MINIMUM TOTAL LENGTH OF CHIMNEY FROM STOVE ?

[rustynut]

HI ALL,
WORKING ON AN INSTALL OF A 5700 STEP TOP QUADRA-FIRE
TOUCHED BASE WITH MY HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE CO
THEY SENT OUT A PACKET TO REVIEW PRIOR TO INSTALL
THIS IS MY SECOND STOVE AND THOUGHT I HAD AN IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING
THE FIRST WAS A BASEMENT INSTALL WITH A FEW BENDS
HAD A BIT OF A DRAFT PROBLEM FROM TIME TO TIME
MADE SURE NOT TO DO THAT THIS TIME
THIS INSTALL IS A "1 STORY CEILING SUPPORT INSTALLATION TYPE"
STRAIGHT OUT THE TOP FOR A GOOD DRAFT AND EASY CLEAN
THE ROOM IS ON THE SECOND STORY SO WE ARE UP IN THE AIR A BIT
CLASS A IS A LITTLE BETTER THAN 2 FT ABOVE THE 10 FT HORIZONTAL REQUIREMENT
AND BOXED IN FOR WARMTH
PLANNING ON AN OUTSIDE AIR INTAKE AS WELL
GOT A COUPLE OF PROBLEMS WITH THE PACKET FROM THE INSURANCE CO

1) LOOKS AS THOUGH THEY ARE REQUIRING THE PIPE TO BE A MINIMUM OF 16 FT
FROM THE TOP OF THE STOVE ? THAT WILL MEAN THAT I WILL HAVE TO ADD
ANOTHER 4 FT OF CLASS A PIPE (CURRENTLY 51" + 8' CLASS A + CAP)
NOT THAT BIG A DEAL BUT WILL MAKE IT HARDER TO CLEAN DUE TO THE ADDED HEIGHT.
ANYONE KNOW WHY A MINIMUM OF 16 FT ?
OR IF THIS MAY NOT BE SOMETHING MANDITORY ?

2) ALSO REQUIRING 18 INCHES ALL AROUND THE STOVE. PLANNED IT FOR 16 INCHES AS STATED
IN THE STOVE INSTALLATION MANUAL. THEIR IS A NOTATION THAT STATES FOLLOW MFG INSTALL
INSTRUCTIONS. LOOKS AS THOUGH THE REQUIREMENT OF 18 INCHES IS FOR CANADA AND 16 FOR USA.
PLANNED MY HEARTH FOR 16 INCHES. GUESS I'LL JUST STRETCH IT A BIT AND MAKE THEM HAPPY ?

WAS THINKING ABOUT GETTING WITH MY AGENT AND GOING THRU THIS INFO WITH HIM.
CITY INSPECTION INDICATED TO FOLLOW MFG INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS WITH NO MENTION OF 16 FT MINIMUM ?

ANYONE EXPERIENCED WITH THIS ?

THANKS

 

[begreen]

Are you sure that the manual says 16'? I read: "Your Quadra-Fire stove was designed for and tested on a 6” (152mm) chimney, 12’-14’ (360-420cm) high." Also, the stove has much closer clearances than indicated. Check the manual again. The 18" requirement should be just for the hearth in front of the stove.

(Please turn off the caps lock before replying. It's really hard to read ALL CAPS.)

 

[grizzly2]

The longer the stovepipe or chimney flue the better the draft. A poor draft can lead to carbon monoxide leakinn from a solid fuel stove into the house. Coal stoves are said to be a bigger risk, but woodstoves also produce cabon monoxide. 16 feet sounds reasonable. I have about 20 feet of insulated pipe and a very good draft. A poor draft will also make fires harder to light and keep going, or smolder and buid up creasote. I don't like lots of regulations, but 16 feet of chimney is at least what you want for your own benefit. :coolsmile:

 

[rustynut]

hello begreen,
hadnt thought of revisiting the stove manual for a height
the other stuff was from the insurance company brochure
i'll look thru the stove manual for a recomended height
if stove manual recommends 12 - 14 that would be great
would make cleaning alot easier and probably pass the inspection stuff with both
grizzley - with the pipe at 12 feet and the top boxed in, the cleaning would be a snap
can reach it without a ladder on the roof
thanks for the come back
the tip about longer chimney = better draft might come in handy as well
rustynut

 

[michaelthomas]

My insurance company sent me a questionaire about my new stove install. It had a check list of things that the insurance company deems to be safe. It recommends the stove be no closer than 36" from a combustable surface and a whole bunch of other things that would make it darn near impossible to install a stove to these specs, but then at the bottom was a lovely statement...these recommendations are superceded by the UL listing installation recommendations. So I had a certified sweep do the install as per the UL listed instructions and the insurance company is happy and I am warm.

 

[begreen]

hello begreen,
hadnt thought of revisiting the stove manual for a height
the other stuff was from the insurance company brochure
i'll look thru the stove manual for a recomended height
if stove manual recommends 12 - 14 that would be great
would make cleaning alot easier and probably pass the inspection stuff with both
grizzley - with the pipe at 12 feet and the top boxed in, the cleaning would be a snap
can reach it without a ladder on the roof
thanks for the come back
the tip about longer chimney = better draft might come in handy as well
rustynut

It sounds like the insurance docs you are reading are generic information. Ultimately, the stove manufacturer's guidelines are the final say. That is what the inspector should go by. Download the 5700 manual from Quadrafire's website. They have tested and certified the stove for these conditions.

However, with an 8" flue, there is already a variance from spec. I say hook it up and see how it behaves. If you are getting unacceptable smoke spillage when opening the door, it may need extending.

 

[rustynut]

hi guys,
looked thru the manual again
thinking that i will round up all the info from the quad manual and sit down with the insurance agent
thinking you are probably correct with the generic info
and that would be safe for a stove without a manual (makes sense)
but with UL approval & verified clearance reductions i'm thinking this should be negotiable
thanks for the smack in the head - duh
no 8" pipe, all 6" as reqd
thanks
rustynut

 

[rustynut]

hi there,
just a quick update
got with my insurance agent on the phone (FARM B _ _ _ _ _ )
he said that they do in fact use the recomended UL stuff right from the manual
although the manual says 16 inch floor protection in the front, he would like to see 18
not a problem, havnt built that yet
stove clearance and the minimum 16 foot chimney height had me worried
looks like we are a go
thanks
rustynut

 

[TMonter]

I run the min length of pipe on my Quadrafire 3100i and have had no problems yet with draft or stove performance (other than when my cap gets clogged).

Depending on your roof and local codes I would look into a cap without a screen so you can avoid cleaning the cap off to keep good draft established. Who makes the chimney pipe you are installing?

 

[granpajohn]

I'm pretty sure that QFire lists the chimney length from the base of the stove, not the top. This adds a couple feet. Of course, they call for 12-14, not 16 anyway. They say this ties in to their testing.

I know..... try to tell that to a guy who has smoke spilling into the room. But for insurance purposes, they ought to go by the book.

 

[rustynut]

hi there,
i'm thinking that the pipe is from a company called American
not sure, looking for my paperwork
put that in over a year ago
got really sidetracked this last year
unable to get it in prior to winter
had to buy another season of propane
drafty old place is hard on that bill
getting it together now
hoping this 5700 quad burns good straight out the top
hate to extend the pipe as it will make cleaning more difficult if it gets much taller
a couple of feet max i could do if it gives me trouble drafting
we'll see

 

[rustynut]

TMonter
found the paperwork on that pipe
turns out that american was actually amerivent
and
that was the brand i used on my first stove
the dealer sold me Super-Pro this time
double wall insulated class A
dont know if its any good or not but i think it has a good guarantee
thinking it should be fine
hope so - its in

(should have searched this site before my purchase. dealer gave me 10% off the pipe.
found the same pipe w/o the 10% discount, cheaper locally weeks later - oh well / its in....)