Help understanding draft and brainstorming options on a super tight budget.

[DandelionMama]

Hello I'm new here. I have built myself a little cabin, 14x24 and my dad brought me a small woodstove up from the basement of his camp a few weeks ago (I need to uncover it from its tight wrappings and get the name and number for you tomorrow). But it has been cold as February up here in downeast Maine--and my insulated cabin has been only heated by a tiny electric space heater and some mornings it has been 34 degrees indoor for me and my 7 year old boy! So I've been super eager to hook the woodstove up and I went to Facebook marketplace and found a screaming deal on a whole through-the roof kit plus 9 feet of DuraVent for $350! I wrote to the person about my situation and despite what she said was "hundreds" of inquiries on the pipe she chose to sell it to me. It is barely used In mint condition. The only problem? It is 8inch diameter pipe and the stove is small and has a 6 inch output. The system did come with a diameter reducer piece but I excitedly mentioned my score to some guy friends of mine and they all were really incredulous about this pipe being usable for the little stove. Not enough draft. My dad (by no means an expert) suggested running 6 inch single wall up through the 8 inch insulated to create less air space and hopefully encourage draft??? And save money??? Advice?


Sincerely, broke before Christmas and extremely cold in Maine--desperate to safely connect this woodstove!

 

[all night moe]

Resale and get the correct kit. Understand the tight budget. I'm currently on one myself.
I believe your 6'' flued stove will behave correctly with the right sized flue. Running 6'' stove pipe up the 8'' chimney may not be a good idea.

 

[stoveliker]

I agree. Resell and get a 6" set.
Exhausting in a wider flue will slow down and cool down gases leading to creosote deposits. You don't want to deal with a cabin fire on top of what life brought you.

 

[John Lehet]

If you install the 8” and it doesn’t work, you’ll have to either swap it out or find a stove designed for 8” pipe. There are some of those, but far fewer of them.

People have probably explained it to you already, but what happens is that at the transition from 6” to 8” the pressure and temperature of the exhaust gas drops quite a lot as the gas has to expand into a much greater area and volume. That means the colder smoke has less tendency to rise, and also colder smoke can condense more creosote. So it really is potentially bad trouble.

IDK about your dad’s idea. I’m guessing at minimum it wouldn’t pass code/insurance scrutiny if any of that came up.