Looking for logic vs. liability

[TacticalHubs]

Hey everyone! I'm getting mixed advice amongst chimney experts in the industry, so coming to the real world experts here on Hearth. Some are saying "not a problem at all, completely safe". Others saying "will burn your house down, completely unsafe!" This is where you come in!

Question: If all you are burning are sawdust logs (prest logs, one log at a time) in an old Buck Stove wood burning insert that has been used for years with no problem inside a 1980s built red brick fireplace and chimney without a liner, and there is no creosote in the chimney (since not burning wet/green wood), then do you "really" need a liner?

My chimney has dry stacked terra cotta titles inside and virtually no creosote built up. I'm understand in our litigious society these days to "err on the side of safety" and give "text book CYA answers", so appreciate some realistic balance with some engineering safety logic vs. arbitrary "not 100% safe" that doesn't seem to pass the gut check.

Thanks in advance!

PS: Here are some pics of my setup

 

[BrotherBart]

One presto log at a time, I wouldn't worry about it. Anything more than that though...

 

[kennyp2339]

Slammer install, that's not a code compliant install anymore >20years. The main issue other than creosote formation due to excessive temp loss of the smoke due to the volume size of the chimney in relation to the stove collar size is the that its a none sealed connection. My worry is that after the fire goes to coals and the chimney cools down even more (more so on shorter chimneys) or a fire going but very cold and windy, a down draft setting up and leaking CO into your living space. A liner can help you with keeping more heat in it, keeping a positive draft through all three stages of the burning process.
Make sure you have at a minimum a CO detector in that room, replace that detector every 5 years.

 

[StihlKicking]

The Terra cotta tiles are your liner, if they are clean or there is no build up in the first place as you describe you should be safe. Nothing is 100% safe but people have burned wood in this type of setup for years. Seasoning the wood you burn correctly and keeping everything free of creosote is the key to making it safe. No different than one with a full liner. You just need to keep a closer watch on it.

 

[bholler]

The Terra cotta tiles are your liner, if they are clean or there is no build up in the first place as you describe you should be safe.

Yes but there is no connection at all between the stove and that liner that is the safety issue. That and the fact that the liners are generally very oversized for the stove. Yes some slammers can work well but that is rare and they are never as safe as they should or could be. We will no longer even work on slammer installs due to the liability we would be taking on by servicing an inherently unsafe install. Kenny pretty much covered the safety issues involved in this type of install so i wont go into that much but it is unsafe to burn a stove this way.

 

[blades]

Insurance co - if there ever is a problem- one look - non code- you are SOL. That's the whole story in a nutshell.

 

[branchburner]

Guys, did we establish the install is a slammer and not a direct-connect? I can't tell that from the pics. The OP only said he didn't have a liner, but he did not say he didn't have a length of stove pipe going up at least past the first flue tile.

IMO, a direct-connect is sometimes okay (even if not advisable) but a slammer w/ no pipe is NEVER okay, even if the insurance company says it is... which seems doubtful.