stove. It could be that you can use the existing chimney with double-wall stove pipe connected to it. What diameter is the ceiling support box pipe set up for?

The chimney needs cleaning so it would be worth it to have the chimney professionally cleaned and inspected by a certified sweep. If it's in good shape then have the sweep identify the brand of pipe used so that you can get the right stove pipe adapter and double-wall stove pipe. Just remember to honor the stove clearance requirements too.
 
For a stove replacement we need to know more about the size of the area you are heating. And will this be from the basement or on the floor where the heat is needed? If basement, how does the heat get upstairs and is the basement insulated? Last, where in Calif is this and at what altitude? (I'm trying to judge normal and extreme winter nighttime temps.)

For a stove that will put out roughly the heat that the old Earth Stove could I am thinking an Englander 30NC might be a good choice, especially if this is a basement install.
 
The ceiling support box pipe is 7" I believe. I'll have to check when I get home.

The house itself is a 1450 square foot ranch style single story house. The house is an open floor plan, so the heat should spread easily. The living room is also combined with the kitchen/dining room/tv room (like 4 large rooms blended into 1). About 35-40 feet directly in front of the stove is the intake for my heat pump, so I could get the heat circulating easily to the other rooms in the house. Maybe if I draw one of my patented ms paint illustrations it would give you a better idea.


I like that you are considering a new stove. It could be that you can use the existing chimney with double-wall stove pipe connected to it. What diameter is the ceiling support box pipe set up for?

The chimney needs cleaning so it would be worth it to have the chimney professionally cleaned and inspected by a certified sweep. If it's in good shape then have the sweep identify the brand of pipe used so that you can get the right stove pipe adapter and double-wall stove pipe. Just remember to honor the stove clearance requirements too.
 
OK, you see some real winter weather unlike the lowlands. I would go for at least a 2.5 cu ft stove. The Englander 30NC is a 3 cu ft workhorse, but it does need decent hearth protection. The Englander Madison is showing up right now at some Lowes for $749. It is 2.45 cu ft and needs only an ember protection hearth. Also available online are the Drolet Legend II or the Drolet HT2000. Both of these stoves need ember protection only. Regardless of choice, spend a little more for something that will give you years of good service. Over the lifetime of the stove the cost difference will be pennies per day.

PS: Modern stoves really want dry wood to burn and they like decent draft, especially at 4000ft. You'll need at least 15 ft of flue for this.
 
Here is a rough layout of my house. I did also buy 15' of 6" double wall chimney pipe.

The hearth (discussed in the other thread) is roughly built. Currently it's a 60"x60" 2x4 frame, with plywood on top, with 2 layers of 1/2" durock next gen on top. No shield built yet. I can continue to add more durock on the pad if need be, depending on what stove I get.
 

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Nice. That should heat pretty well with the wide open space. A simple box or table fan on the floor near that return, running on low speed, may be all needed for heat circulation on colder days. That will use less power. It will also have less ductwork heat loss and will put less wear and tear on the hvac. For the Englander 30NC the hearth will need another couple layers of 1/2" Durock to reach required insulation value. For the other stoves mentioned (except the Englander 13-NC) you are good to go.

How is the wood supply?
 
Wood supply is 5 cords of oak, split and stacked. Some mid 20's%, other low 30%. Due to my work schedule, I'd only actually burn the stove 3 days a week during the winter. It's just me living here so so that's why I'd only be burning on my days off.

There's also about 1.5 cords of scrap wood from my house demo. 2x4's, 12"x5' douglas headers, etc.
 
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Yes, that's it.
 
Thanks for that info Heatsource. I was wondering whether the old stove would be allowed. Where does one find current CA wood stove regulations?
 
Its county by county unfortunately, our county adopted epa regs in 2002.

I was told by a county inspector that every county in Ca has adopted epa guidelines, and that our county was one of the last hold outs
 
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