lentgh of pipe below insulated tee

[mark576]

I know they recommend a 12 inch piece under the insulated tee, but can it be longer.
I am closing in my pipe all the way up.
Tired of seeing the silver pipe up the back of house.
I want to extend it down 5 feet so I can still be able to clean it out.
If this is not a good idea I will have to build in an access door on the side of the box being built.
And before someone asks, it would extend down into cellar. So I can box the whole outside area.

Mark

 

[webbie]

I think you would be OK doing either of the above as long as the manufacturers of the pipe makes the components to do so.

 

[mark576]

Thanks for the reply.
I thought it would be OK.
Just wanted to make sure there was not something I
did not know about.


On another note,
Just wanted to say this forum is great.
I stumbled across it the other day and have been reading quite a bit.

Thanks again
Mark

 

[jtp10181]

Now this is hearsay so take it for what its worth... I heard from a customer that a chimney sweep said he never puts extra pipe under a Tee because creosote will fall down in there and if it is not cleaned out regularly and it catches on fire you will have one hell of a chimney fire. Sounds possible but only from extreme lack of maintenance.

 

[Jimbob]

The falling creosote is a good reason to have the extra length of pipe under the tee. This way, you have a bit of a "reservior" in case some falls down there, instead of having it block the flow of exhaust gasses if it piles up in there.
In any case, the accumulated creosote shouldn't get hot enough to ignite if it is 5' below the point where the hot exhaust enters the chimney.

 

[jtp10181]

Jim, that was why my customer wanted an extra 12" under the Tee, so the crap would stop clogging their chimney. That sweep was a dolt anyway so I didn't really take anything he said seriously.

 

[mark576]

I have a 1 foot section now and creosote always gets in there.
My pipe above the tee hardly ever has anything in it, barely ever need cleaning,
but it does fill a few inches deep below.
I am a maintenance freak and clean out pipe regularly.

 

[mark576]

Just a little FYI.
I had sent an email to SELKIRK help last week.
They finally replied.
said that the 12" is intended only as a minimum. You can extend it as far as
you like.