Just need some Guidance / Thoughts

[KingstonRocks]

Hi All,

I really want to put a wood stove into my antique , 1779 New England Home. There is a large fire place in the living room that would be perfect. My plan is to buy a 35 ft x 6 inch chimney liner kit, the flex pipe, single wall stainless , and dropping it down the chimney to connect direct to a wood stove , thinking of buying and connecting a Jotuul stove, looking locally at the one attached. Thoughts / suggestions ? Advice ? Not a good idea ? A good idea ? How easy is install? Is my plan decent ? Picture of my fireplace and the stove attached ! Was thinking of getting this kit:

6" x 35 FT Single Ply Stainless Steel Chimney Liner Kit https://a.co/d/31OSz8q

 

[EbS-P]

I have a similar install. I’m guessing (and chances are that I’m correct) you need to insulate the liner. You need an appliance adapter to go from stove to liner. And you need to honor all trim and mantel clearances found in the stove manual. As well you need the appropriate hearth protection out in front. It could be simple as a sheet metal ember protection or some insulation value maybe required.

The the current flue is straight it’s not a difficult job but if it has any bends it makes getting the liner down take more effort.

Lastly the existing chimney needs cleaned before install. And any damper needs modified to fit the new liner. And it should be sealed with an insulated blockoff plate. Some Jotuls had options for short leg kits.

 

[tabner]

What dimensions are the inside of the existing chimney? Is it clay tile lined?
A liner with insulation is probably a good idea for safety and code compliance.

 

[KingstonRocks]

The inside of the chimney is brick, no clay. Do they make liners that come insulated ? Or is the insulation something poured down the chimney after install?

 

[bholler]

The inside of the chimney is brick, no clay. Do they make liners that come insulated ? Or is the insulation something poured down the chimney after install?

There are pre insulated ones you can wrap. It or pour in. But pouring properly isn't easy and I wouldn't recommend it for a fireplace anyway

 

[KingstonRocks]

Got it, cool. Also, if I can only fit a 5 inch liner in, would reducing from 6 inch out in the stove to 5 inch liner effect overall stover performance ?

 

[bholler]

Got it, cool. Also, if I can only fit a 5 inch liner in, would reducing from 6 inch out in the stove to 5 inch liner effect overall stover performance ?

It absolutely would

 

[KingstonRocks]

Very cool. I think I can get the 6 inch done. As far as mantle / hearth requirements. Would those be found in the specific stoves manual?

 

[gthomas785]

Just based on the pic of the fireplace, I'm guessing you will need to shield the wooden mantel and fireplace surround. Check the stove manual for clearances to be sure. It's not as big a deal as it sounds - you can get custom sheet metal pieces made up and painted to match the color of the trim so they will disappear. It just needs to be spaced 1" out from the wood. Also you will probably need to add on to the hearth extension to protect the floor in front of the stove.

 

[EbS-P]

Very cool. I think I can get the 6 inch done. As far as mantle / hearth requirements. Would those be found in the specific stoves manual?

Yes. I wrapped my liner myself. That was not the hard part.
getting it past one 8” offset with some mortar sticking out took the the weight of two adults up top and one pulling from the bottom.

 

[KingstonRocks]

I was thinking I could tile the inside of the mantle wood surround and then increase the heath sidze in front of the fireplace with tile as well, would tile adhered direct to that wood surround suffice ?

 

[bholler]

I was thinking I could tile the inside of the mantle wood surround and then increase the heath sidze in front of the fireplace with tile as well, would tile adhered direct to that wood surround suffice ?

Just putting tile over wood generally doesn't cut it. Tile still transfers heat really well. You will need to look at specific stove requirments

 

[EbS-P]

Can you get a picture of the UL tag on the back of the stove?

 

[EbS-P]

Couple thoughts to add I really wanted a seconD hearth mounted Jotul. Long story short I ended up with a Drolet insert. Used stove market was lots of sorting through junk to find a decent price and a project or someone with a decent stove asking way to much. My opinions of a Jotul have shifted in the last two years. They make a beautiful cast iron stove but it’s by no means the best built or most trouble free. There are lots of Jotul 3s like in your picture but they had many different versions some good some not good and most are inefficient compared to today’s standards. I’m not saying they are bad choices just make an informed choice. If you want to burn a lot consider the king term cost of a new stove. I have the F400 it’s a medium stove. And not big enough for the coldest 3 weeks a year. I still like it and it looks amazing even when it’s not burning. I wish it were bigger.

 

[Ashful]

Do note, as one who has had a few different stoves in two different masonry fireplaces, including three Jotul Firelight 12's, most of the heat coming off that stove will serve to heat the masonry surrounding it, rather than moving directly into the room. If that masonry fireplace is completely interior to the home, this can be an advantage, a'la masonry heater. But if the masonry is an exterior wall, a large fraction of the BTU's produced by the stove will only serve to heat your back yard.

If setting the stove back inside the fireplace, you would do better with any stove having a convective jacket (eg. PE T4, T5, or BK 20 or 30 series), or with an insert, than with any radiant iron stove lacking a convection jacket.

 

[KingstonRocks]

The chimney is very much central to the home , it runs directly in the middle of house. I am somewhat hesitant in buying used as well. Do you guys have any links tonsuggestions for stoves or inserts that would work for my needs ?

 

[EbS-P]

The chimney is very much central to the home , it runs directly in the middle of house. I am somewhat hesitant in buying used as well. Do you guys have any links tonsuggestions for stoves or inserts that would work for my needs ?

What’s your budget and is the tax credit important?

 

[KingstonRocks]

I don’t have a specific budget but was thinking if I installed it all, less than $2500 total. Looking like around $1000 for a liner kit and insulation , what is the tax credit ? I wasn’t interested in that

 

[Ashful]

New stove prices are peaked right now, thanks to COVID, and recently-peaked oil pricing, and the availability of tax credits. I suspect this affects used pricing, too, albeit with the usual lag time. I've seen more than one example of the stove for which I paid $2500 in 2015, being quoted at $4000 in 2022.

But to answer the question, you can pay anywhere from a bit under $1k to $5k for a new stove, depending on make, model, and your location.

 

[EbS-P]

I installed a Drolet 1800i insert kit that came with liner and added insulation came to 2000$. Cheapest new option I could find. Prices have gone up. Figure 2400$ as a DIY project is close to the cheapest you could do but that’s a guess. I like my Drolet. But it’s not a great looker but it’s a good heater. Your budget is on the very bottom end of DiY and unrealistic to have a pro install.

You need tools to clean current chimney. Probably a soot eater with enough rods to make the whole length. And you need to budget how you will redo trim and mantel to make clearances and if going insert an insulated hearth extension (probably).

Edit….. the Drolet 1800i qualifies for the 30% credit if they use the same efficiency standards.

 

[Ashful]

Do keep in mind that initial budgets are often set by a quick perusal of stove prices, with no consideration of installation costs, and often not based on any realistic idea of what might be saved in central heating costs. In other words, after taking more careful consideration of how much you might really save in oil, propane, or gas, you might find justification to increase the budget.

I anticipate saving over $5k this year, if oil prices don't go back down, real soon.

 

[KingstonRocks]

Cool, I’m thinking of installing a jotul 3 . On the back it has 24 inch clearance to any combustible, as you can see in my picture I have a wood trim surround on the fireplace. From each side jotul to the wood surround I have 18 inches. So I’m guessing this means I’ll have to put sheet metal heat shields 1 inch away from the wood all the way around ? Is this something you can buy or do I get them custom ? If custom any ideas what kind of places would help me with this? I’m in MA. Finally, if I got a jotul 3 and put it back into the fireplace is their a specific distance away from the brick in the back the stove needs to be?

Thanks for all of the help this far !

 

[begreen]

A major concern is the 35' liner. This could make for too strong draft and a hard to control stove. Plan for at least 1 key damper above the stove.
As far as the installation goes, an insulated block-off plate will be essential to keeping heat in the room. The main determinant for placement besides flue alignment will be mantel clearances if there are combustibles in the mantel.

 

[Ashful]

I’m not sure what others do, but I had my heat shields custom made by a local sheet metal shop. Sketch up what you need, send a few emails, you’ll land someone willing to do it at a reasonable price.

 

[EbS-P]

Cool, I’m thinking of installing a jotul 3 . On the back it has 24 inch clearance to any combustible, as you can see in my picture I have a wood trim surround on the fireplace. From each side jotul to the wood surround I have 18 inches. So I’m guessing this means I’ll have to put sheet metal heat shields 1 inch away from the wood all the way around ? Is this something you can buy or do I get them custom ? If custom any ideas what kind of places would help me with this? I’m in MA. Finally, if I got a jotul 3 and put it back into the fireplace is their a specific distance away from the brick in the back the stove needs to be?

Thanks for all of the help this far !

You need the model number and then you can find the manual and get the numbers for a hearth install.